Abstract
The oscillation of electrons—as driven by AC polarization—can be used to extract a high-sensitivity signal from a conventional electron capture detector. For example, hexachloroethane was detected at a hypercoulometric ratio of 2.0 F/mol, down to ca. 60 fg/s (S/N=3) and with a linear range in excess of two orders of magnitude. The change in carrier gas from nitrogen to argon-methane produced the expected order-of-magnitude increase in optimum oscillation frequency. Anab initio simulation of potentials and ion populations in a heterogeneous electron capture system under a high-frequency AC regime provided further insight into the detector's mechanism: Hypercoulometric response is mainly caused by increased cation-electron recombination in the plasma region, owing to a decreased field gradient and an increased cation concentration.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
W. A. Aue, K. W. M. Siu, S. S. Berman,J. Chromat. 1987,395, 335.
K. W. M. Siu, W. A. Aue,Can. J. Chem. 1987,65, 1012.
Electron Capture Detector (Manual), Tracor Inc., Austin, Texas.
A. W. McMahon,Ph. D. Thesis, Dalhousie University, 1987.
A. W. McMahon, W. A. Aue,Mikrochim. Acta [Wien] 1987,II, 91.
M. B. Carver, D. G. Stewart, J. M. Blair, W. N. Selander,Document #5821, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, 1979.
C. W. Gear,Comm. of the ACM 1971,14, 176.
J. L. Pack, A. V. Phelps,Phys. Rev. 1961,121, 798.
L. G. Christophorou, S. R. Hunter, J. G. Carter, R. A. Mathis,Appl. Phys. Lett. 1982,41, 147.
K. W. M. Siu, S. S. Berman, W. A. Aue,J. Chromat. 1987,408, 53.
A. Zlatkis, C. F. Poole (eds.),Electron Capture (Journal of Chromatography Library, Vol. 20), Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1981.
W. A. Aue, S. Kapila,J. Chromat. 1980,188, 1.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Material taken from doctoral thesis (Dalhousie University, 1987)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
McMahon, A.W., Aue, W.A. Analysis by electron oscillation in a conventional GC detector. Mikrochim Acta 96, 11–26 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01236089
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01236089