ACP Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ACP 1680-7324 Copernicus GmbH Göttingen, Germany 10.5194/acp-4-563-2004 Measuring atmospheric naphthalene with laser-induced fluorescence Martinez M. 1 2 Harder H. 1 2 Ren X. 1 Lesher R. L. 1 Brune W. H. 1 Department of Meteorology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA now at: Max-Planck-Institut für Chemie, Mainz, Germany 04 04 2004 4 2 563 569 This is an open-access article ditributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. This article is available from http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/4/563/2004/acp-4-563-2004.html The full text article is available as a PDF file from http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/4/563/2004/acp-4-563-2004.pdf

A new method for measuring gas-phase naphthalene in the atmosphere is based on laser-induced fluorescence at low pressure. The fluorescence spectrum of naphthalene near 308 nm was identified. Naphthalene fluorescence quenching by N<IMG WIDTH="10" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="MIDDLE" BORDER="0" src="acp-4-563-img1.gif" ALT="$_{2}$">, O<IMG WIDTH="10" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="MIDDLE" BORDER="0" src="acp-4-563-img1.gif" ALT="$_{2}$"> and H<IMG WIDTH="10" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="MIDDLE" BORDER="0" src="acp-4-563-img1.gif" ALT="$_{2}$">O was investigated in the laboratory. No significant quenching was found for H<IMG WIDTH="10" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="MIDDLE" BORDER="0" src="acp-4-563-img1.gif" ALT="$_{2}$">O with mixing ratio up to 2.5%. The quenching rate of naphthalene fluorescence is (1.98<IMG WIDTH="15" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="MIDDLE" BORDER="0" src="acp-4-563-img2.gif" ALT="$pm$">0.18) <IMG WIDTH="15" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="MIDDLE" BORDER="0" src="acp-4-563-img3.gif" ALT="$times$">10<IMG WIDTH="26" HEIGHT="18" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" src="acp-4-563-img4.gif" ALT="$^{-11}$">cm<IMG WIDTH="10" HEIGHT="18" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" src="acp-4-563-img5.gif" ALT="$^{3}$">molecule<IMG WIDTH="20" HEIGHT="18" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" src="acp-4-563-img6.gif" ALT="$^{-1}$">s<IMG WIDTH="20" HEIGHT="18" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" src="acp-4-563-img6.gif" ALT="$^{-1}$"> for N<IMG WIDTH="10" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="MIDDLE" BORDER="0" src="acp-4-563-img1.gif" ALT="$_{2}$">, and (2.48<IMG WIDTH="15" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="MIDDLE" BORDER="0" src="acp-4-563-img2.gif" ALT="$pm$">0.08)<IMG WIDTH="15" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="MIDDLE" BORDER="0" src="acp-4-563-img3.gif" ALT="$times$">10<IMG WIDTH="26" HEIGHT="18" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" src="acp-4-563-img7.gif" ALT="$^{-10}$">cm<IMG WIDTH="10" HEIGHT="18" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" src="acp-4-563-img5.gif" ALT="$^{3}$">molecule<IMG WIDTH="20" HEIGHT="18" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" src="acp-4-563-img6.gif" ALT="$^{-1}$">s<IMG WIDTH="20" HEIGHT="18" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" src="acp-4-563-img6.gif" ALT="$^{-1}$"> for O<IMG WIDTH="10" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="MIDDLE" BORDER="0" src="acp-4-563-img1.gif" ALT="$_{2}$"> at 297 K. Instrument calibrations were performed with a range of naphthalene mixing ratios between 5 and 80 parts per billion by volume (ppbv, 10<IMG WIDTH="26" HEIGHT="34" ALIGN="MIDDLE" BORDER="0" src="acp-4-563-img8.gif" ALT="$^{-9})$">. In the current instrument configuration, the detection limit is estimated to be about 20 parts per trillion by volume (pptv, 10<IMG WIDTH="33" HEIGHT="34" ALIGN="MIDDLE" BORDER="0" src="acp-4-563-img9.gif" ALT="$^{-12})$"> with 2<IMG WIDTH="13" HEIGHT="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" src="acp-4-563-img10.gif" ALT="$sigma $"> confidence and a 1-min integration time. Measurements of atmospheric naphthalene in three cities, Nashville, TN, Houston, TX, and New York City, NY, are presented. Good correlation between naphthalene and major anthropogenic pollutants is found.