Determination of Tertiary Amines in Air

Abstract Methods have been developed for air sampling of gaseous tertiary amines on solid sorbents. Sampling was performed at three different air levels and at 20 percent and 85 percent relative air humidity, respectively. Desorption was carried out by solvent extraction prior to high-resolution gas chromatographic analysis with flame ionization or nitrogen-phosphorus detection. Seven amines, differing in the length and shape of the carbon chains, were selected for the study and divided into three groups. The members of the first group, consisting of dimethylethylamine (DMEA), methyldiethylamine (MDEA), and triethylamine (TEA) were collected using charcoal tubes and desorbed with 5 percent ethanol in dichloromethane. The amine air levels were 1, 10, and 50 ppm. The recoveries of these amines were 92–100% (n = 6, RSD = 1–4%). Storage studies (5 days at room temperature followed by 9 days in a freezer) showed recoveries of 87 percent (DMEA), 89 percent (MDEA), and 82 percent (TEA). Determination of DMEA in ...