[Determination of the acidity of particulate matter in the urban and industrial atmospheres]. / Determinazione dell'acidità del materiale particolato in atmosfere urbane ed industriali.

ABSTRACT

A new method is described for the determination of the strong acidity of particulate matter. The method consists in the volumetric titration of an aqueous extract by means of a strong acid. The titration is performed potentiometrically using a glass electrode and the end point is obtained by extrapolation using a Gran's plot. The lowest concentration of strong acid detectable in a sample is about 0.5 microgram/ml expressed as H2SO4. The method has been applied for the determination of the strong acidity content in airborne particulate matter samples and in dusts emitted from industrial sources.