Four mechanisms for electron attachment to molecules at thermal energies are summarized and the use of these mechanisms to estimate electron capture coefficients is discussed. An expression for the functional relationship between the response of the electron capture detector and concentration has been derived which is applicable to pulse intervals normally used in analytical work. An analog computer-integrator was used to demonstrate the validity of this expression experimentally. Electron capture coefficients for some compounds are highly temperature dependent. As a result of the temperature dependence, the temperature of the electron capture cell should be capable of being set at a specific temperature and controlled to ±.3°C to 1.0% precision. The temperature dependence can be used to enhance sensitivity, reduce response of interfering substances, aid in qualitative identification, and, in some cases, obtain a rough quantitative estimation.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Wentworth et al. (1967) studied this question.