Plasma chromatography of n-alkyl acetates

Plasma chromatography is a technique which permits characterization and analysis of trace constituents in a gaseous mixture at atmospheric pressure. It is especially well suited as a gas chromatographic detector. Operating at atmospheric pressure, the instrument uses either air or nitrogen carrier gas into which the sample is injected directly or through a gas chromatograph. The compounds are identified by their characteristic positive and negative mobility spectra, which consist of simple molecular and dissociative ions. Quantities as low as 10^?6 to 10^?12 g are detectable. For use as a gas chromatographic detector, reference mobility spectra of compounds are needed. Those of n-alkanes, alcohols, ketones, halogenated aromatics, substituted nitrobenzenes, polychlorinated biphenyls, alkyl halides, aliphatic N-nitrosamines and isomeric phthalic acids have been previously reported. This study reports the reference mobility spectra produced by n-alkyl acetates. These compounds display strong positive mobility spectra but no negative mobility spectra. The spectra all show characteristic MH⁺, M(H₂O)_nH⁺ and (M₂)H⁺ along with the alkyl fragment ions.