Ozone reaction with n-aldehydes (n=4-10), benzaldehyde, ethanol, isopropanol, and n-propanol adsorbed on a dual-bed graphitized carbon-carbon molecular sieve adsorbent cartridge.

Ozone reacts with n-aldehydes (n=4-10), benzaldehyde, ethanol, isopropanol and n-propanol adsorbed on a dual-bed graphitized carbon-carbon molecular sieve adsorbent cartridge. Destruction of n-aldehydes increases with n number and with ozone concentration. In some sampling experiments both generation and destruction of n-aldehydes by ozone are observed. In field experiments the results of sample analysis for n-aldehydes and benzaldehyde are frequently not proportional to sample volume whereas results for toluene and isoprene, and sometimes for total carbon, are. A simple theory is developed to simulate the net result of three processes: the adsorption of compounds from an air stream onto a solid adsorbent, the generation of compounds by reaction of ozone with materials upstream of or on the adsorbent, and the destruction by ozone of pre-existing compounds and compounds adsorbed from the sample stream. The use of distributed volume pairs is recommended as a way to identify loss of sample integrity during air monitoring experiments.