Setting up of an Isotope Analyser for Quantitative Determination of Percentage Abundance of 15N in Nitrogen Gas

Abstract

An ¹⁵N isotope analyser has been assembled for the quantitative determination of the percentage abundance of ¹⁵N isotope in nitrogen gas employing molecular optical emission spectroscopic technique. The (2,0) band of the second positive system of N₂ was excited in a high frequency discharge. The band heads of the isotopic species ¹⁴N¹⁴N and ¹⁴N¹⁵N molecules were resolved using a 0.5 m monochromator and their intensity peaks were measured. The ratio of the peak heights enabled the quantitative determination of ¹⁵N in the N₂ sample. The performance of the isotope analyser assembled was evaluated and it was found to be quite good as inferred from the analysis of primary standards. The analytical error in the ¹⁵N concentration-range 0.36 to 24% is <6% and rsd is <4%. A salient feature of the method adopted is that it is direct and does not call for the use of comparision standards.     

Quantitative Determination of Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) in Extracts of Biological Matrices by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

A method was developed and validated to measure octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D₄)^? quantitatively by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) at low level in extracts of several biological matrices that include plasma, liver, lung, feces and fat from rats. The key to the successful determination lay in the use of extracts dried with anhydrous magnesium sulfate. This was necessary in view of the propensity of the methyl siloxane based GC-stationary phase to generate D₄ by its reaction with water present in the extracts. To enable quantiiation of D₄ at parts per billion (μg/L) levels, the base ion m/z 281 resulting from the loss of a methyl group from the parent molecule was selected for monitoring by SIM mode in GC-MS. The recovery of D₄ from any of the biological matrices was determined to be greater than 90% in three extractions. The D₄ response for the standards in GC-MS was linear (R² > 0.9900) and reproducible at concentrations ranging from 1—16,000 ng D₄/g solvent. Precision was less than 5%.     

Dual-purpose gas chromatographic injection device for pressurized liquid and gas injection

A dual-purpose gas chromatographic injection device, capable of injecting pressurized liquid sample of up to 5000 psig and gas sample with a volume as high as 5000 μL, has been successfully developed and implemented. The injection device is synergized by the effectiveness of a classical flash vaporization of a syringe injection and the reliability of a proven rotary valve. Depending on the matrix involved, this injection device employs either a commercially available four-port internal valve for liquid sampling or a six-port external valve for gas sampling, a modified removable needle used in standard liquid syringe, and an auxiliary flow stream that can be either mechanical or electronic flow controlled for solute transfer. For pressurized liquid, the device was found suitable of up to nC₁₆ hydrocarbon with no observable carry-over despite the injection device was operating at ambient temperature. A relative standard deviation of less than 2% (n = 20) was obtained for hydrocarbon compounds ranging from nC₈ to nC₁₆. For gas injection, the device performed well even under difficult chromatographic conditions such as with a low column inlet pressure of less than 1 psig. A relative standard deviation of less than 0.5% (n = 10) was obtained for reactive sulfur compounds such as alkyl mercaptans. The device can be operated manually or automated with pneumatic or electrical actuator, is platform neutral, and can be moved amongst instruments without hardware modification as well as implemented for on-line or in situ applications. In this paper, the utility of the device was also demonstrated with selected GC applications of industrial significance.     

Detection of nitrogen dioxide using mixed tungsten oxide-based thick film semiconductor sensor

The thick film semiconductor sensor for NO₂ gas detection was fabricated by screen-printing method using a mixed WO₃-based as sensing material. The sensing characteristics, such as response time, response linearity, sensitivity, working range, cross sensitivity, and long-term stability were further studied by using a WO₃-based mixed with different metal oxides (SnO₂, TiO₂ and In₂O₃) and doped with noble metals (Au, Pd and Pt) as sensing materials was observed. The highest sensitivity for low concentrations (<16 mg l⁻¹) was observed using WO₃-based mixed with In₂O₃ or TiO₂. The NO₂ gas sensor showing the fastest response and recovery time (both within 2 min), good linearity (Y=0.606X+0.788 R²=0.991) for gas concentrations from 3 to 310 mg l⁻¹, low resistance (3 MΩ), high sensitivity, undesirable cross sensitivity effect and good long-term stability (at least 120 days) using WO₃-SnO₂-Au as sensing material.     

Effects of GC temperature and carrier gas flow rate on on‐line oxygen isotope measurement as studied by on‐column CO injection

Although deemed important to δ¹⁸O measurement by on‐line high‐temperature conversion techniques, how the GC conditions affect δ¹⁸O measurement is rarely examined adequately. We therefore directly injected different volumes of CO or CO–N₂ mix onto the GC column by a six‐port valve and examined the CO yield, CO peak shape, CO–N₂ separation, and δ¹⁸O value under different GC temperatures and carrier gas flow rates. The results show the CO peak area decreases when the carrier gas flow rate increases. The GC temperature has no effect on peak area. The peak width increases with the increase of CO injection volume but decreases with the increase of GC temperature and carrier gas flow rate. The peak intensity increases with the increase of GC temperature and CO injection volume but decreases with the increase of carrier gas flow rate. The peak separation time between N₂ and CO decreases with an increase of GC temperature and carrier gas flow rate. δ¹⁸O value decreases with the increase of CO injection volume (when half m/z 28 intensity is <3 V) and GC temperature but is insensitive to carrier gas flow rate. On average, the δ¹⁸O value of the injected CO is about 1‰ higher than that of identical reference CO. The δ¹⁸O distribution pattern of the injected CO is probably a combined result of ion source nonlinearity and preferential loss of C¹⁶O or oxygen isotopic exchange between zeolite and CO. For practical application, a lower carrier gas flow rate is therefore recommended as it has the combined advantages of higher CO yield, better N₂–CO separation, lower He consumption, and insignificant effect on δ¹⁸O value, while a higher‐than‐60 °C GC temperature and a larger‐than‐100 µl CO volume is also recommended. When no N₂ peak is expected, a higher GC temperature is recommended, and vice versa. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

New complexes of fullerences C60 and C70 with CoII and MnII tetraphenylporphyrinates and their ESR study

Complexes of fullerenes C₆₀ and C₇₀ with cobalt(II) and manganese(II) tetraphenylporphyrinates of compositions Mn(TPP)·(C₆₀)₂(CS₂)_1.5 (1), Mn(TPP)·C₇₀(CS₂) _x , wherex<=1.25 (2), Co(TPP)·C₆₀(CS₂)_0.5 (3), and Co(TPP)·C₇₀(CS₂) _x , wherex<0.25 (4), were synthesized and studied by ESR spectroscopy. At 77 K, complexes1 and2 have singlet ESR spectra characteristic of the low-spin (S=1/2) state of Mn^II, withg=2.002 and linewidths of 250 G and 300 G, respectively, and differing significantly from that of the initial Mn^II(TPP) (g ₁=5.9 andg=2.0,S=5/2). The spectra of complexes1 and2 exposed to oxygen exhibit hyperfine structure due to interaction with⁵⁵Mn and¹⁴N nuclei. The ESR spectra of complexes3 and4 are asymmetric (<g>=2.4, ΔH _pp=(500–600) G), which is due to the overlap of parallel and perpendicular spectral components. The absence of ESR signals from C₆₀ ^.− and C₇₀ ^.− radical anions makes it possible to conclude that the formation of complexes1–4 is not accompanied by electron transfer from Co(TPP) and Mn(TPP) to fullerences C₆₀ and C₇₀. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 722–725, April, 1999.     

Ab initio potential energy surface and excited vibrational states for the electronic ground state of Li2H

A 285-point multi-reference configuration-interaction involving single and double excitations (MRS-DCI) potential energy surface for the electronic ground state of Li₂H is determined by using 6-311G (2df, 2pd) basis set. A Simons-Parr-Finlan polynomial expansion is used to fit the discrete surface with a X² of 4.64 × 10^-6. The equilibrium geometry occurs at R_e =0.172 nm and <LiHLi =94.10. The dissociation energy for reaction Li₂H(²A)⇑ Li₂(¹⌆_g)+H(²S) is 243.910 kJ/mol. and that for reaction Li₂H(²A)⇑HLi(¹be)+Li(²S) is 106.445 kJ/mol. The inversion barrier height is 50.388 kJ/mol. The vibrational energy levels are calculated using the discrete variable representation (DVR) method. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant No. 29673029) and by the Special Doctoral Research Foundation of the State Education Commission of China.     

Gas chromatographic separation of PCB and OCP by photocatalytic degradation

A photocatalytic degradation method was developed for polychlorobiphenyl (PCB) and organochloride pesticide (OCP) discrimination and quantification. A mixture of Aroclor 1260 and p,p′-DDT was irradiated at 254 nm by UV lamp (40 W) in the presence of TiO₂ (30 mg mL⁻¹ non-aqueous solution). Comparison of gas chromatograms showed that p,p′-DDT signals decreased significantly after irradiation, while Aroclor 1260s chromatograms did not show any difference before and after irradiation. Detection limits were 0.30 mg L⁻¹ and 0.15 mg L⁻¹ for p,p′-DDT and Aroclor 1260, respectively. The method was applied to spiked egg samples, the recoveries were found as 72% for DDT and 82.01% for Aroclor 1260.     

Influence of Calcination Temperature on Properties of Au/Fe2O3 Catalysts for Low Temperature Water Gas Shift Reaction

A series of Au/Fe₂O₃ catalysts for the water gas shift (WGS) reaction were prepared by modified deposition-precipitation method. The sample calcined at 300 °C showed higher catalytic activity and better stability than other samples. Using N₂ physisorption, in situ XRD, H₂-TPR, and XPS techniques, the influence of calcination temperature on properties of Au/Fe₂O₃ catalyst was explored, and the cause of deactivation was analyzed as well. The results showed that the catalytic behaviors were related to the interaction between Au and Fe₂O₃, and the reductive property of support, both of which were significantly affected by calcination temperature. Furthermore, according to the results of XPS, although stable carbonate and carbonyl surface species were found on the spent catalysts, the semiquantitative analysis of these species indicated that they were not the main cause of the deactivation. In fact, the deactivation of Au/Fe₂O₃ was sensitive to the structure change of support. During the water gas shift reaction, Fe₃O₄ particle would aggregate and crystallize leading to increase in the crystallinity of support and a significant reduction in the surface area of the catalysts, which resulted in the deactivation of Au/Fe₂O₃.     

Flow system to gas capture from a nebulized solution

The use of aerosol produced in a nebulization chamber is proposed as an alternative to gas sample capture in flow systems. This paper describes the coupling of a sampling interface with a flow system, for in situ gas monitoring. Aspects related with the behavior of aerosol formation and gas solubilization in liquid drops are discussed. The method is applied to the determination of residual lime in acidic soils. Aliquots of 5.0 ml of 1.0 mol l⁻¹ HCl were mixed with soil samples (1 g). The CO₂ released from these samples was captured by a nebulized aerosol and determined conductivity. The analytical curve from 1.0×10⁻² to 5.0×10⁻² mol kg⁻¹ CaCO₃ was ploted applying the matrix matching approach. This proposition, allowed an increase in the sensibility with detection limit of 6.0×10⁻³ mol kg⁻¹. The precision was good (R.S.D. <3%) for an analytical frequency of 22 determinations per hour. A fair agreement, at 95% confidence level, was found between the results from the proposed method and certified values of the investigated samples.     

Reforming of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-Containing Natural Gas Using an AC Gliding Arc System: Effect of Gas Components in Natural Gas

The objective of the present work was to study the reforming of simulated natural gas via the nonthermal plasma process with the focus on the production of hydrogen and higher hydrocarbons. The reforming of simulated natural gas was conducted in an alternating current (AC) gliding arc reactor under ambient conditions. The feed composition of the simulated natural gas contained a CH₄:C₂H₆:C₃H₈:CO₂ molar ratio of 70:5:5:20. To investigate the effects of all gaseous hydrocarbons and CO₂ present in the natural gas, the plasma reactor was operated with different feed compositions: pure CH₄, CH₄/He, CH₄/C₂H₆/He, CH₄/C₂H₆/C₃H₈/He and CH₄/C₂H₆/C₃H₈/CO₂. The results showed that the addition of gas components to the feed strongly influenced the reaction performance and the plasma stability. In comparisons among all the studied feed systems, both hydrogen and C₂ hydrocarbon yields were found to depend on the feed gas composition in the following order: CH₄/C₂H₆/C₃H₈/CO₂ > CH₄/C₂H₆/C₃H₈/He > CH₄/C₂H₆/He > CH₄/He > CH₄. The maximum yields of hydrogen and C₂ products of approximately 35% and 42%, respectively, were achieved in the CH₄/C₂H₆/C₃H₈/CO₂ feed system. In terms of energy consumption for producing hydrogen, the feed system of the CH₄/C₂H₆/C₃H₈/CO₂ mixture required the lowest input energy, in the range of 3.58 × 10⁻¹⁸–4.14 × 10⁻¹⁸ W s (22.35–25.82 eV) per molecule of produced hydrogen.     

Removal of SO2 from Gas Streams by Oxidation using Plasma-Generated Hydroxyl Radicals

The key problem for the removal of SO₂ by electrical discharge methods is how to obtain the hydroxyl radicals at high concentration and large production rates. With the micro-gap discharge method, O₂ and H₂O in simulated gas streams (N₂/O₂/H₂O/SO₂) are ionized into a large number of OH^. radicals to oxidize SO₂ into SO₃ which reacts with H₂O forming H₂SO₄ droplets at 120 °C in the absence of any catalyst or absorbent. The droplets are captured with an electrostatic precipitator. As a result, conversion of SO₂ to primarily H₂SO₄ is limited by the generation of OH^. radicals. By increasing the reduced field and concentrations of O₂ and H₂O, the amount of OH^. radicals increase resulting in more removal of SO₂ from gas streams. The removal efficiency of SO₂ reaches 100% when the residence time is only 0.74 s. Therefore, a new gas-phase oxidation method for removal of SO₂ without NH₃ additive is found.     

On the metal ion selectivity of PNP-lariat ether—an insight from density functional theory calculations

The complexes of Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Be²⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺ metal cations with [N₃P₃R₄O(CH₂CH₂O)₄] (R?=?H(1), NMe₂(2), NC(NMe₂)₂(3)) PNP-lariat ethers were systematically studied in the gas phase by using density functional theory (DFT) B3LYP-D3/6-311+G(3df,2p)//B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) method. The gas phase cation affinities were calculated to span the wide range between 64.2 and 496.1 kcal mol^?1 in order K⁺?<?Na⁺?<?Li⁺?<?Ca²⁺?<?Mg²⁺?<?Be²⁺. The structural and electronic properties of 1–3 and their complexes were investigated and effects of electron-donor substituents were analyzed. The electron-donor substituents were found to promote the cation affinity. Sidearm coordinative interaction with the crown ether-complexed metal ion has been noticed. The nature of the metal–ligand interactions was investigated using Bader’s Quantum theory of atoms in molecule. It has been found that the Be²⁺–N bonds are partly covalent in nature while other coordinate bonds are of the electrostatic nature. The electron density at the bond critical points was found to be consistent with cation affinity. Natural bond orbital analysis was performed on the optimized geometries. The results showed that the stabilization interaction energies are caused by the donation of O/N lone pair electrons to the LP* orbitals of the metal cations. The amount of charge transfer follows the cation affinity order. The largest charge transfer and associated second-order perturbation stabilization energy were observed for Be²⁺ complexes.

     

Synthesis of ammonia from natural gas at atmospheric pressure with doped ceria–Ca<Subscript>3</Subscript>(PO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>–K<Subscript>3</Subscript>PO<Subscript>4</Subscript> composite electrolyte and its proton conductivity at intermediate temperature

A new type of oxide–salt composite electrolyte, yttrium doped ceria YDC–Ca₃(PO₄)₂–K₃PO₄, was developed and demonstrated for its promising use for ammonia synthesis. Using this composite electrolyte, ammonia was synthesized from nitrogen and natural gas at atmospheric pressure in the solid-state proton conducting cell reactor, and the optimal condition for ammonia production was determined . The evolved rate of ammonia is up to 6.95×10⁻⁹ mol s⁻¹ cm⁻².     

Metal binding selectivity of oxa-aza macrocyclic ligand: a DFT study of first- and second-row transition metal for four coordination systems

A detailed theoretical study of the 1,7,1l,17-tetraoxa-2,6,12,16-tetraaza-cycloeicosane ligand ([20]AneN₄O₄) coordinated to Fe²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Ru²⁺, Rh²⁺, and Pd²⁺ transition metal ions was carried out with the B3LYP method. Two different cases were performed: when nitrogen is the donor atom (1a _q ) and also with the oxygen as the donor atom (1b _q ). For all the cases performed in this study 1a _q structures were always more stable than the 1b _q ones. Considering each row is possible to see that the energy increases with the increase of the atomic number. The M²⁺ cation binding energies for the 1a _q complexes increase with the following order: Fe²⁺ < Ru²⁺ < Co²⁺ < Ni²⁺ < Rh²⁺ < Pd²⁺.

     

Low temperature preparation and uses of potent oxidizers

Because electronegativity of an oxidation state is low in an anion, salts of the high oxidation-state species [AgF₄]⁻ and [NiF₆]²⁻ can be easily made, at 0 °C, in liquid anhydrous HF (aHF) made basic with alkali fluorides. The containers are transparent fluorocarbon, and the F₂ is photo-dissociated. The [NiF₆]²⁻ salts, and the metastable binary fluorides NiF₄ and NiF₃, derived from them, are efficient fluorinating agents for the conversion of hydrido compounds to their fully fluorinated relatives. With F₂ in aHF made acidic with fluoride-ion acceptors (e.g. MF₅, M = As, Sb, Bi) attained oxidation-states are often lower (e.g. Ag^II, Au^II) because of the higher electronegativity in cations. Cationic Ag^III and Ni^IV species (derived from the anions) are sufficiently long-lived, and potent, to generate the most powerfully oxidizing hexafluorides of the second and third transition series (i.e. [MF₆], M = Pt, Ru, Rh). This synthesis is especially valuable for RhF₆, and has provided for the reinvestigation of the interaction of it with O₂. It is proposed that the unexpectedly large unit cell of O₂RhF₆ is a result of the presence of neutral O₂ and neutral RhF₆ as well as O₂⁺ and RhF₆⁻ in the lattice.     

Effect of variation in argon content of calibration gases on determination of atmospheric carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a greenhouse gas that makes by far the largest contribution to the global warming of the Earth's atmosphere. For the measurements of atmospheric CO₂ a non-dispersive infrared analyzer (NDIR) and gas chromatography are conventionally being used. We explored whether and to what degree argon content can influence the determination of atmospheric CO₂ using the comparison of CO₂ concentrations between the sample gas mixtures with varying Ar amounts at 0 and 18.6 mmol mol⁻¹ and the calibration gas mixtures with Ar at 8.4, 9.1, and 9.3 mmol mol⁻¹. We newly discovered that variation of Ar content in calibration gas mixtures could undermine accuracy for precise and accurate determination of atmospheric CO₂ in background air. The differences in CO₂ concentration due to the variation of Ar content in the calibration gas mixtures were negligible (<±0.03 μmol mol⁻¹) for NDIR systems whereas they noticeably increased (<±1.09 μmol mol⁻¹) especially for the modified GC systems to enhance instrumental sensitivity. We found that the thermal mass flow controller is the main source of the differences although such differences appeared only in the presence of a flow restrictor in GC systems. For reliable monitoring of real atmospheric CO₂ samples, one should use calibration gas mixtures that contain Ar content close to the level (9.332 mmol mol⁻¹) in the ambient air as possible. Practical guidelines were highlighted relating to selection of appropriate analytical approaches for the accurate and precise measurements of atmospheric CO₂. In addition, theoretical implications from the findings were addressed.     

Partial Oxidation of Methane to Synthesis Gas over Hexaaluminates LaMAl11O19-δ Catalysts

A series of M-substituted hexaaluminates LaMAl11O19-δ （M=Fe, Co, Ni, Mn, and Cu） were prepared and characterized by XRD, XPS, TPR and TGA techniques, respectively. They exhibited different reducibility and catalytic activity for partial oxidation of methane （POM） to synthesis gas. Among the LaMAl11019-δ samples, LaNiAl11O19-δ showed the best catalytic activity for the topic reaction and selectivity for synthesis gas at 780 ℃ for 2 h. The conversion of CH4 was over 99.2%, and the product selectivity for both CO and H2 was above 90.3%.     

Gas diffusion-flow injection determination of total inorganic carbon in water using tungsten oxide electrode

A novel gas diffusion-flow injection method has been developed for the rapid and sensitive determination of total inorganic carbon (TIC) in water. The method is based on the diffusion of CO₂ across gas permeable membrane from a donor stream containing 0.1 M HCl to an acceptor stream of sodium acetate (10⁻⁵ mol l⁻¹ and pH 10). The CO₂ trapped in the acceptor stream passes through an electrochemical flow cell contains a tungsten oxide wire and a silver/silver chloride electrode, where it was sensitively detected. The parameters affecting the sensitivity of the electrode such as buffer concentration, pH, flow rate and injected volume were studied in detail. The electrode response was linear in the concentration range from 5 to 100 μg ml⁻¹ CO₃²⁻ with a correlation coefficient (R²) of 0.998. Precision (R.S.D.) was 1.42% for 20 μg ml⁻¹ standard solution of CO₃²⁻ (n=10). The detection limit was 0.20 μg ml⁻¹ CO₃²⁻. The method was evaluated by the injection of real natural water samples and an average recovery of 100.1% was obtained. The sampling rate was 30 samples h⁻¹. The method is simple, feasible with satisfactory accuracy and precision and thus could be used for monitoring TIC in water.     

Gas permeability and permselectivity of polyimides with large aromatic rings

Polyimides with large aromatic rings were prepared from 3,6-diaminocarbazole (CDA), N-ethyl-3,6-diaminocarbazole (ECDA), 2,7-diaminofluorene (DAF), 2,7-diaminofluorenon (DAFO), and dimethyl-3,7-diaminodibenzothiophene-5,5-dioxide (DDBT) with 2-bis(2,4-dicarboxyphenyl) hexafluoropropane dianhydride (6FDA) and 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA). Their physical properties, including gas permeability and permselectivity, were investigated in comparison with those of the related polyimides from 1,3-phenylenediamine (mPD). Glass transition temperatures of the polyimides with large aromatic rings were much higher than those of the mPD-based polyimides as a result of increased rigidity of the former polymer chains. With changing diamine from mPD to the large aromatic diamines, charge transfer (CT) interaction between the moieties of acid anhydride and diamine seems to be enhanced, judging from the red shift of absorption edge of the polyimide films and the red shift of CT excitation band of the 6FDA-based polyimides in solution. Fraction of free space (V_F) was a little smaller for the polyimides with large aromatic rings except DDBT than for the mPD-based polyimides, probably because of enhancement in polymer chain-chain interactions as a result of the increased CT interaction. The DDBT-based polyimides had large V_F than the mPD-based polyimides because of the nonplanar structure of neighboring dibenzothiophene-5,5-dioxide and imide rings. For the 6FDA-based polyimides, permeability coefficients to H₂, O₂, N₂, CO₂, and CH₄ were in the order, DAFO < mPD ～ DAF < CDA < ECDA < DDBT. As for the membrane performance for H₂/CH₄, CO₂/CH₄, and O₂/N₂ systems, it is significant to change diamine from mPD to DDBT or CDA, but not to DAF or DAFO. The DDBT-based polyimides were excellent for H₂/CH₄ and CO₂/CH₄ separations. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.