FLUOBORIC ACID ELECTROLYTE ANALYSIS BY ION CHROMATOGRAPHY

FLUOBORIC ACID SOLUTION, USED AS THE ELECTROLYTE IN SOME LIQUID RESERVE BATTERIES, REQUIRES CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF THIS ELECTROLYTE AND FOUR (4) ACCOMPANYING PARAMETERS (BORATE, SULFATE, BROMIDE, LEAD). A DUAL ION CHROMATOGRAPHIC SYSTEM (IC, HARDWARE), CONTROLLED BY A PC WORKSTATION (SOFTWARE) WILL BE ASSEMBLED FROM VARIOUS SOURCES. SUITEABLE CHROMATOGRAPHIC METHODS WILL BE DEVELOPED OR ADAPTED, AND OPTIMIZED FOR THE ANALYSIS OF THE COMPLEX ELECTROLYTE MATRIX, CONSISTING OF FOUR MONOVALENT ANIONS: FLUOBORATE (BF(4)-_, BORATE, SULFATE, BROMIDE, AND DIVALENT LEAD CATION. ONE IC UNIT WILL ANALYZE THE ANIONS (ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY) USING AN AUTOMATIC COLUMN-SWITCHING VALVE TO ONE ANION EXCLUSION (1ST) AND ONE ANION EXCHANGE (2ND) COLUMN. THE ELUANTS EMPLOYED WOULD INCLUDE OCTANESULFONIC ACID FOR ANION EXCLUSION AND SODIUM OCTANESULFONATE FOR ANION EXCHANGE. THE LEAD DETERMINATION WOULD BE ACHIEVED, ALSO SIMULTANEOUSLY, ON A SECOND IC UNIT (AS AN ION-PAIR) USING OCTANESULFONATE IN THE MOBILE PHASE. THE COLUMN WILL CONTAIN SPHERICALLY SHAPED PARTICLES WITH TOTALLY ENDCAPPED SILANOL GROUPS. THE USE OF AN AUTOSAMPLER IN EACH IC UNIT WILL REDUCE THE TOTAL LABOR TIME FOR THE ANALYSIS OF A SINGLE SHIPPING CONTAINER OF ELECTROLYTE (IN DUPLICATE) FROM THE NOW EXISTING 24 MAN-HOURS AT HDL TO ABOUT 1 MAN-HOUR.