Influence of measuring conditions on the quantification of spectroscopic signals in TA-FTIR-MS systems

Simultaneous thermal analysis (TA) and evolved gas analysis by mass spectrometry (MS) and/or Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is a powerful hyphenated technique combining direct measurement of mass loss and sensitive spectroscopic analysis. In the present study the influence of several experimental parameters which may affect the quantification of FTIR signals have been studied using a combined TA-FTIR-MS system. Parameters studied include: sample mass (1-400 mg), carrier gas flow rate (25-200 mL min^-1), resolution of the FTIR spectrometer (1-32 cm^-1), and location of injection of the calibrating gas. MS analysis, which was not significantly affected by the experimental conditions, was used as a reference for assessing the accuracy of quantification by FTIR. The quantification of the spectroscopic signals was verified by the decomposition (NaHCO₃) or dehydration (CuSO₄·5H₂O) of compounds with well-known stoichiometry. The systematic study of the parametric sensitivity revealed that spectral resolution and carrier gas flow rate, which affect the acquisition time in the IR-cell, are key parameters that must be adjusted carefully for reliable quantification. The dependence of the reliability of quantification on these parameters is illustrated and conditions leading to proper quantification are discussed. As an example, for a standard spectral resolution of 4 cm^-1 and a FTIR gas cell volume of 8.7 mL, the carrier gas flow must be lower than 100 mL min^-1 for warranting accurate results (relative deviation <2%). The concentration range of analyzed species is limited but can be extended by proper selection of the wavenumber regions for molecules giving strong IR signals.     

热分析-质谱联用中逸出气体的脉冲热分析定量方法

利用脉冲热分析技术(PulseTA)实现对热分析-质谱(TA-MS)联用系统中逸出气体质谱信号的定量,考察了多种实验参数如不同载气流速、温度以及分析样品量等因素对热分析-质谱联用系统中逸出气体质谱信号定量校正的影响.实验结果表明,利用PulseTA对TA-MS联用系统中逸出气体CO2定量结果与理论计算值的相对误差约2.85%.同时利用TG-DTG-MS联用技术对氮化铟(InN)粉体的热分解行为进行研究,在氩气气氛下InN粉体的热分解过程一步完成,InN粉体在550～750℃得到相应的正离子质谱峰:N2+(m/z=28),所释放的N非常接近InN中N的理论含量.利用PulseTA技术检测到InN粉体受热分解放出氮气质量的实验测量值与理论计算值的相对误差约为1.36%.     

Analysis of a Complex Gaseous Mixture by TG-MS and TG-FTIR

The thermal decomposition of sodium ethyl xanthate (SEX) was used to compare the techniques of pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (py-GC-MS), thermogravimetry-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TG-FTIR), and TG-MS. In the py-GC-MS analysis, SEX was pyrolysed at 400°C in an inert atmosphere. Major gases evolved were carbon disulfide, diethyl sulfide, ethanol, and carbonyl sulfide. The TG of SEX exhibited a sharp mass loss at 201°C (42.3%) and a gradual mass loss at 217-325°C (20.8 %). The MS spectra of the evolved gases were complex due to overlapping of molecular, isotope, and fragment ion signals. Using the MS in selected ion monitoring mode, the major gases evolved were found to be carbon disulfide and carbonyl sulfide. The FTIR spectra of the evolved gases displayed vibrational frequencies due to alkanes, carbonyls, carbonyl sulfide, and carbon disulfide. From the analyses it was concluded that py-GC-MS provided unambiguous gas identification. Interpretation of the MS results was reliant on the py-GC-MS results, and the FTIR data was limited to identifying gases with very characteristic vibration frequencies. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Fourier transform infrared determination of CO2 evolved from carbonate in carbonated apatites

A quantitative method based on FTIR has been developed to determine carbonate in synthetic apatites. The method measures the evolved CO₂ after reaction of 50 mg apatite with 2 mL of hydrochloric acid (0.5 M) in a reaction vessel, heated to 40?°C. The CO₂ evolved was swept by a carrier of nitrogen to a laboratory-made infrared gas cell of 39 mm pathlength and 490 μL volume. The signals were recorded as a function of time and the areas of the chemigram peaks obtained from the measurements in the wavenumber range of 2500–2150 cm^–1, were interpolated using a calibration curve. The method can be used to study apatites with carbonate contents below 0.2% with a sampling frequency of 8 h^–1.     

Advanced pulse calibration techniques for the quantitative analysis of TG–FTIR data

Two different pulse calibration techniques to estimate the total quantities of evolved gaseous substances formed in thermogravimetric (TG)–FTIR runs were compared and assessed. A gas-pulse calibration method was based on the use of a specific device able of sending a known quantity of a gaseous compound of interest to the FTIR analyzer. A second calibration method was based on the vaporization in the TG analyzer of liquid solutions of the compound of interest. Data obtained by these techniques were compared to those from conventional concentration-based calibration. The results confirmed the reliability of pulse calibration techniques to obtain quantitative data on evolved gaseous products in TG–FTIR applications. Moreover, both the gas-pulse and the vaporization-based calibration techniques proved to have several advantages with respect to conventional techniques. Among these are the need of a more limited number of standards and no need for online gas dilution systems.     

Cosorption effect in gas chromatography: flow fluctuations caused by adsorbing carrier gases

Adsorbing carrier gases have a number of advantages in analytical and preparative gas chromatography, such as clearer detector signals and higher column efficiencies. This work shows that adsorbing carrier gases also may be useful because they cause the mobile phase flow rate to become unsteady after injecting a small amount of sample. This work shows that a 100 microL sample of helium can liberate enough carbon dioxide carrier gas from a zeolite 5A packed column at 373 K, that the departure from the steady-state flow rate had an upper lobe area of 586 microL of carrier gas. This was confirmed by coupling a modified Langmuir kinetic model with the Ergun equation.     

Selective determination of penicillamine by on-line vapor-phase generation combined with Fourier transform infrared spectrometry

In this work, an on-line system with vapor-phase generation (VPG) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometric detection has been developed as a direct and highly selective analytical technique for the assay of penicillamine (PA). Potassium iodate solution was injected into a reactor, heated at 75 °C, containing PA. The CO generated under these conditions was transported by means of N₂ gas carrier stream to an infrared gas cell and corresponding FTIR spectra were acquired in a continuous mode. The maximum absorbance of CO band at 2170 cm⁻¹, corrected by a baseline established between 2240 and 2000 cm⁻¹ at a nominal resolution of 2 cm⁻¹, was selected as a measurement criterion. Initially, the effect of different chemical, physical and spectroscopic parameters, such as concentration and volume of oxidant, pH, equilibrium time, reactor temperature, reactor volume, N₂ carrier flow rate and number of scans on the analytical signals were evaluated by using a short path length (10 cm) IR gas cell. At optimum experimental conditions, the method provided a relatively broad linear dynamic range of 4-380 mg L⁻¹, a limit of detection of 0.5 mg L⁻¹, a sampling frequency of 15 h⁻¹ and a relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) of 1.6%. Further, the method was successfully applied to the determination of PA in pharmaceutical formulations and results compared well with those obtained by a reference colorimetric method.     

Solubility of some carrier gases in stationary liquid phases used in gas-liquid chromatography

A simple gas chromatographic technique for the determination of the solubility of gases in low-volatile liquids was proposed. The procedure is based on the introduction of a certain volume of the liquid saturated with the gas at atmospheric pressure into a gas chromatograph. The solubility of carrier gases (helium, hydrogen, nitrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide) in various stationary liquid phases (SLP), such as pentadecane, polydimethylsiloxane PMS-100, and polyethylene glycol PEG-600, was studied. The carrier gases studied can be arranged in the following series by solubility in SLP: He<H₂<N₂<CH₄<CO₂. This order coincides with the series reflecting change in the retention values in GLC for different carrier gases. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 923–925, May, 1999.     

Improvements in preconcentration methods for determining trace impurities in ultra-pure gases by gas chromatography

Summary The blanks in preconcentration methods for determining trace amounts of impurities in ultra-pure gases, which include the preconcentration volume of sample gases, carrier gas impurities and atmospheric contamination are discussed and three concentration methods for eliminating blank errors are proposed. These are, the differential volume method by concentrating at the same flow-rate but different times (DVMSF), the differential time method by concentrating the same volumes at different flow-rates (DTMSV) and the differential volume method by concentrating for the same times but different flow-rates (DVMST). DVMST is proposed as the best method for its ability to eliminate all blank errors described. The methods are used to determine trace amounts of Ar+O₂ and N₂ in ultra-pure hydrogen. Calculations demonstrate that the methods can effectively improve analytical accuracy.     

Fourier transform infrared determination of CO2 evolved from carbonate in carbonated apatites

A quantitative method based on FTIR has been developed to determine carbonate in synthetic apatites. The method measures the evolved CO2 after reaction of 50 mg apatite with 2 mL of hydrochloric acid (0.5 M) in a reaction vessel, heated to 40 degrees C. The CO2 evolved was swept by a carrier of nitrogen to a laboratory-made infrared gas cell of 39 mm pathlength and 490 microL volume. The signals were recorded as a function of time and the areas of the chemigram peaks obtained from the measurements in the wavenumber range of 2,500-2,150 cm(-1), were interpolated using a calibration curve. The method can be used to study apatites with carbonate contents below 0.2% with a sampling frequency of 8 h(-1).     

Combined thermogravimetry and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques for gas evolution analysis

The usefulness of thermogravimetry has been amply demonstrated for a wide variety of material analysis applications. In many instances, however, additional information is required for adequate characterization of the sample and its thermal decomposition behaviour. In this respect, the analysis of evolved gases, or condensed liquids, has proven a highly useful approach. Among the various physical methods used for analysis of the thermal degradation products, infrared spectroscopy has often been found very powerful, being versatile, rapid and widely accessible. In this study, we report a simple new approach in which the evolved gases and condensed liquids from the thermal decomposition of various products are recuperated in an infrared gas cell and on a PVC membrane filter, respectively. The gaseous components were analysed by transmission FT-IR, and the condensed liquid products were examined directly on the PVC membrane by FT-IR in the internal reflexion mode. The technique was used, for example, to examine the pyrolysis products (gases and liquid) of Koberit, a proposed substitute for asbestos. The method was also applied to the study of chemically derivatized asbestos materials in an attempt to unravel the surface chemical modifications.     

Determination of the diffusion coefficient of CO2 in the ionic liquid EMIM NTf2 using online FTIR measurements

Physical data concerning the absorption kinetics like the diffusion coefficients are important values for designing an economically working gas separation processes. Considering ionic liquids, which emerged in recent years as interesting alternative solvent media for versatile industrial purposes, usually only solubility data for gases are available if at all. Therefore in order to gain additional information such as diffusion coefficients of gases in ionic liquids, we established an efficient and easily assembled set-up based on time-resolved FTIR measurements. Applying this methodology, the diffusion coefficient of carbon dioxide in 1-ethyl-3-methyl-imidizolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]amide (EMIM NTf₂) was determined at a temperature of 303 K.     

Speciation of volatile mercury species present in digester and deposit gases

Volatile mercury compounds have been speciated in gases evolved from fermentation of sewage sludge as well as municipal waste. The species were trapped by sequential sampling, using a noble‐metal trap in series with an activated‐carbon trap. Thermally desorbed Hg⁰ and (CH₃)₂Hg were separated by GC at 70 °C and detected by cold vapour atomic fluorescence spectroscopy after thermal reduction. The amounts of mercury detected in the sewage gas correspond to concentrations in the range 50–110 ng m⁻³ for both species whereas the deposit gases were found to contain only elemental mercury. Monomethylmercury species could not be positively identified in any of the gas samples. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Physicochemical measurements by the reversed-flow version of inverse gas chromatography

Since the first publication on the method, reversed-flow gas chromatography has been used to "separate" physicochemical quantities by measuring the value of one in the presence of another. The experimental arrangement consists of a small modification of a commercial gas chromatograph, so that it includes a four- or six-port gas sampling valve, and a simple cell placed inside the chromatographic oven. This cell suppresses the effects of the carrier gas flow on the physicochemical phenomena taking place in the stationary phase. These phenomena pertain to chemical kinetics, diffusion in gases, liquids and surfaces, mass transfer across gas-liquid and gas-solid boundaries, local adsorption on heterogeneous solid surfaces, etc.     

Thermal degradation of a reactive flame retardant based on cyclotriphosphazene and its blend with DGEBA epoxy resin

Hexaglycidyl cyclotriphosphazene (HGCP) was synthesized, and characterized by FTIR, ³¹P, ¹H, and ¹³C-NMR. This compound was used as a reactive flame retardant to blend with commercial epoxy resin DGEBA (Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A). Its effect on the DGEBA decomposition pathways was characterized by studying both gas and solid phases produced during thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The gases evolved during TGA in air were studied by means of thermogravimetry coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TG–FTIR), while the solid residues were analysed by FTIR and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that HGCP presents a good dispersion in DGEBA, and the blend thermoset with 4,4′-methylene-dianiline (MDA) curing agent leads to a significant improvement of the thermal stability at elevated temperature with higher char yields compared with pure DGEBA thermoset with the same curing agent. Improvement has also been observed in the fire behaviour of blend sample.     

Evolved Gas Analysis of Some Solid Fuels by TG-FTIR

FTIR spectrometry combined with TG provides information regarding mass changes in a sample and permits qualitative identification of the gases evolved during thermal degradation. Various fuels were studied: coal, peat, wood chips, bark, reed canary grass and municipal solid waste. The gases evolved in a TG analyser were transferred to the FTIR via a heated teflon line. The spectra and thermoanalytical curves indicated that the major gases evolved were carbon dioxide and water, while there were many minor gases, e.g. carbon monoxide, methane, ethane, methanol, ethanol, formic acid, acetic acid and formaldehyde. Separate evolved gas spectra also revealed the release of ammonia from biomasses and peat. Sulphur dioxide and nitric oxide were found in some cases. The evolution of the minor gases and water parallelled the first step in the TG curve. Solid fuels dried at 100°C mainly lost water and a little ammonia. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Oxygen solid electrolyte coulometry (OSEC)

The development and utilization of solid electrolyte-based coulometric techniques for the investigation of different oxygen exchange processes of solids or liquids, oxygen or hydrogen permeability through membranes, and generation of gas flows with well-defined oxygen concentration is briefly reviewed. The method based on Faraday’s law may be used alternatively or additionally to thermogravimetry, gas chromatography, chemical analysis, spectroscopy, and X-ray or neutron diffractometry in a wide oxygen partial pressure region (10^?20 to 10⁵?Pa) unaffected by temperature. The detection limit of exchanged oxygen is determined by a current- and voltage-measuring technique and is now not lower than 50?ng for devices operating in carrier gas mode.     

Volatile metal and metalloid species in gases from municipal waste deposits

We have detected volatile species of silicon, vanadium, arsenic, bromine, tin, antimony, tellurium, iodine, mercury, lead and bismuth in gases released from domestic waste deposits, using inductively coupled argon plasma mass spectrometry (ICP MS). By concurrent aspiration of a multielement standard solution for calibration, the element concentrations in deposit gas are found to be in the range from 0.1 ng m^?3 to 10 μg m^?3 gas. The global amount of some metal species emitted by this process may be of the order of several tons per year. These results suggest a biogeochemical pathway for the transfer of metals into the atmosphere via volatile species. This process may have significant influence on atmospheric cycling of metals as well as on metal toxicity within ecosystems.     

Gas chromatographic determination of dissolved noble gases in liquids

A gas chromatographic technique for the determination of noble gas content in inorganic an organic liquids is described. Experimental data given to demonstrate the ability of the method indicate that the lower concentration limit of noble gases dissolved in 1 g of a liquid that can be determined by the described analytical technique is about of 6·10⁻³ cm³ (STP) of Kr and 2·10⁻³ cm³ (STP) of Xe. In addition, it is shown that this method together with the standard sample preparation applied is suitable for the study of gas solubilities in liquids.