Mrasurement of Atmospheric Formaldehyde Using a Drop Collector and In-Situ Colorimetry

Abstract

A sensitive and affordable approach is described for the in-situ measurement of ambient formaldehyde. Air is sampled around a 100 microliter aqueous drop containing 3-methyl-2-benzothiazoline hydrazone. After a desired period of sampling (typ. 5 min) and a waiting period of 10 min for the reaction to be completed, a second reagent (FeCl₃) is added to the drop by means of a conjoined conduit. A blue product is formed and is read after an additional 10 min of reaction by a fiber-optic/light emitting diode based photodetector. A fresh drop is then formed and the process begins anew. As demonstrated here, the limit of detection is ∼6.25 fig m⁻³ HCHO but can be significantly improved by using longer sampling times and a sampling rate higher than 100 ml min⁻¹ used in most of this work. This is the first example of a chromogenic drop sensor that utilizes sequential reagent addition.