Determination of acetone, 2-butanone, diethyl ketone and BTX using HSCC-UV-IMS

A combination of a custom-designed ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) with a UV ionization source and a high speed capillary column (HSCC) has been developed as an analytical device for the sensitive detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), e.g. 2-propanone (acetone), 2-butanone and 3-pentanone (diethyl ketone) in the gas phase. A fast separation of the three selected substances and benzene, toluene and m-xylene (BTX) - all of which occur in human breath - has been achieved within less than four minutes at a carrier gas flow rate of 4.5 mL x min(-1). Multi-dimensional correlations presented support the interpretation of the acquired spectra of mixtures. Method detection limits were 2.7 microg x L(-1) for acetone and 2-butanone and 3.0 microg x L(-1) for diethyl ketone in nitrogen, respectively. The assay linear dynamic range is 4-320 microg x L(-1).