Determination of primary, secondary, and tertiary amines in air by direct or diffusion sampling followed by determination with liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry

Two different methods for sampling of primary, secondary, and tertiary aliphatic and aromatic amines in air have been developed for improving amine analysis in air. The aim was to have a quick method for direct sampling of amines at defined times, for example, for material testing as well as for long-term measurements of amines by diffusive sampling during field studies without sampling instrumentation. The goal of the study was chemical analysis of amines, especially focusing on an analytical method suitable for tertiary amines besides primary and secondary amines. For both direct and diffusive sampling, samplers working with phosphoric acid impregnated glass wool for trapping of amines by formation of quaternary ammonium salts have been designed and tested. Direct sampling was applied for in-car emission measurement and for polyurethane exhalation monitoring by drawing air from 1 m³ test chambers through amine sampling devices. Diffusive sampling was applied for the same in-car measurement and for field measurement at a landfill leachate uptake with an obnoxious smell. Quantification of sampled analytes was achieved by LC-MS/MS analysis.