NEW CHEMICAL ANALYSIS METHODS BASED ON REDOX REACTIONS COUPLED WITH CHEMILUMINESCENCE MEASUREMENTS

AN INVESTIGATION OF THE FUNDAMENTAL CHEMISTRY OF RECENTLY DISCOVERED GOLD-CATALYZED OXIDATION/REDUCTION REACTIONS OF ORGANIC AND INORGANIC COMPOUNDS WITH NITROGEN DIOXIDE AND NITRIC ACID IS PROPOSED. THE REDOX REACTIONS ARE IMPORTANT FOR NEW TECHNOLOGIES, CONSTITUTING THE BASIS FOR SELECTIVE AND SENSITIVE DETECTORS FOR GAS AND LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY AND FOR THE SYNTHESIS OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS. THE NEW REDOX CHEMILUMINESCENCE DETECTORS OFFER THE PROMISE OF THE SENSITIVITY OF THE BEST DETECTOR CURRENTLY AVAILABLE, BUT ARE SELECTIVE IN THEIR RESPONSE. THE REDOX DETECTORS RESPOND TO HYDROGEN, AMMONIA, CARBON DISULFIDE, HYDROGEN PEROXIDE, ALCOHOLS, ALDEHYDES, ACIDS, OLEFINS AND OTHER COMPOUNDS WHICH CAN CATALYTICALLY REDUCE NITROGEN DIOXIDE AT GOLD SURFACES. THE DETECTORS DO NOT RESPOND TO SPECIES SUCH AS NORMAL ALKANES, CHLORINATED HYDROCARBONS, WATER AND MANY OF THE CONSTITUENTS OF AIR. BECAUSE OF THIS SELECTIVITY, THESE DETECTORS SHOULD HAVE MANY APPLICATIONS IN UNIVERSITY, GOVERNMENTAL AND INDUSTRIAL LABORATORIES. THE SAME TECHNOLOGY MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO THE SYNTHESIS OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS VIA GOLD-CATALYZED OXIDATION. BECAUSE THE YIELDS OF THESE REACTIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE HIGH AND THE GENERATION OF BY-PRODUCTS LOW, THESE NEW SYNTHETIC TECHNIQUES MAY OFFER DISTINCT ADVANTAGES OVER EXISTING TECHNIQUES.