Recent applications of gas and high-performance liquid chromatographic techniques to the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in airborne particulates

Abstract

Advances in the development of analytical separation techniques can be said to have been significantly fueled by the ever-increasing demands of environmental analyses. Complex environmental matrices and sample mixtures have motivated chromatographers to improve their craft to the present level of excellence in terms of functionality and applicability. This paper reviews the most recent application of two of the most important chromatographic methods - gas chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography - to the analysis of an important class of environmental pollutants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives. The review focuses on the use of the two aforementioned techniques in the characterization of PAHs and related compounds present in airborne particulates, reported in the literature in the past three years.