File(s) under permanent embargo
Direct measurement of elemental mercury using multidimensional gas chromatography with microwave-induced helium plasma atomic emission spectroscopy
journal contribution
posted on 2018-05-17, 00:00 authored by R Gras, J Luong, Robert ShellieRobert Shellie© 2018 American Chemical Society. Microwave-induced helium plasma atomic emission spectroscopy permits direct measurement of picogram levels of elemental mercury in various matrices when combined with multidimensional gas chromatography. Two columns with different stationary phases provide excellent separation for elemental mercury, and multidimensional analysis improves the reliability, performance, and system cleanliness of atomic emission detection. The possibility of false positive identification is substantially eliminated, and excellent sensitivity for the target compound was attained with the use of two selective columns and atomic emission detection at 254 nm. A flame ionization detector was incorporated as part of the system configuration to increase analytical platform capability and flexibility. Elemental mercury was measured in gas matrices over a range of 0.1-170 μg/m3having a correlation coefficient of R2= 0.9995, a precision of less than 5% relative standard deviation (n = 10), and a measured recovery exceeding 99% in natural gas as a model matrix. The total analysis time is less than 10 min. Only a small 1 mL sample volume is needed, and the described approach does not rely on any form of sample enrichment. The utility of multidimensional gas chromatography with microwave-induced helium plasma atomic emission spectroscopy is demonstrated with challenging industrial applications, such as the measurement of elemental mercury in natural gas, industrial solvents, and vapor generated from ruptured compact fluorescent light bulbs.
History
Journal
ACS Earth and Space ChemistryVolume
2Issue
5Pagination
471 - 478Publisher
ACS PublicationsLocation
Washington, D.C.Publisher DOI
eISSN
2472-3452Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2018, American Chemical SocietyUsage metrics
Categories
No categories selectedKeywords
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC