Sample collection container, sample collection apparatus, and sample collection method in supercritical fluid system

Abstract

There is provided a sample collection container, a sample collection apparatus, and a sample collection method used in a supercritical fluid system capable of collecting a multi-constituent sample contained in a supercritical fluid at low cost and high collection efficiency. The pressure of a supercritical fluid containing a sample is reduced to a pressure close to the atmospheric pressure, and the depressurized supercritical fluid is forced to undergo adiabatic expansion to form gas-phase COcontaining a liquid component in the form of aerosol. The gas-phase COis fractionated for each constituent of the contained sample, transferred to a probeof Liquid Handler, and dispensed into a large number of collection vialsunder the atmospheric pressure, each of which is provided with a vial cap. The aerosol-containing gas-phase COis sprayed through the tip of an introduction tubeprovided in each of the vial capin a direction downwardly-inclined from the tangential direction along an inner circumferential surfaceof the corresponding collection vial, and swirls and falls in the collection vial. In this process, the liquid component containing the sample collides with the inner circumferential surfaceand is trapped thereon, whereas the gas-phase COis discharged out of a discharge holein the vial cap