Method for determining authenticity and adulteration of marked petroleum hydrocarbons
AssigneeSicpa Holding SA
InventorsMartin Zühlke, Daniel Riebe, Toralf Beitz, Thomas Tiller, Juan Lopez Gejo, Ünige Laskay
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Abstract
The present invention provides a method for determining the authenticity of a petroleum hydrocarbon allegedly comprising at least one specific chemical marker, as well as a method for determining adulteration of a petroleum hydrocarbon marked with at least one specific chemical marker. The methods claimed and described herein rely upon the use of specific chemical markers in combination with laser ionization at a wavelength of between about 300 nm and about 370 nm coupled with ion mobility spectrometry or with mass spectrometry.
Claims17
A method for determining authenticity of a petroleum hydrocarbon, wherein the petroleum hydrocarbon comprises at least one chemical marker, wherein said at least one chemical marker is selected from:
- i) a compound of general formula (I)
- wherein
- the residues R1-R12 are independently of each other selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C1-C4-alkyl,
- the residues Ra-Re, Ra′-Re′, Ra″-Re″ and Ra′″-Re′″ are independently of each other selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and C1-C4-alkyl, with the proviso that at least two of the residues R1-R12 are selected from:
- ii) a compound of general formula (II)
- wherein
- the residue -L- represents —CR13═CR14—;
- the residues R13 and R14 are independently of each other selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and methyl;
- the residues R15-R24 are independently of each other selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and C1-C4 alkyl;
- and n is an integer comprised between 2 and 6;
- iii) an aromatic compound substituted by one or more N,N-disubstituted amino groups, wherein the substituents of the one or more N,N-disubstituted amino groups are independently of each other selected from C1-C6-alkyl or the two substituents of a N,N-disubstituted amino group taken together form a residue —(CH2)p—, wherein p is an integer comprised between 2 and 6;
- and
- iv) an aromatic compound substituted by at least one group selected from C1-C4-alkyloxy;
- wherein the method comprises the following steps:
- a-1) acquiring a sample of the petroleum hydrocarbon;
- b-1) vaporizing said sample to provide a gaseous sample;
- c-1) illuminating the gaseous sample with a pulsed laser light of a predetermined wavelength of between about 300 nm and about 370 nm, thereby producing gaseous ions;
- and
- d-1) analyzing the gaseous ions obtained at step c-1) by ion mobility spectrometry or mass spectrometry to detect a presence or an absence of said at least one chemical marker in the petroleum hydrocarbon, and thereby determining the authenticity of said petroleum hydrocarbon.
A method for determining adulteration of a marked petroleum hydrocarbon comprising a petroleum hydrocarbon and at least one chemical marker, wherein said at least one chemical marker is selected from:
- i) a compound of general formula (I)
- wherein
- the residues R1-R12 are independently of each other selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C1-C4-alkyl,
- the residues Ra-Re, Ra′-Re′, Ra″-Re″ and Ra′″-Re′″ are independently of each other selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and C1-C4-alkyl, with the proviso that at least two of the residues R1-R12 are selected from:
- ii) a compound of general formula (II)
- wherein
- the residue -L- represents —CR13═CR14—;
- the residues R13 and R14 are independently of each other selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and methyl;
- the residues R15-R24 are independently of each other selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and C1-C4 alkyl;
- and n is an integer comprised between 2 and 6;
- iii) an aromatic compound substituted by one or more N,N-disubstituted amino groups, wherein the substituents of the one or more N,N-disubstituted amino groups are independently of each other selected from C1-C6-alkyl or the two substituents of a N,N-disubstituted amino group taken together form a residue —(CH2)p—, wherein p is an integer comprised between 2 and 6;
- and
- iv) an aromatic compound substituted by at least one group selected from C1-C4-alkyloxy, and
- wherein the method comprises the following steps:
- a-2) acquiring a sample of the marked petroleum hydrocarbon;
- b-2) vaporizing said sample to provide a gaseous sample;
- c-2) illuminating the gaseous sample with a pulsed laser light of a predetermined wavelength of between about 300 nm and about 370 nm, thereby producing gaseous ions;
- d-2) analyzing the gaseous ions obtained at step c-2) by ion mobility spectrometry or mass spectrometry to determine a concentration of said at least one chemical marker in the marked petroleum hydrocarbon;
- and
- e-2) determining adulteration of the marked petroleum hydrocarbon by comparing the concentration determined at item d-2) with a concentration of the at least one chemical marker in an unadulterated sample of the marked petroleum hydrocarbon.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.