The Problem of Detection

A number of untried ideas, or ideas not properly worked out, which might improve or supplement present chromatographic techniques are suggested. For high sensitivity the active part of a detector should be small to lessen troubles due to adsorbtion and to maintain highest possible concentrations of substances to be measured with a short time constant. Further, the problems of attaining highly quantitative results demand that measurement be made on simple decomposition products, e.g. water, C02, CH4, etc., rather than the parent substances, which have to be individually calibrated. By splitting the chromatographic stream into several fractions and performing simple reactions on each, a quantitative elementary analysis of each chromatographic peak should be possible. One of the most attractive methods of accurate measurement would be conversion first to water. Three methods are discussed in outline: electrolysis, chemical amplification, and exchange of the hydrogen in the water for tritium followed by absorption in a photographic film and counting developed grains. This latter method is probably the most sensitive that could be devised. A number of other miscellaneous suggestions are made.