Evaluation of the performance of high temperature conversion reactors for compound-specific oxygen stable isotope analysis

In this study conversion conditions for oxygen gas chromatography high temperature conversion (HTC) isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) are characterised using qualitative mass spectrometry (IonTrap). It is shown that physical and chemical properties of a given reactor design impact HTC and thus...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Isotopes in environmental and health studies 2017-05, Vol.53 (2), p.116-133
Main Authors: Hitzfeld, Kristina L., Gehre, Matthias, Richnow, Hans-Hermann
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Byproducts
Carbon dioxide
Carbon monoxide
Ceramics
Chemical properties
compound-specific isotope analysis
Conditioning
Conversion
Environmental Monitoring - instrumentation
Environmental Monitoring - methods
Evaluation
Gas chromatography
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
GC-HTC-IRMS
High temperature
high temperature conversion
Hot Temperature
isotope measurement
isotope ratio
Isotope ratios
Isotopes
Leakage
Mass spectrometry
Mass spectroscopy
Metal oxides
Methyl Ethers - analysis
Methyl tert-butyl ether
Organic chemistry
Oxides
Oxygen
Oxygen Isotopes - analysis
oxygen-18
Qualitative analysis
Reactor design
Reactors
Reduction (metal working)
Scientific imaging
Spectroscopy
Stability analysis
Temperature effects
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Summary:In this study conversion conditions for oxygen gas chromatography high temperature conversion (HTC) isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) are characterised using qualitative mass spectrometry (IonTrap). It is shown that physical and chemical properties of a given reactor design impact HTC and thus the ability to accurately measure oxygen isotope ratios. Commercially available and custom-built tube-in-tube reactors were used to elucidate (i) by-product formation (carbon dioxide, water, small organic molecules), (ii) 2nd sources of oxygen (leakage, metal oxides, ceramic material), and (iii) required reactor conditions (conditioning, reduction, stability). The suitability of the available HTC approach for compound-specific isotope analysis of oxygen in volatile organic molecules like methyl tert-butyl ether is assessed. Main problems impeding accurate analysis are non-quantitative HTC and significant carbon dioxide by-product formation. An evaluation strategy combining mass spectrometric analysis of HTC products and IRMS 18 O/ 16 O monitoring for future method development is proposed.
ISSN:1025-6016
1477-2639
DOI:10.1080/10256016.2016.1215983