title: Silicon speciation by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry in gasolines.
abstract: A method for the speciation of silicon compounds in petroleum products was developed using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Prior to analysis, several precautions about storage and conservation were applied for all samples. In spiked gasoline samples, limits of detection between 24 and 69 μg kg(-1) for cyclic siloxanes (D(4)-D(6)) and between 1 and 7 μg kg(-1) for other species were obtained. In this study, cyclic siloxanes (D(n)) and one ethoxysilane were quantified for the first time in petroleum products by a specific method based on response factor calculation to an internal standard. This method was applied to four samples of naphthas and gasolines obtained from a steam cracking process. Cyclic siloxanes were predominant in four investigated samples with concentrations ranging between 101 and 2204 μg kg(-1). Cyclic siloxane content decreased with an increase in their degree of polymerization. During a steam cracking process, silicon concentrations determined by GC-MS SIM (single ion monitoring) significantly increase. This trend was confirmed by ICP-OES (inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy) measurements but a difference on the total silicon content was observed, certainly highlighting the presence of unknown silicon species. GC-MS SIM method gives access to the chemical nature of the silicon species, which is crucial for the understanding of hydrotreatment catalyst poisoning in the oil and gas industry.
authors.affiliation: Physics and Analysis Division, IFP Energies Nouvelles-Lyon, F-69360 Solaize, France.
authors.forename: Fabien
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chainet
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Courtiade
authors.forename: Charles-Philippe
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Lienemann
authors.forename: Jérémie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ponthus
authors.forename: Olivier François Xavier
authors.initials: OF
authors.lastname: Donard
mesh_terms: D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D005742:Gasoline / Q000032:analysis*; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000737:chemistry; D057230:Limit of Detection; D016014:Linear Models; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012833:Siloxanes / Q000032:analysis* / Q000145:classification
chemical_list: D005742:Gasoline; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D012833:Siloxanes