Canadian Patents & Development Ltd.

National Research Council of Canada

Canadian Patents and Development Limited/societe Canadienne Des Brevets

Lorne Elias

Andre H Lawrence

Francis William Lemon

Marek E Krzymien

A thermally-releasable-sample collecting device is provided comprising a pistol-shaped casing, a blunt ended probe in the front end of the casing barrel, an adsorber tube locating collar in a rear end of the casing barrel, and an adsorber tube slidably located in the collar and having an open ended, sample adsorber end portion in a central portion of a gas passage extending through the probe. The adsorber tube has a closed rear end and gas ports which are located by a spring loaded plunger in a first position for drawing air through the probe into the adsorber tube, and a second position where carrier gas passes along the adsorber tube, to entrain thermally released sample, while the sample adsorber end portion is protruding from the probe into the heated entry of an analyzer.

Thermally-releasable-sample collecting device

A simple but precise procedure for measuring fish freshness in terms of trimethylamine (TMA) headspace concentration of a fish sample is provided based on air sampling the headspace with Carbotrap.RTM. or Tenax.RTM. sorbent tubes and subsequent thermal desorption and gas chromatographic analysis. The sampling and analysis are completed in less than five minutes. Fish freshness as determined by the TMA headspace concentration is consistent with the grading estimated by organoleptic tests, but the instrumental method provides a more objective and quantitative assessment of quality and an estimation of the post mortem age of the fish.

Method for testing the freshness of fish

A sorbent tube trace sample releasing apparatus comprises a tubular casing for connection at a downstream end to, say, a gas chromatograph, a spring loaded valve in the bore of the casing, a valved, purging gas inlet downstream of the spring loaded valve and a sorbent tube receiving end portion upstream thereof, surrounded by a heating coil, and fitted with an O-ring seal adjacent an upstream side of the spring loaded valve. The tubular casing is connected to a sample entry of a gas chromatograph and purging gas is fed to the gas chromatograph. The purged casing is then heated by heating coil with a sample carrying sorbent tube inserted in with the casing, spring loaded valve and sample carrying end of the sorbent tube heated, the sorbent tube is then used to open the spring loaded valve while a carrier gas is fed along the sorbent tube to release the sample. When the trace sample has been released, purging gas is fed through the purging gas inlet with the spring loaded valve closed because substantially only a portion of the casing interior needs to be purged.

Sorbent tube trace sample releasing apparatus

This invention is concerned with an apparatus and a method for the introduction of vaporizable samples into an apparatus for the analysis of such samples, such as a gas chromatograph, and especially a capillary gas chromatograph and ion mobility spectrometer. A sample is vaporized or desorbed from a sample tube by heating the sample tube and then transferred by a carrier gas to the analytical apparatus by being withdrawn from the sample tube along and condensed on the inner surface of a heat conductive metal walled needle of a hypodermic syringe from which it is then vaporized and introduced into the analytical apparatus. Suitable samples may also be introduced into an ion mobility spectrometer directly by placing a sample-charged sample tube into a sample-introduction port thereto.

Method and apparatus for the introduction of a vaporizable sample into

A method, and air sampler concentrator, for sampling and detecting trace quantities of amine vapors in ambient atmospheres, are described. Atmospheres containing vapors of amines, particularly aralkyl amines such as amphetamines, are sampled and vapors collected in a concentrator having two adsorber components, one a polymeric adsorbent for amines and the other a selected alkaline adsorbent. Collected vapors are thermally desorbed in stages and the amine vapors analyzed by gas chromatography. The concentrator and method are very suitable for detecting trace amount of amine drugs and alkyl or arylalkyl amine vapors found in some industrial work environments.

Concentrator for detection of amine vapors

The specification discloses a method and apparatus for concentration of vapors present in trace quantities in the atmosphere in a continuous and rapid manner. It relates especially to a device to enhance the concentration of trace vapors to such a level that they may be more readily analyzed by appropriate instrumentation. This is of considerable value in connection with the detection of certain vapors which are associated with explosive devices and bombs. These are of considerable importance now in connection with security at airports and the like. The specification discloses a method and apparatus for the continuous concentration of trace gases in a gaseous medium, such as air, comprising the steps of bringing the air into intimate contact with a suitable free-flowing adsorption powder in an adsorption region, passing the air containing the treated powder and adsorbed vapors through a cyclone separator to produce a substantially powder-free air stream and a powder containing adsorbed vapors, then passing the powder through a desorption region whereby the powder carrying trace vapors is heated in a heating zone in the presence of a carrier stream at a temperature sufficient to release the adsorbed trace vapors of interest, and thus to produce a vapor-enriched carrier gas stream. The powder is then normally recycled into the air inlet stream.

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Nepean, Canada

Lorne Elias