Selective gas-chromatographic detection using an ion-selective electrode-II Selective detection of fluorine compounds

Components in samples are separated on a gas chromatography column using hydrogen as carrier gas. The individual components from the column are passed through a platinum tube heated at 1000 degrees , where they undergo hydrogenolysis, and fluorine compounds are converted into hydrogen fluoride. The hydrogen fluoride is dissolved in a slow stream of an absorption solution, and the fluoride ion concentration in the resulting solution is monitored in a flow-cell with a fluoride ion electrode. The potentiometric output of the cell is converted into a signal, which is proportional to the concentration of fluoride ion, by an antilogarithmic converter, and recorded. The response of the detector to fluorine compounds was about 10,000 times that to an equal quantity of other organic compounds, and 5 x 10(-11) mole of fluorobenzene could be detected.