We report what is to our knowledge the first experimental demonstration of detection of Raman pho... more We report what is to our knowledge the first experimental demonstration of detection of Raman photons by means of laser-enhanced ionization of magnesium atoms in an air-acetylene flame. A frequency-doubled dye laser was directed into a cell containing carbon tetrachloride. The resulting Stokes Raman photons were transferred into the flame, where they excited the magnesium atomic vapor into the 3p(1)P(1) state. The excited atoms were then pumped by another laser into the 5d(1)D(2) state, from which efficient collisional ionization occurred. We estimate a quantum efficiency of approximately 50% for the detector.
Liquid chromatography (LC) has lagged behind gas chromatography (GC) in developments related to h... more Liquid chromatography (LC) has lagged behind gas chromatography (GC) in developments related to hand-portable instrumentation. In this work, a new battery-operated (24V DC) nano-flow pumping system with a stop-flow injector was developed and integrated with an on-column UV-absorption detector (254nm) that was reduced in size to an acceptable weight and power usage for field operation. The pumping system, which includes nano-flow pump, stepper motor and high-pressure valve weighs only 1.372kg (3lbs) and can generate up to 110.32MPa (16,000psi) pressure. A major advantage of this pump is that it does not employ a splitter, since it was specifically designed for capillary column use. The volume capacity of the pump is 24μL, and a sample volume as low as 10nL can be injected. Flow rate calibration (300nL to 6.12μL per min) was performed, and an accuracy >99.94% was obtained. The percent injection carry-over was found to be low (RSD 0.31%), which makes it practical for quantitative analysis. The detector linear range and limit of detection (LOD) were determined using sodium anthraquinone-2-sulfonate. A linear regression coefficient (R) of 0.9996 was obtained for a plot of log peak area versus log concentration over the range of 3.2μM to 6.5mM, and the LOD (S/N=3) was found to be 7.8fmol (0.13μM). The short term noise of the detector is comparable to commercially available detectors (∼10(-5)AU). In this work, the system was tested in the laboratory using regular line power (120V AC) with an AC to DC adapter. Reversed-phase isocratic separations were performed using a 15.5cm×75μm i.d. fused silica capillary column containing a monolithic stationary phase synthesized from 1,6-hexanediol dimethacrylate. Good retention time repeatability (RSD 0.09-0.74%) was obtained for a mixture containing an unretained marker (i.e., uracil) and a homologous series of alkyl benzenes.
We report what is to our knowledge the first experimental demonstration of detection of Raman pho... more We report what is to our knowledge the first experimental demonstration of detection of Raman photons by means of laser-enhanced ionization of magnesium atoms in an air-acetylene flame. A frequency-doubled dye laser was directed into a cell containing carbon tetrachloride. The resulting Stokes Raman photons were transferred into the flame, where they excited the magnesium atomic vapor into the 3p(1)P(1) state. The excited atoms were then pumped by another laser into the 5d(1)D(2) state, from which efficient collisional ionization occurred. We estimate a quantum efficiency of approximately 50% for the detector.
Liquid chromatography (LC) has lagged behind gas chromatography (GC) in developments related to h... more Liquid chromatography (LC) has lagged behind gas chromatography (GC) in developments related to hand-portable instrumentation. In this work, a new battery-operated (24V DC) nano-flow pumping system with a stop-flow injector was developed and integrated with an on-column UV-absorption detector (254nm) that was reduced in size to an acceptable weight and power usage for field operation. The pumping system, which includes nano-flow pump, stepper motor and high-pressure valve weighs only 1.372kg (3lbs) and can generate up to 110.32MPa (16,000psi) pressure. A major advantage of this pump is that it does not employ a splitter, since it was specifically designed for capillary column use. The volume capacity of the pump is 24μL, and a sample volume as low as 10nL can be injected. Flow rate calibration (300nL to 6.12μL per min) was performed, and an accuracy >99.94% was obtained. The percent injection carry-over was found to be low (RSD 0.31%), which makes it practical for quantitative analysis. The detector linear range and limit of detection (LOD) were determined using sodium anthraquinone-2-sulfonate. A linear regression coefficient (R) of 0.9996 was obtained for a plot of log peak area versus log concentration over the range of 3.2μM to 6.5mM, and the LOD (S/N=3) was found to be 7.8fmol (0.13μM). The short term noise of the detector is comparable to commercially available detectors (∼10(-5)AU). In this work, the system was tested in the laboratory using regular line power (120V AC) with an AC to DC adapter. Reversed-phase isocratic separations were performed using a 15.5cm×75μm i.d. fused silica capillary column containing a monolithic stationary phase synthesized from 1,6-hexanediol dimethacrylate. Good retention time repeatability (RSD 0.09-0.74%) was obtained for a mixture containing an unretained marker (i.e., uracil) and a homologous series of alkyl benzenes.
Uploads
Papers by Paul Farnsworth