High-sensitivity trace analysis using argon instead of helium as both carrier and discharge gas.
A cost-effective alternative to helium in gas chromatography!
Helium is a very common carrier gas used for chromatography (GC), due to its inertness and safe handling. It is also typically used as a discharge gas in plasma-based detectors, thanks to its high ionization and metastable state energy levels that allows measurement of many molecules. However, due to its limited availability, high cost and variable purity, GC operators are now looking for alternatives. Over the past years, affordable inert carrier gases such as argon and nitrogen have emerged as good alternatives to helium. Despite this advancement, most high-sensitivity detectors such as the Helium Ionization Detector (HID), the Discharge Ionization Detector (DID) and the Pulsed Discharge Ionization Detector (PDID) still rely on helium, because they use a specific high-energy photoionization mechanism that requires this gas. The Enhanced Plasma Discharge (Epd) Technology, developed and patented by ASDevices, can be operated with various carrier and discharge gases, as the analytes are directly ionized in a plasma generated by DBD. This application note will present how low-cost argon can be used as the carrier and discharge gas for GC with the Epd technology, for the analysis of various molecules at the ppm and ppb levels. Chromatograms will be presented for trace and ultra-trace level permanent gases (H2, O2, N2, CH4, CO, CO2), light hydrocarbons, H2O, noble gases (Kr, Xe), N2O, BTEX and sulfur compounds.
Read our full application note here.
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