Hydrogen peroxide–sodium hydrosulfite chemiluminescence system combined with high-performance liquid chromatography for determination of 1-hydroxypyrene in airborne particulates

In this research, a highly sensitive chemiluminescence method based on a sodium hydrosulfite (NaHSO3)–hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) reaction for the determination of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) was developed. The response of this system was linear in the range from 0.5 to 50 pmol (R2 = 0.9983). The limit of detection for 1-OHP was 100 fmol (S/N = 3). 1-OHP in airborne particulates was well separated from interfering compounds using an ODS column with 75% methanol as the mobile phase in isocratic mode. The proposed method was successfully applied to determine the 1-OHP in airborne particulates collected in Kanazawa, Japan. The average concentration of 1-OHP in the atmosphere was 2.0 pg/m3 (9.2 fmol/m3).