Concentration technique for determination of air pollutants at sub-micro level. A new technique for concentration of...

The advantages, scope and limitations of a step-wise technique for concentrating permanent gases, particularly carbon monoxide, up to 2000 times before gas chromatographic, spectrophotometric or mass spectrometric determination are described. Determination of less than 0.01 ppm of carbon monoxide has been carried out with an error of +/-10% by using this pre-concentration technique, followed by gas chromatography, with catalytic conversion of the carbon monoxide into methane before flame ionisation detection. The system used without pre-concentration could not detect less than 1 ppm of carbon monoxide.