A continuous film-recirculable drop gas-liquid equilibration device. Measurement of trace gaseous ammonia

A miniature gas-liquid equilibrator or a gas collector, intended as a low-volume interface between a soluble gaseous sample and a liquid phase analyzer or between a liquid phase sample and a detector designed for use with gas samples, is described. This paper addresses the application of the device for the measurement of trace atmospheric ammonia. Gas collection occurs solely by diffusive sampling such that aerosol particles are not collected. The device essentially consists of a tube surrounded externally by a jacket. Gas flows through the jacket and contacts a liquid film flowing on the surface of the tube. The flowing film forms a drop at the tube terminus and is aspirated off through the inner bore of the tube. The collected analyte can be (a) directly sent to an analysis system or (b) preconcentrated on a suitable stationary phase; the preconcentrator effluent can be recycled, if desired. With a fluorometric flow injection analysis system harnessed to measure ammonia with such a collector, the limit of detection (LOD, S/N = 3) for a sample drawn for 18 min at 200 mL/min was 4.5 parts per trillion by volume, with the linear range extending up to 30 parts per billion.