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US 6,444,475 B1Granted
Ion chromatography apparatus and method for removing gas prior to sample detection
AssigneeAlltech Associates, Inc.
InventorsJames M. Anderson, Jr., Raaidah Saari-Hordhaus, Bart C. Benedict, Carl W. Sims, Yuri Gurner, Hung Anthony Pham
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Abstract
Methods and devices for removing gas prior to detecting analyte ions are discolored. In one aspect of the invention, gas by-products from the suppression of the mobile phase are removed prior to detecting analyte ions at a detector. In another aspect, the amount of dissolved carbonic acid is reduced in a suppressed carbonate/bicarbonate mobile phase by removing carbon dioxide gas.
Claims4
A method of suppressed ion chromatography comprising:
- (a) chromatographically separating analyte ions in a cation carbonate/bicarbonate mobile phase;
- (b) suppressing the cation carbonate/bicarbonate mobile phase by ion exchange thereby forming a suppressed mobile phase comprising separated analyte ions and carbonic acid and dissolved carbon dioxide gas in equilibrium;
- (c) flowing the suppressed mobile phase in contact with a liquid-impermeable, gas permeable fluorocarbon barrier so that carbon dioxide gas is removed from the suppressed mobile phase by diffusion through the barrier thereby shifting the equilibrium such that the amount of carbonic acid in the suppressed mobile phase is reduced;
- and
- (d) detecting the separated analyte ions after step (c).
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.