A method for simultaneous determination of atmospheric dimethyl sulfide (DMS), carbon disulfide (CS2), and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) is described. Prior to cryogenic trapping, atmospheric oxidants were successfully removed by a new high capacity scrubber system based on 100% cotton wadding in combination with a Nafion drier. Using on-line calibration, the overall accuracy was within +/- 2% for DMS and +/- 15% for CS2 and DMDS. The precision of the method, for relative humidities of less-than-or-equal-to 30% (T = 22-degrees-C), was better than +/- 3% for DMS and about +/- 5% for CS2 and DMDS. Ambient air samples have successfully been taken and analyzed during the International Arctic Ocean Expedition (IAOE) in the summer and fall of 1991. The main compound present was DMS in concentrations ranging from 1 (detection limit) to 370 ppt(v).

A new preconcentration technique for the determination of the concentration and isotopic composition of neodymium in aqueous samples is presented. The method uses a resin, Nobias PA1 from Hitachi High-Technologies, which has a hydrophilic methacrylate polymer backbone where the functional groups ethylenediaminetriacetic and iminodiacetic acids are immobilized. The function of the resin has been tested by preconcentrating 110-350 pmol of Nd from test solutions as well as from natural brackish water and seawater samples with different salinities and Nd concentrations. Samples were loaded onto the resin after the pH was adjusted, and the Nd fraction was eluted using 3 M HNO3. The method shows yields of about 90% or higher at pH 6 when the samples were buffered using ammonium acetate. Without the addition of buffer the yield decreased to below 80%. The isotopic composition of Nd in samples preconcentrated using Nobias PA1 agree within error with published data or data obtained by other methods. The total blank, including contributions from preconcentration, separation, and mass spectrometry, is estimated to be 0.2-0.4 pmol (30-60 pg) of Nd. The described preconcentration method, which can be used in the field, is easy, fast (about 8 h for a 3.6 kg sample), and reliable for preconcentration of Nd from a seawater matrix.

We have evaluated the feasibility of using Empore solid-phase extraction (SPE) membranes as an alternative to conventional techniques for sampling fine airborne particulate matter (PM), including nanoparticles, utilizing a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) and a condensation particle counter to evaluate their efficiency for trapping fine particles in the 10-800 nm size range. The results demonstrate that the membranes can efficiently trap these particles and can then be conveniently packed into an extraction cell and extracted under matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) conditions. The potential utility of sampling PM using Empore membranes followed by dynamic subcritical water extraction (DSWE) for fast, efficient, class-selective extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated with the particles, prior to changing the solvent and analysis by GC/MS, was then explored. The performance of the method was tested using National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-certified "urban dust" reference material (SRM 1649a) and real samples collected at a site in central Rome with heavy road traffic. ne method appears to provide comparable extraction efficiency to that of conventional techniques and with using GC/MS, detection limits ranged in the few picograms per cubic meter level. Sampling PM by Empore membranes may reduce the risks of losses of semivolatile compounds, while allowing relatively high sampling flow rates and safe sample storage. Moreover, the combination of MSPD with DSWE permits specific fractions of the PM components to be eluted, thereby generating clean extracts and reducing both analysis time and sample manipulation.