Presentation Profile
Are organic dilution methods capable of detecting inorganic elements in petroleum products?
Main Author
Lisa Kuang PhD - QED SCI LLC
Abstract:
In many petroleum testing methods, samples are prepared by diluting them with an organic solvent, such as xylene. We refer to this approach as “organic dilution,” in which the elements that are soluble in the organic solvent are transferred into the solution and subsequently introduced into the analytical instrument.
Examples include UOP 779 and ASTM D4949 for chlorine analysis, and ASTM D5185 and ASTM D5708 for metals and phosphorus analysis.
This raises an important analytical question: Is this organic dilution procedure will detect inorganic elements? What sample-preparation necessary if our objective is to determine only organic elements?
