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Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Vol.155, No.4, F43-F48, 2008
Electrolytic IVER-MS technology for the isotopic quantitation of select electroactive materials
Design variants of an integrated vacuum electrochemical reactor (IVER) have been developed and utilized to achieve the isotopic quantitation of select electroactive materials. The platinum-electrode IVER module can facilitate chemical prereaction, solution degas, electrolytic gas generation, and gas containment prior to mass spectrometric analysis. Batch specimens of oxalic acid -C-13(2) and sodium pyruvate-1-C-13, each > 99 atom % C-13, were measured by IVER-mass spectrometry (MS) to approximately 0.1 atom % of their precursor C-13-enrichment values. Likewise, batch specimens of neat water -O-18, each > 95 atom % O-18, were suitably analyzed using IVER-MS technology. Operational reproducibility was +/- 0.02 atom % isotope for both 13-carbon-and 18-oxygen-enriched analytes of interest. No ancillary electrolyte was required during the vacuum electrolyses of water-O-18 and oxalic acid-C-13(2). As expected, sequential analyses of the electrogenerated hydrogen gas from a starting quantity of formic acid-H-2(2) solution showed progressive increases in the H-2 enrichment as the remaining solution in the reactor was repeatedly degassed and electrolyzed. (c) 2008 The Electrochemical Society.