Dear Mario,
I am about to use your protocol to collect some BVOCs, and am at the preparing the ST stage.
I have been offered use of a tube furnace (presumably similar to the piece of equipment you used). The researchers that are lending it to me are blowing through Argon rather than Nitrogen, as this is what their protocol requires. I'm assuming that you used N2 as it is a good deal less expensive than Argon-would I be right in thinking that it is okay to use Argon, as it is very inert? The researchers wont let me switch out the Argon cylinder for N2 (obviously!).
Also when you have your big amount of cut STs coming straight out of the furnace, how did you get it safely (without contamination) into the vials, and then store it 'under' Argon? I'm not quite sure how I deliver the Argon into the small vials that I will use for storage, or how I will protect my STs from contamination after they leave the furnace.
Thank you in advance for your help (and for the protocol!).
All the best,
Laura Brammeld
PhD Student (Leverhulme Trust Doctoral Scholar)
Forest Edge, BIFoR
11/8/2019 6:51:18 AM Reply