Determination of fatty acids in airborne particulate matter, dust and soot by mass chromatography

Extracts from mixture airborne particulate matter, dust taken from an air filter and some soots were fractioned by alumina column chromatography. The solution eluted with ethanol-actic acid (9:1) contained fatty acids and other polar substances. After heating the solution with a small amount of sulphuric acid, the esters of the fatty acids formed were extracted and separated from other polar substances by column chromatography. Identification and quantification were performed by mass chromatography at the molecular ion masses of the esters. Fatty acids from octanoic to tetratriacontanoic acid were determined in these samples and dotriacontanoic, tritricontanoic and tetratriacontanoic acids were found for the first time.