Detection of Atmospheric Hydrogen Using ECD Detector Doped with N2O

Summary, in English

Atmospheric concentrations of molecular hydrogen are commonly measured with the aid of commercial reduction gas analysers (RGA). An alternative technique of H2 detection has been proposed and tested. It is based on commercial automated gas chromatograph equipped with a μ-ECD detector doped with N2O. The main advantage of the presented method is its suitability for high-precision monitoring of atmospheric H2. Typical precision of single analysis, which was obtained in the tests of the system, is in the order of 1 nmol mol-1. This value is comparable to the precision offered by commercial RGA detectors. The μ-ECD detector investigated in this study revealed linear response in the range of H 2 concentrations encountered in atmospheric monitoring. The main disadvantage of the method is high sensitivity of the μ-ECD detector to the impurities in gases used in the analytical system.