1St Detect Corporation

Astrotech Technologies, Inc.

Pedro Ojeda

Michael Spencer

David Rafferty

James Wylde

Thomas Bowden

A chemical pre-concentrator includes a conduit defining a flow path between two ends and having a heating element disposed within the conduit, such that the heating element has at least one sorbent material deposited directly on at least a portion of a conductive surface of the heating element. Some such heating elements are in the form of electrically conductive strips defining both a plurality of apertures through the strip and a series of undulations spaced along the flow path.

Introducing an analyte into a chemical analyzer

A chemical analysis system is disclosed wherein, in evacuating a preconcentrator housing () prior to desorption, a pump system () reduces an internal pressure of the preconcentrator housing to a level substantially equal to an internal pressure of a chemical analyzer such that flow restrictors and/or membranes () between the chemical analyzer () and the preconcentrator housing () may be omitted. The chemical analysis system includes a chemical analyzer (), a preconcentrator housing () coupled to the chemical analyzer, the preconcentrator housing enclosing a temperature control element () and a sorbent material (), the temperature control element configured to heat the sorbent material to adsorb or desorb a chemical of interest; and a pump system () coupled to the preconcentrator housing and the chemical analyzer, the pump system configured to evacuate the preconcentrator housing prior to desorption of the chemical of interest.

Preconcentrating a sample in a preconcentrator evacuated to substantially the same pressure as an analytical device

In one general aspect, a sample is transferred into a mass spectrometer by capturing a sample on a collector, inserting the collector into a sample chamber coupled to the mass spectrometer and a vacuum pump, evacuating the sample chamber using the vacuum pump to reduce an internal pressure of the sample chamber to a level less than atmospheric pressure, heating the collector to release the sample from the collector, and introducing the sample into the mass spectrometer from the evacuated sample chamber.

Growing community of inventors

Pflugerville, TX, United States of America

Pedro Ojeda