US 5,702,954 AGranted

Method to detect phosphorus

AssigneeColorado Seminary

InventorsDonald H. Stedman, Patti A. Meeks

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Abstract

An apparatus to detect and measure the amount of phosphorus in phosphorus-containing compounds comprises a burning chamber with a housing having an integral combustion chamber. A flammable reducing agent such as hydrogen is introduced into the combustion chamber along with a sample containing phosphorus admixed with air or oxygen. At least a portion of any phosphorus in the sample will be converted into phosphorus monoxide (PO) by the combustion. The resulting phosphorus monoxide is immediately drawn into a low-pressure, ambient temperature reaction chamber and reacted with ozone to convert the phosphorus monoxide to chemiluminescent phosphorus dioxide. A light-measuring device then measures the intensity of the light released from the chemiluminescent phosphorus dioxide.

Claims5

Dependent claims

A method for detecting and measuring phosphorus in phosphorus-containing compounds comprising the steps of:

admixing a sample including a phosphorus-containing compound with oxygen;
introducing said sample mixed with oxygen into a combustion chamber;
providing a flammable reducing agent into said combustion chamber to fuel combustion within said combustion chamber to convert said phosphorus in said phosphorus-containing compound to phosphorus monoxide;
extracting at least a portion of said phosphorus monoxide from said combustion chamber into a reaction chamber;
contacting said phosphorus monoxide in said reaction chamber with ozone under such conditions that said phosphorus monoxide is converted to chemiluminescent phosphorus dioxide;
and
measuring the intensity of said chemiluminescence to provide an indication of the amount of phosphorus present in said sample.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.