DETERMINATION OF SULFUR-CONTAINING GASES BY A DEACTIVATED CRYOGENIC ENRICHMENT AND CAPILLARY GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHIC SYSTEM

A deactivated glass capillary, wall-coated open tubular (WCOT) column is the heart of a novel gas chromatographic procedure for measuring reduced sulfur-containing gases in air samples. These deactivated, high resolution WCOT columns provide optimal chromatographic separation of compounds such as H2S, COS, CHgSH, CH3SCH3, CS2, CH3SSCH3, and other organosulfur species. In addition, the combination of WCOT columns, a deactivated GC, and the flame photometric detector (FPD) increases the sensitivity of the GC/FPD method for sulfur compounds. The GC/WCOT/FPD Instrumentation Is also designed for complete compatibility with a cryogenic sampling procedure. This surface-deactivated, cryogenic enrichment system has been shown to provide known sampling efficiencies between 40% to approximately 100% for the important inorganicand organosulfur compounds at the low and sub-ppb concentrations. The methodology described has been successfully applied to field analyses of sulfur compound emissions from biogenic sources. © 1979, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.