File(s) under permanent embargo
Direct measurement of trace elemental mercury in hydrocarbon matrices by gas chromatography with ultraviolet photometric detection
journal contribution
posted on 2015-11-17, 00:00 authored by Ronda Gras, Jim Luong, Robert ShellieRobert ShellieWe introduce a technique for the direct measurement of elemental mercury in light hydrocarbons such as natural gas. We determined elemental mercury at the parts-per-trillion level with high precision [<3% RSD (n = 20 manual injection)] using gas chromatography with ultraviolet photometric detection (GC-UV) at 254 nm. Our approach requires a small sample volume (1 mL) and does not rely on any form of sample preconcentration. The GC-UV separation employs an inert divinylbenzene porous layer open tubular column set to separate mercury from other components in the sample matrix. We incorporated a 10-port gas-sampling valve in the GC-UV system, which enables automated sampling, as well as back flushing capability to enhance system cleanliness and sample throughput. Total analysis time is <2 min, and the procedure is linear over a range of 2-83 μg/m(3) [correlation coefficient of R(2) = 0.998] with a measured recovery of >98% over this range.
History
Journal
Analytical ChemistryVolume
87Issue
22Pagination
11429 - 11432Publisher
ACS PublicationsLocation
Washington, D.C.Publisher DOI
ISSN
0003-2700eISSN
1520-6882Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2015, American Chemical SocietyUsage metrics
Categories
No categories selectedKeywords
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC