ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, cilt.373, sa.8, ss.901-907, 2002 (SCI-Expanded)
Diffusive samplers for the determination of NOx and NO2 based on collection on a coated carbon paper filter have been developed. NO is first oxidized to NO2 and then collected on the reactive surface. When NO2 and NOx samplers are exposed simultaneously, NO can be calculated by difference. The sampler has been derived from a Palmes design as recently modified by Bertoni et al. for the determination of BTX (benzene, toluene, xylenes). Laboratory tests were conducted in controlled atmosphere to evaluate linearity, uptake rate, face velocity effects, sample stability, influence of relative humidity, precision and accuracy. The samplers are capable of reliable measurements of the two species at common levels of a polluted atmosphere in urban settings yielding average concentration levels over 1 month and beyond.