Chemical analysis complex pollution problems

A recent review [laj emphasizes the complexity of air pollutant samples and describes some of the techniques which have been recently developed for their analysis. Among these are a number of alternate ionization techniques for mass spectrometry. Positive and negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CIMSj are analytical tools which can provide significant assistance in solving these problems. Their application in a number of air pollution studies are discussed in this chapter. 

A combination of problem-oriented chemical and biological methods is strongly advocated as an approach to investigate adverse effects of man-made pollution on the environment. Because of the complexity of environmental systems, biodirected fractionation and analysis are applied to test relatively well-characterized fractions with appropriate biological systems. 

The complexity of environmental matrices and the problems due to the spatial-temporal evolution of pollutants and their involvement in biogeochemical cycles calls for the utmost accuracy in data collection, data analysis and environmental control. The first and fundamental requisite to be satisfied in order to give definitive answers to existing environmental problems is the capacity to produce absolutely reliable data, particularly where trace toxic chemical substances are concerned. It is imperative that measured concentrations correspond strictly to the truth. This reminder might appear superfluous, but unfortunately the technical-scientific difficulties involved in the analytical process are often underestimated, as the scientific literature has already amply demonstrated (see for instance refs. 7 through 13). 

Numerous applications of stripping analysis to many environmental, clinical, or industrial problems have been reported. The technique has been widely used for the measurement of trace metals in natural waters, including pristine and polluted inland and marine waters [1, 36, 38]. The technique is particularly suitable for the study of chemical speda-tion, that is, the determination of different physical-chemical forms of the element [39]. Measurements of oxidation states, complexation capacity, stability constants, or labile metal concentration, represent typical stripping spedation experiments. Because of its fundamentally different detection prindples, the... 

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