Analysis of Both Sulfur and Non-Sulfur Compounds Using a Single Gas Chromatograph with Parallel Sulfur Chemiluminescence and Thermal Conductivity Detectors

Abstract

Sulfur chemiluminescence detectoion (SCD) allows precise measurements of sulfur-containing molecules down to ppb levels. Because SCD ignores the presence of compounds other than those containing sulfur, a complete analysis of such gas mixtures is not possible using SCD alone. This paper describes how the coupling of sulfur chemiluminescence and thermal conductivity detectors in parallel within a single gas chromatograph enables the determination of concentrations of both sulfur-containing and other gaseous compounds through simultaneous sampling, separation, and detection. The method extends the range of a single instrument for detecting sulfur-containing compounds from percentage to ppb levels.