Polymer-mediated extraction of the fluorescent compounds derived by Hantzsch reaction with dimedone for the sensitive determination of aliphatic aldehydes in air.

An extraction method based on the thermo-responsive precipitation of a water-soluble polymer, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) [PNIPAAm], was applied to the concentration of dimedone (5,5-dimethylcycrohexane-1,3-dion) derivatives for the highly sensitive determination of aldehydes in air. Aliphatic aldehydes including formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propanal, 1-butanal, 1-heptanal, and 1-hexanal in air were well solubilized into the aqueous solution of dimedone and ammonium acetate by mixing the solution and air sample in a polyvinyl fluoride bag. Fluorescent derivatives of aldehydes that had formed by the Hantzsch reaction with dimedone were concentrated by polymer-mediated extraction. The recoveries of the fluorescent compounds increased with increasing the carbon number of aldehyde and were more than 80% for the derivatives from aldehydes having more than three carbon atoms under the optimal conditions. Microgram per m3 (sub-ppb) levels of the aliphatic aldehydes, propanal, 1-butanal, 1-heptanal, and 1-hexanal, in ambient air were successfully determined by HPLC separation with fluorometric detection. The sampling volume and time required were only 1l and 20 s, respectively.