How Efficient are All-Glass Systems for Collection of Airborne Volatiles?

Airborne volatiles of saturated and unsaturated acetates and alcohols with the dodecane, tetradecane, and hexadecane chains released from fresh polyethylene pheromone dispensers were collected in Pasteur pipets attached to an all-glass collecting system. A maximum of 300–500 ng of pheromone in the first pipet (in a row of three or four) could be accumulated. The total amount that can be collected from an active rich source in 10–15 min of aeration (at 40–50 ml/min/cage) can reach 0.5–1 μg. Breakthrough from a pipet starts after an accumulation of 40–50 ng. There is a direct relationship among airflow rate in the system, the period of collection, and the vapor pressure of the chemicals on the amount adsorbed on the glass surface of the pipets. Polar functionalities, such as hydrogen bonding and π electrons play a significant role in the strength of adsorption to the glass surface. The system and technique are simple, fast, and easy to handle for collection of airborne volatiles from plants, animals, and nonliving sources.