Plasma Chromatography of the n-Alkyl Alcohols

Using thermal electrons and positive reactant ions from nitrogen gas and negative reactant ions from air both positive and negative plasmagram patterns have been obtained for ethanol, 1-butanol, 1-hexanol, and 1-octanol at 22°C, 55°C, and 100°C. The plasmagrams give characteristic and different qualitative patterns for each compound at each temperature. The data obtained in the positive mode show that as many as 6 ionic complexes are formed for a compound, presumably of the type (ROH)m(H2O)nH+. Lower temperature favors formation of higher mass ionic complexes and gives simpler plasmagrams, but higher temperature gives shorter ion drift times. The negative plasmagrams show that the alcohols appear to react by displacement of water molecules from hydrated negative reactant ions, but undergo no reaction with thermal electrons.