Selective detection of volatile nickel,vanadium, and iron porphyrins in crude oils by gas chromatography-atomic emission spectroscopy

This report describes the selective detection of volatile nickel, vanadium, and iron metalloporphyrins in crude oil samples. An atomic emission detector (AED) was used for simultaneous detection of these metals using the Ni 301.2 nm, V 292.4 nm, and Fe 302.1 nm emission lines. Detection limits for these metals range from 0.05 to 5 pg/sec. The presence of volatile forms of these metals in several crude oil samples has been confirmed.