Ion mobility spectrometry of hydrazine, monomethylhydrazine, and ammonia in air with 5-nonanone reagent gas.
Hydrazine (HZ) and monomethylhydrazine (MMH) in air were monitored continuously using a hand-held ion mobility spectrometer equipped with membrane inlet, 63Ni ion source, acetone reagent gas, and ambient temperature drift tube.  Response characteristics included detection limit, 6 ppb; linear range, 10-600 ppb; saturated response, >2 ppm; and stable response after 15-30 min.  Ammonia interfered in hydrazines detection through a product ion with the same drift time as that for MMH and HZ.  Acetone reagent gas was replaced with 5-nonanone to alter drift times of product ions and separate ammonia from MMH and HZ.  Patterns in mobility spectra, ion identifications from mass spectra, and fragmentation cross-sections from collisional-induced dissociations suggest that drift times are governed by ion-cluster equilibria in the drift region of the mobility spectrometer.  Practical aspects including calibration, stability, and reproducibility are reported from the use of a hand-held mobility spectrometer on the space shuttle Atlantis during mission STS-37.
Eiceman
G A
GA
Department of Chemistry, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces 88003-0001.
Salazar
M R
MR
Rodriguez
M R
MR
Limero
T F
TF
Beck
S W
SW
Cross
J H
JH
Young
R
R
James
J T
JT
D000641:Ammonia / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006834:Hydrazines / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D007477:Ions; D007659:Ketones / Q000737:chemistry; D009002:Monomethylhydrazine / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D013026:Space Flight
D006834:Hydrazines; D007477:Ions; D007659:Ketones; C029424:hydrazine; D000641:Ammonia; D009002:Monomethylhydrazine; C032750:5-nonanone