SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 January 1990
STP17186S

Development of Multicomponent Parts-per-Billion-Level Gas Standards of Volatile Toxic Organic Compounds

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The demand for stable, low-concentration multicomponent standards of volatile toxic organic compounds for quantifying national and state measurements of ambient air quality and hazardous waste incineration emissions has markedly increased in recent years. In response to this demand, a microgravimetric technique was developed and validated for preparing such standards; these standards ranged in concentration from several parts per million (ppm) down to one part per billion (ppb) and in complexity from one organic up to 17. Studies using the gravimetric procedure to prepare mixtures of different groups of organics, including multicomponent mixtures in the 5 to 20 ppb range, revealed a very low imprecision. This procedure is based on the separate gravimetric introduction of individual organics into an evacuated gas cylinder, followed by the pressurized addition of a precalculated amount of pure nitrogen. Additional studies confirmed the long-term stability of these mixtures. The uncertainty of the concentrations of the individual organics at the 95% confidence level ranged from less than 1% relative at 1 ppm to less than 10% relative at 1 ppb. Over 100 primary gravimetric standards have been developed, validated, and used for certifying the concentrations of a variety of mixtures for monitoring studies.

Author Information

Rhoderick, GC
Center for Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
Zielinski, WL
Center for Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
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Details
Developed by Committee: D22
Pages: 63–74
DOI: 10.1520/STP17186S
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-5116-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-1271-1