CA1074979A

CA1074979A - Detection and measurement of no2 and o3

Info

Publication number: CA1074979A
Application number: CA261,206A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Leo E. Topol
Original assignee: Rockwell International Corp
Current assignee: Boeing North American Inc
Priority date: 1975-10-14
Filing date: 1976-09-14
Publication date: 1980-04-08
Also published as: FR2328196A1; DE2646431A1; JPS5248387A; FR2328196B1; US3996005A; GB1562225A

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Small amounts of NO2 and O3 in air are determined by utilizing the reactions of these gases with solid alkali metal halides to produce halogen, and the reaction of NO2 with various salts such as PbI2 to produce NO; halogens produced from the reaction may be measured by the use of an electrolytic cell, the output of which is dependent on the halogen concentration of the gas contacting one electrode thereof, while the NO concentration may be determined by the chemiluminescence technique.

Description

~o74979 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART: This invention relates to a method for the de~ermination of NO2 and ozone, to the reactions of NO2 and ozone with solid alkali metal halides, and the reaction of NO2 with various salts to produce NO.
In recent years, recognition of environmental limitations has led to widespread qualitative and quantitative studies and analysis of atmospheric pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide and ozone. Numerous devices and techniques have been proposed over the years for detecting such pollutants.
However, most of the prior art techniques and devices have sought to simply detect or make relatively gross measurements of the pollutants. Other prior art devices and techniques have permitted more refined ~uantitative measurements, but have required extensive time, skilled technicians, and equipment which was often elaborate, delicate, expensive and required considerable readjustment and maintenance. It has been found that the release of halogen permits measurement of pollutants at the parts-per-million level when employed with solid state gaseous halogen sensors, such as those disclosed in U.S. Patent 3,764,269. However, the halogen release and measurement process has not been adapted to the measurement of combined NO2 and O3 because of the lack of a suitable reagent to produce halogen in the gaseous state at about ambient temperatures.
Further, it is known that when NO undergoes oxidation by O3 to NO2, there is a detectable light emission, the intensity of which is directly proportional to the NO so reacted. This reaction has been suggested as a means for detecting and measuring NO2 in air by utilizing the thermal conversion Of NO2 to NO
26 followed by re-conversion of NO to NO2 by ozone and measurement of the light emission associated with the reaction. However,

-2- ~

107~79 the thermal conversion f NO2 to NO requires hig~.
temperatures in the order of 20~C and higher for completion and also converts NH3 to NO.
A method for the determination f NO2 in air has been found which comprises reacting air co~taining NO2 with solid iodide selected from PbI2, CuI, BiI3, AuI, PdI2, TlI
and ZnI2 to effect an essentially quantitative conversion of said NO2 to NO, and sub~equently determining the quantity of NO produced. It also has been found that both NO2 and O3 in an air sample will react with solid alkali metal halides at ambient temperatures and above to release halogen gas which may be easily detected quantitatively to give a precise measurement of the combined concentration of nitrogen dioxide and ozone in the air sample; and that the NO2 in a separate sample may be reacted with solid lead iodide to quantitatively convert the NO2 to NO which can be accurately measured. The concentrations f NO2 and O3 may thus be determined by a combined measurement of the

3 + NO2 and a separate determination of the NO2 concentration.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a method for the detection of NO2.
A further object is the provision of a method for detecting the combined presence of NO2 and ozone in air.
Still another object of this invention is the provision of a method for the determination f NO2 in air by conversion of the NO2 to NO and subsequent determination of the NO concentration by the chemiluminescence method.

r~

.

Still other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and related claims.
Objects of this invention are accomplished by a method for reacting NO2 with a solid alkali metal iodide at ambient temperatures and above to produce NO and determining the relative amount of NO produced as a measure of the NO2 reacted.
Another aspect of the invention is a method for determining the concentrations of O3 and NO2 in air. The method comprises separating an air stream to be analyzed into two separate increments. One of said increments is contacted with a solid alkali metal halide to convert any O3 and NO2 present to gaseous halogen and the halogen concentration thus produced is determined. The other of said increments is contacted with solid PbI2 to convert any NO2 present to NO and the concentration of NO produced i8 determined as a measure of the NO2 present. The O3 concentration is determined by differences.
A still further embodiment of this invention comprise~
a method for the determination f NO2 in air by converting the NO2 to NO and measuring the quantity of NO by the - chemiluminescence method.

B

A particularly preferred embodiment of the invention is the conversion f NO2 to NO by reaction thereof with lead iodide (PbI2) because the reaction is essentially quantitative at temperatures well below 250C.
In the drawings accompanying this application;
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a device embodying the present invention shown in cross section;
Figure 2 is a diagrammatic representation of the process of another embodiment of the invention; and Figure 3 is a schematic representation of still another embodiment of the invention.
- In that form of the present invention chosen for purpose of illustration in Figure 1, a contaminant measuring device, indicated generally at 10, is shown comprising a cylindrical housing 12 which is open at each end 14 and 16.
Within the housing 12 is mounted a halogen detecting device such as an electrolytic cell 18, by means of a spring 20 . resting against one side of the cell 18 and the interior :. walls of the housing 12 at the open end 14 thereof, thecell 18 has an open Pt mesh electrode 22 pressed into a layer of solid silver halide 24, adjacent a silver electrode 26. The Pt mesh-silver halide layer is arranged to allow the passage of air through the housing 12 from the open side 16 to the outlet 14. The housing 12 has suitable , ~ . .

-s~3 107~979 m~ans (not s~own) to allow it to be opened for repair or replacement of the cell 20. From the electrodes 22 and 26 lead wires 28 and 30 project through the housing 12 to a suitable detection ~evice or meter 32 to detect the output of the cell 18. Connected to tne nousing 12 at the end 16 is a second housing 34 communicating with both the cell containing housing 12 and an air inlet 36. Within the housing 34 is mounted a quantity of alkali metal halide reagent 38 in gas-permeable form. The capsule 38 may be formed by any suitable m.eans, such as compressing the halide into a solid, yet porous, wafer or providing a pair of circular mesh discs which are secured together and are capable of retaining halide granules therebetween, yet permit the passage of gas.
In use, air is caused to flow through the inlet 36 through housing 34, by means of a pump or the like (not shown).
In passing through the housing 34, the air will be forced to pass through reagent 38 and housing 12 containing the detector 18. If there is any ozone (O3) or nitrogen dioxide (NO2) present in the air, they will react with the halide salt yielding the corresponding halogen gas.
The halogen released by this reaction is then detected and measured by the cell 18 and the concentration of the ~ halogen determined by the reading of the device 32. It has ; been found that this technique can accurately detect and measure the presence of NO2 and O3 to fractional parts per million in air. Moreover, this technique can be carried out at about ambient temperatures and is uneffected by relative humidity in the range of 30-80%. In pxactice, temperatures of from about 20 to about 50C may be employed, but temperatures of from about 30C to about 40C are preferred because of the faster response times and faster reaction times.
_6--. , To illustrate, without limitation, the practice of the present invention, a quantity of powdered NaI was placed in a glass tube and confined with glass wool. The tube was attached to a source of 50% wet air. Downstream from the tube containing the NaI was an electrolytic cell (Ag/AgI/Pt mesh) for detecting gaseous iodine. The NaI
containing tube and the cell were temperature controlled at 35c and the Pt and silver electrodes were connected to a voltage measuring device. Known quantities of NO2 and o3 were monitored into the air stream and the voltage output of the cell was observed. Data obtained are shown in Table 1 below.

Table 1 VOLTAGES OBSERVED WITH ENOWN
- CONCENTRATIONS OF NO AND O
N AIR AFTER REACTIO~ WITH ~aI
Voltage o3 (ppm) NO2 (ppm) Observed .
o. o5 o o.560 0. log o 0.568 : 0.218 0 0.578 o.435 0 o.587 o 0.315 0.5885 0 0.225 o.584 o o .120 o,575 o o. llo 0.575 o o.072 o.569 0 o.o43 0.563 The data indicate that the conversion of o3 to iodine 30 is about 42% complete based on the concentration of iodine measured by the cell~ whereas the conversion of NO2 is about 75~ complete. Thus, a single determination of a contaminated air sample by the process of this invention illustrated in FIG 1 gives a very close approximation of the total combined 35 o3 and NO2 in the sample.
However, to determine the amounts of o3 and NO2 individually in the sample~ it is of course required that at least two measurements be made.

Among the alkali metal halide salts which may be employed in the capsule 38, in addition to sodium iodide~
include sodium chloride~ sodium bromide~ potassium iodide~
potassium bromide, potassium chloride. Likewise, the salts of cesi~m and rhubidium may be employed. In addition, the salts of lithium may be employed, as may the alkali metal fluorides, but precautions must be taken to prevent side reactions. The preferred alkali metal salts are the iodides, of sodium and potassium.
It is to be noted that mixtures of the salts may be employed so long as the halide component remains the same, inasmuch as the silver halide component 24 of the cell 18 is always the same halide as the reagent in the housing 34.
To insure that there is sufficient moisture in the air being tested, it may be desirable to pass the air sample sver (but not through) water prior to its passage through the tube 34.
It is further preferred that both the cell 18 and the tube 34 be at or near the same temperature. Thus, they may be in a controlled temperature bath, or under the influence of thermostatically controlled heaters.
Turning now to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 2, there is diagrammatically illustrated a pump 102 for forcing air to be analyzed through a set of parallel reactors and detector. Air is drawn by the pump 102 through lines 126 and 128 and the intermediate equipment described below and intake lines 106 and 108.
The air passing in line 106 is subjected to a scrubber 110 to remove 03 and then passes, via line 112, to a reactor 114 containing an alkali metal , .: , '~' .' ~

~074979 halide, as illustrated at 34 and 36 of Figure 1, to effect the production of halogen b~sed on the concentration of NO2 in the air. O3 may be scrubbed from the sample by passing the air through cotton wool and by other methods well known in the art. The gas effluent from the reactor 114 passes, via line 116, to a halogen detector cell 118 (as illustrated in detail at 12 and 18 of Figure 1) to measure the halogen concentration of the air resulting from the reaction of NO2 and alkali metal halide at 114. Simultaneously, the air passing through line 108 enters a second reactor 120 containing alkali metal halide in gas permeable form. In the reactor 120, as in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figure 1, both NO2 and O3 react to release halogen from the alkali metal halide. The air, now containing halogen, passes to the detector 124 through line 122. The detector 124 may be the same type cell and housing illustrated aboye in Figure 1 and will indicate the halogen concentration of the air ef1uent from the reactor 120, giving an indication of the co~bined concentration of NO2 and O3 in the air entering the apparatus through line 108. After detection of the halogen in detectors 118 and 124, reaction products are exhausted from the device through exhaust line 104 and pump 102 after passing through lines 126 and 128.
In order to obtain an indication of the individual concentrations of NO2 and O3 by use of the methods of this invention, it is desirable to experimentally develope a series of curves of the voltage generated with varying amounts of ozone while holding the NO2 concentration constant, For example, b~ measuring the voltage generated at known N02 concentrations of about 0.03, 0.05, 0.07, o.io, 0.20, 0.40 and 0.60 PPM

_g_ and, at each NO2 level, taking measurements of varying O3 concentrations over about the same concentration, a family of curves is generated which will enable one skilled in the art to determine the O3 concentration by interpolation between these curves once the N02 concentration has been determined.
The N02 determination may be taken as illustrated above in Figures 1 and 2, or may be determined as described below.
The combined N02-03 determination is by the method and apparatus o Figure 1.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, schematically illustrated in Figure 3, the NO2 is determined by the quantitative conversion thereof to NO and subsequent measurement of the NO by the chemiluminescence method. Thus, as illustrated in Figure 3, air is drawn by pump 202 through line 204 into O3 scrubber 206 where any O3 present is removed. The ozone free air then passes through line 20g to the reactor 210 where any NO2 present reacts essentially quantitatively with PbI2 contained in a gas permeable capsule as described in connection with Figure 1 above, to form NO. Effluent gases from the reactor 210 pass to the chemiluminescence reactor-detector 214 through line 212.
In the reactor-detector 214 NO resulting from the PbI2-NO2 reaction in reactor 210 is first reacted with O3 to again form NO2. About ten percent of the NO2 produced in this reaction is electronically excited, and its transition to the unexcited state is accompanied by a detectable light emission at low pressure, as has been described, for example by SIGSBY, et al, Environmental Science and Technology, Volume 7, Number 1, page 51-54 (January 1973).
Thus, the reactor-detector shown schematically at .

214 includes the means required to provide O3 to the sample, reduce the pressure, and measure the light emission of the NO2 produced.
There are commercially available pieces of equipment capable of measuring the light emission resulting from the O3 + NO reaction.
Alternatively, the NO2 concentration in the line 208 may be measured by the halogen detection cell described above, inasmuch as the reaction of NO2 with PbI2 quantitatively releases iodine while converting the NO2 to NO.
As further shown in Figure 3, the device may be fitted with a valve 216 to permit the draw off of an air sample through line 218. This sample may be fed to the apparatus o Figure 1 fox the simultaneous determination of the combined O3 and NO2 in imput air supply.
~o illustrate the results obtained in determining the extent of NO2 contamination in air, an experimental apparatus including the reactor 210 and reactor-detector 214 of Figure 3 was employed. The experimental equipment also included a source of NO2 and O3 free air and a source of NO2. The experimental equipment was arranged so that controlled amounts of wet air and NO2 were mixed together and the concentration f NO2 measured by thermally converting the NO2 to NO, then reacting the NO to NO2 and determining the NO2 concentration by the :chemiluminescence method.
The con~ersion to NO, reconversion to NO2 and light detection were accomplished in a Bendix Chemiluminescent Nitrogen Oxide detector. Using the same flow rates of air and NO2, the mixture was then subjected to the process illustrated in Figure 3 above, that is, subjected to reaction with PbI2 to convert the NO2 to NO followed by reaction of the resulting NO with O3 and measurement of the chemiluminescence of the resulting NO2.
Using the above procedure, dry air at 60 ml/min and wet air (61.9 ml/min), yielding a mixture at 49.5% relative ~lumidity, was caused to flow through thP apparatus and was mixed with NO2 to give a mixture calculated to contain 0.99 parts per million NO2 by volume. However, analysis of this mixture by the thermal conversion of NO2 to NO and reconversion to NO2 by O3 reaction, follo~7ed by measurement of the chemiluminescence of the NO2 thus produced indicated 1.14 parts per million NO2. The same gas stream was then reacted with PbI2 at varying temperatures, using 3.2 grams of PbI2 in the reactor; the NO produced reacted with O3 and the chemiluminescence determined. The results are summarized in Table 2 below.

CHEMILUMINESCENCE MEASUREMENT

AIR BY REACTION WITH PbI

Temperature NO2 C PPM
0.84 0.915 100 0.98 110 1. 00 120 1.04 125 1.05 130 1.06 In other, similar determinations- it was found that a near quantitative determination of the NO2 in the parts per million range down to about 0.1 PPM in the original gas stream can be made by employing flow rates of up to about 250 ml/min at temperatues from about 100 to 250~C using 0.45 grams or more of PbI2. Temperatures in the range of from about 110C to about 190C are preferred because the reaction is rapid and essentially quantitative in that range.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A method for the determination of NO2 in air which comprises reacting air containing NO2 with solid iodide selected from PbI2, CuI, BiI3, AuI, PdI2, TlI and ZnI2 to effect an essentially quantitative conversion of said NO2 to NO, and subsequently determining the quantity of NO produced.

2. A method for the determination of NO2 in air which comprises reacting air containing NO2 with solid PbI2 to effect an essentially quantitative conversion of said NO2 to NO, and subsequently determining the quantity of NO
produced.

3. A method for determining the concentrations of O3 and NO2 in air which comprises separating an air stream to be analyzed into two separate increments; contacting one of said increments with a solid alkali metal halide to convert any O3 and NO2 present to gaseous halogen and determining the halogen concentration thus produced; and contacting the the other of said increments with solid PbI2 to convert any NO2 present to NO and determining the concentration of NO
produced as a measure of the NO2; and determining the O3 concentration by differences.