• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.116-123
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• 2022

Polymer bags, metallic canisters, and glass bottles have been used as containers for analyzing the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air. In this study, various sampling containers were compared to investigate the short-term stability of VOCs, that is, from the time they are sampled to the time they are analyzed. Polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), polypropylene (PP), polyester aluminum (PE-Al) bags, canisters, and glass bottles were used as sample containers. A 100 nmol/mol standard gas mixture of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m-xylene, styrene, and o-xylene was used for the VOC comparison. Changes in the concentrations of samples stored for 10~20 day in each container were measured using a thermal desorption-gas chromatograph-flame ionization detector (TD-GC-FID). As a result, VOCs stored in a canister and two kinds of amber glass bottles have shown immaterial decreases in concentration in one week, and more than 80 % of the initial concentration was maintained for two weeks. In the case of polymer bags, the concentration of all VOCs, except benzene and toluene, were remarkably decreased below 70% of the initial concentration in one day. Particularly, ethylbenzene, xylene, and styrene have shown dramatic decreases in concentration below 30 % of the initial concentration in all polymer bags in one day.