Chemical characterization of water soluble organic compounds in tropospheric fine aerosol

Water soluble organic compounds were investigated in aerosol samples collected in a rural station in Hungary. The share of water soluble organic carbon (WSOC) reached 58% of the total carbon and 40% of the water soluble species (both organic and inorganic). Most of the WSOC was characterized by polyconjugated (e.g. aromatic) structure, acidic functional groups and a continuous distribution in the mass to charge ratio between 100 and 700. Individual compounds with molecular weight of several hundreds have also been detected.