VOLUME 21 | NUMBER 4 | SEPTEMBER 2008

Feedback | Subscribe | Events Calendar | Contact Us | Invite a Friend

Home DB-5ms Ultra Inert column delivers accurate,

How can I get accurate particle size
measurements when I have mixtures of
large and small nanoparticles?
Simplify the search for controlled substances
in food with Agilent SampliQ SPE products.
Hybrid Q-TOF LC/MS for the screening and
confirmation of pesticides.
trace-level results in drugs of abuse.
ASTM D-5623 and D-5504 Identify and
control sulfur compounds with Agilents
Dual Plasma Chemiluminescence
Detector.
Agilent triple-quadrupole solution shines for
emerging pollutants in water.
Coming Soon! Access Agilent will replace
Separation Times.

ASTM D-5623 and D-5504 Identify and control sulfur

compounds with Agilents Dual Plasma
Chemiluminescence Detector
By Thomas Daniels
Agilent Sulfur and Nitrogen Chemiluminescence Product Manager

The sulfur compounds found in many petroleum feeds and products can corrode
equipment, inhibit or destroy the catalysts used in processing, impart undesirable odors to
products, and create emissions that damage the environment. Since sulfur concentrations
in available crude stock are increasing every year, it is becoming more and more important
to both accurately quantify and speciate those sulfur compounds during the refining
process.

Gas Chromatography with sulfur Chemiluminescence detection provides a rapid and highly
specific way to determine the types and amounts of sulfur compounds present in petroleum
products and feeds. This ability to speciate sulfur compounds is particularly important
because of the need to control sulfur compounds in liquid fuels and during the intentional
addition of odorous sulfur compounds to aid in detecting liquefied petroleum gas leaks
(LPGs). In fact, the ability to speciate sulfur compounds is frequently more important than
the ability to measure total sulfur content alone.

The following ASTM methods demonstrate the effectiveness of using sulfur

Chemiluminescence to detect, speciate and quantify sulfur compounds in both liquid and
gaseous petroleum products and feeds.

Less hydrocarbon interference when

analyzing light petroleum products

The Agilent Dual Plasma 355 Sulfur

Chemiluminescence Detector (SCD)
demonstrates its superiority to a flame
photometric detector or pulsed photometric
detector in ASTM D-5623 Sulfur Compounds in
Light Petroleum Liquids by Gas
Chromatography and Sulfur Selective
Figure 1. Using an Agilent 7890 GC with an
Detection. Figure 1 illustrates the ability of
Agilent Dual Plasma Sulfur
the 355 SCD to speciate sulfur compounds in a
Chemiluminescence Detector, we were able to
NIST 2299 gasoline standard. Clearly, the data identify 15 different sulfur compounds with
indicates virtually no hydrocarbon quenching little or no hydrocarbon interference. (Click
when using the SCD as opposed to the severely here to see this image larger.)
compromised or quenched results when using
an FPD or PFPD.

Flame photometric detectors (FPDs) and pulsed flame photometric detectors (PFPDs) are
far more susceptible to hydrocarbon interference. As a result, frequent column changes are
required for analysis of various hydrocarbon products by flame photometric detectors in
order to avoid serious quenching and inaccurate results.

The 355 SCD response (Figure 1) is inherently linear, equimolar and far less susceptible to
hydrocarbon interference, which eliminates the need to linearize data or to determine
separate response factors for individual sulfur compounds. Furthermore, since
hydrocarbons are virtually invisible to the 355 SCD, the coelution of hydrocarbon and sulfur
peaks does not present a problem.

Because of its linear and equimolar response, sensitivity and selectivity, the 355 SCD is
established and approved by the American Society for Testing and Materials for sulfur in
light petroleum liquids. In fact, the 355 SCD is the only detector tested for ASTM
D-5623-95 in which data was sufficient for determining method precision. (ASTM Research
Report: RR: D02-1335)

Easily identify sulfur compounds in gaseous liquids

Liquefied petroleum gases (LPGs) and natural gas liquids (NGLs) can contain many
different amounts and types of sulfur compounds. Most industrial processes tend to remove
the sulfur compounds from products. But certain odorous sulfur compounds such as ethyl
mercaptan, tetrahydrothiophene, and occasionally thiophane are intentionally added to
propane. These sulfur compounds are used as warning agents in the detection of LPG
leaks. The ability to assure the quality of added odorant makes the ability to speciate sulfur
compounds in these liquids especially useful.

Figure 2 illustrates the ability of the Agilent

355 SCD to speciate sulfur compounds in a
natural gas sample.

For over 15 years, chemists have relied on

sulfur chemiluminescence when faced with a
dominant hydrocarbon makeup in their matrix.
Now the dual challenge of greater
Figure 2. Chromatogram of sulfur compounds concentrations of sulfur compounds in crude oil
in natural gas demonstrates how clearly the and regulatory agency mandates that
355 SCD speciates various compounds. (Click continually lower acceptable sulfur levels make
here to see this image larger.) sulfur chemiluminescence the solution of choice
when working with petrochemicals.

Learn more about the advantages of the Agilent Dual Plasma Sulfur Chemiluminescence
Detector. Then talk to your Agilent Representative about how you can gain greater
confidence in your results with the Agilent 355 SCD.

In addition, the applications discussed above are available from Agilent Technologies as
dedicated configurations with chromatographic analysis method and factory checkout. Test
runs are provided with the instrument hardware. To order these solutions please request
the SP-1 7890-0365 for ASTM D-5623, and 7890-0375 for ASTM D-5504.

Agilent Technologies, Inc. 2008