Determination of argon in air and water

A new gas chromatographic method for argon determination in water and air is presented. NiO catalyst was used for complete removal of oxygen from the samples. NiO catalyst operating at 150°C and a 3 m column filled with the molecular sieve 5A allow to perform the analysis at room temperature. The detection limit for argon was estimated as 2 × 10 - 6 g for a TCD detector supplied with hydrogen as a carrier gas. The analysis of argon in water was performed by means of the head space method. The developed method gives the argon peak about three times higher than the CTR-III column type offered by the Alltech Company.