The reactor contains catalysts that converts all of the carbon atoms of organic molecules in GC column effluents into methane before reaching the FID.
As a result, all carbon atoms are detected equally, and therefore calibration standards for each compound are not needed.
The reactor operates by converting organic analytes after GC separation into methane prior to detection by FID.
The oxidation and reduction reactions occur sequentially, wherein the organic compound is first combusted to produce carbon dioxide, which is subsequently reduced to methane.
The reactions are fast compared to the time scales typical of gas chromatography, resulting in manageable peak broadening and tailing.
[citation needed] Elements other than carbon, as CH4, are not ionized in the flame and thus do not contribute to the FID signal.
Since every compound passes through the catalyst bed in the reactor, certain substances that might be harmful, or that could negatively affect the efficiency and durability of the FID, are converted into safer forms.
This comprehensive conversion results in a more uniform response and more sensitive detection for a wider range of organic species.
The PolyArc reactor needs hydrogen and air, which are both gases used in any existing FID setup.
In the external standard method, the FID signal is correlated to the concentration of carbon separately from the analysis.
The user should take care to account for any sample splitting, adsorption, inlet discrimination, and leaks.
The inverse of this line can be used to determine the amount of carbon in any subsequent injection from any compound.
The calibration should be examined periodically to account for catalyst deactivation and other sources of detector drift.
The 1 wt% mixture of methanol/gasoline is then injected and the concentration of all other species can be determined from their relative response to methanol on a carbon basis,
The effects of injection-to-injection variability resulting from different injection volumes, varying split ratios, and leaks are eliminated with the internal standard method.