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The thermal/optical reflectance method of carbon analysis developed by Huntzicker et al. (in Particulate Carbon, Atmospheric Life Cycle, edited by Wolff G. T. and Klimisch R. L., pp. 79–88, Plenum Press, New York, 1982) has been adapted by several laboratories for the quantification of organic and elemental carbon on quartz-fiber filter deposits. While the principle used by these laboratories is identical to that of Huntzicker et al., the details differ with respect to calibration standards, analysis time, temperature ramping and volatilization/combustion temperatures. This paper reports a variation on this method which has been applied to over 27,000 samples taken in more than a dozen urban and regional air quality studies in the U.S.A. In this variation, a 0.5 cm² punch from a dozen urban and regional air quality studies in 120, 250, 450 and 550°C in a pure helium atmosphere, then to combustion at temperatures of …