A method for analysis of vanillic acid in polar ice cores

Biomass burning generates a wide range of organic compounds that are transported via aerosols to the polar ice sheets. Vanillic acid is a product of conifer lignin combustion, which has previously been observed in laboratory and ambient biomass burning aerosols. In this study a method was developed...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Climate of the Past
Main Authors: Grieman, M. M., Greaves, J., Saltzman, E. S.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-11-227-2015
https://noa.gwlb.de/receive/cop_mods_00017622
https://noa.gwlb.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/cop_derivate_00017577/cp-11-227-2015.pdf
https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/11/227/2015/cp-11-227-2015.pdf
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Summary:Biomass burning generates a wide range of organic compounds that are transported via aerosols to the polar ice sheets. Vanillic acid is a product of conifer lignin combustion, which has previously been observed in laboratory and ambient biomass burning aerosols. In this study a method was developed for analysis of vanillic acid in melted polar ice core samples. Vanillic acid was chromatographically separated using reversed-phase liquid chromatography (HPLC) and detected using electrospray ionization–triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). Using a 100 μL injection loop and analysis time of 4 min, we obtained a detection limit of 77 ppt (parts per trillion by mass) and an analytical precision of ±10%. Measurements of vanillic acid in Arctic ice core samples from the Siberian Akademii Nauk core are shown as an example application of the method.