You are here:
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT, EXPLOSIVES DETECTION TECHNOLOGY, SRI INSTRUMENTS, MODEL 8610C, GAS CHROMATOGRAPH/THERMIONIC IONIZATION DETECTION
Citation:
Dindal, A. B., C. K. Bayne, R. A. Jenkins, AND E N. Koglin. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT, EXPLOSIVES DETECTION TECHNOLOGY, SRI INSTRUMENTS, MODEL 8610C, GAS CHROMATOGRAPH/THERMIONIC IONIZATION DETECTION. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-01/065 (NTIS PB2002-100443), 2001.
Impact/Purpose:
The objective of this task is to increase the acceptance and use of site characterization and monitoring technologies by providing verified performance data and reports on the performance of environmental monitoring and site characterization technologies.
Description:
The SRI Model 86 1 OC gas chromatograph (GC) is a transportable instrument that can provide on-site analysis of soils for explosives. Coupling this transportable gas chromatograph with a thermionic ionization detector (TID) allows for the determination of explosives in soil matrices following simple sample reparation procedures. Samples are extracted in acetone, diluted, and injected directly onto the GC column within a heated injection port. The high temperature of the injection port instantaneously vaporizes the solvent extract and explosives, allowing them to travel as a vapor through the GC column in the presence of the nitrogen carrier gas. The stationary phase of the GC column and the programmable oven temperature separate the components present in sample extracts based on their relative affinities and vapor pressures. Upon elution from the column's end, compounds containing nitro groups are ionized on the surface of the thermionic bead, and the increased conductivity of atmosphere within the heated detector is measured with a collector electrode. In this verification test, the instrument was verified for its ability to detect and quantify 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT), RDX, and TNT. Analytical run times were typically less than 7 min and reporting limits were typically 0.5 mg/kg.