A pyrolysis/gas chromatographic method for the determination of hydrogen in solid samples

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Geochemistry

Background:

• Accurate determination of hydrogen is crucial for understanding geological and extraterrestrial materials.
• Existing methods for hydrogen analysis in solids can be time-consuming or lack sensitivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a rapid and reliable method for quantifying hydrogen in solid samples.
• To establish the sensitivity and applicability of the method for analyzing diverse solid matrices, including lunar soils.

Main Methods:

• Solid samples are heated under vacuum to evolve gases.
• Evolved gases are separated using gas chromatography (GC).
• Detection is performed using a helium ionization detector (HID), with calibration via manometric hydrogen injection.

Main Results:

• The developed method is rapid and reliable for hydrogen determination.
• The limit of detection for hydrogen is approximately 10 nanograms (ng).
• The method was successfully applied to analyze hydrogen content in various lunar soil samples.

Conclusions:

• This GC-HID method provides a sensitive and efficient approach for hydrogen analysis in solids.
• The technique is well-suited for the characterization of extraterrestrial samples, such as lunar regolith.
• The low detection limit enables the study of trace hydrogen concentrations in geological materials.