8. Aldehyde measurement

8.1 Properties of aldehydes

Aldehydes are relatively little represented in primary pollutant emissions to outdoor air, most often in the form of formaldehyde HCHO (automotive emissions). They are much more abundant (especially HCHO) in primary indoor emissions (from chipboard, glues, foams, etc.). In the atmosphere, on the other hand, they are secondary compounds formed during the oxidative degradation of virtually all organic compounds (cf. article ). Beyond their interest as pollutants to be monitored in specific environments, these compounds are of major interest in the study of atmospheric chemistry: as intermediates in the oxidation process of organic compounds, they are tracers of the state of evolution of the atmospheric "soup", making it possible to identify...