Features
Ion chromatography (IC) is a technique for detecting certain ionized atoms and molecules in a liquid sample. When these substances are adsorbed to the surface of certain solids, they can be extracted by soaking the solid in pure water. The method enables:
- Quantitative and qualitative analysis of ionic components
- Analysis of small amounts of a liquid sample (a few mL).
Application Examples
- Evaluation the ionic components of a solution
- Evaluation of the amount of ions eluted from the surface of a sample
- Investigation of corrosion causes of parts and materials
- Investigation of the components in plating solutions
- Evaluation of organic acids and amines
- Evaluation of ammonium ion amount
- Evaluation of cyanide content in a solution
Principle
The IC method is a type of liquid chromatography (Table 1).The liquid sample is introduced into a mobile phase called eluent, and the ionic components are subsequently separated in a column which is in the stationary phase.
There are three main separation mechanisms for ion chromatography (Table 2), of which the ion exchange separation is the most common. It relies on the differences in valence and ionic radius of the component of interest.
The separated ions are identified and quantified by detecting a combination the electroconductivity, constant-potential electrochemical current, UV absorption, 250-900 nm fluorescence, molecular mass (by mass spectrometers).
Since the retention time is different for each separated ionic component, a qualitative analysis can be performed by comparing the temporal position of the detection peak (retention time) with that of a standard sample.
The measured intensity is proportional to the concentration of the ionic component so a quantitative analysis can also be performed by comparing with a standard solution of a known concentration.
Data example
Data delivery format
- Portable Document Format (PDF) file
Specifications
Items for enquiries
- Purpose and content of measurement
- Sample information
・Number of samples
・Type of sample and its expected constituents
・Handling instructions
- Details on delivery
・Preferred due date for preliminary analysis report
・Due date for delivery of final report
・Priority in the case of a large number of samples
- Any other issues
Cautions
- Preliminary samples may be required
- Analysis may be impossible depending on the type and concentration of impurities
［IC］イオンクロマトグラフ法の分析事例はこちらからご覧ください。