Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 28, 2025

Analysis of Volatile and Oxidation Sensitive Compounds Using a Cold Inlet System and Electron Impact Mass Spectrometry
Published on: September 5, 2014
Selected Ion Flow Tube Mass Spectrometry as a Tool to Understand Hydride Atomization and the Fate of Free Analyte
Michal Lacko1,2, Kseniya Dryahina1, Patrik Španěl1
1J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova 2155/3, Prague 182 23, Czech Republic.
Abstract:
Hydride atomization and the fate of free analyte atoms in an externally heated quartz tube atomizer (QTA) were investigated employing selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS). SIFT-MS proved to be ideally suited to study water concentration in gases leaving the atomizer. This made it possible to quantify the oxygen "contaminant" flow rate to QTA as 0.04-0.05 mL min-1. This is valid for typical conditions of hydride generation. Most significantly, studies of temperature influence on water concentration resulted in detailed insight into hydrogen radical-forming reactions between oxygen and hydrogen. Minimum QTA temperatures required to generate hydrogen radicals under a variety of different flow rates and compositions of the QTA atmosphere were found to be in the range between 585 and 800 °C. The ability of SIFT-MS to detect extremely low concentrations of arsane and selane was employed to quantify the fraction of As and Se removed from the QTA in the form of hydride in dependence on QTA temperature under typical conditions of hydride generation. It was found that free As atoms formed by atomization of arsane decay to different species than to arsane. In the case of selane under typical atomization conditions, the efficiency of the decay of free Se atoms to selane was between 50 and 100% in dependence on actual flow rates and compositions of the QTA atmosphere.
Related Concept Videos
Chemical Ionization (CI) Mass Spectrometry
Mass Spectrometry: Complex Analysis
GC–MS is a powerful hyphenated method commonly used in forensics and environmental...
Mass Analyzers: Common Types
Mass Spectrometers
Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry (ICP–MS): Overview
Mass Spectrometry: Overview

