Novel Acidic Reagents for Enhanced Detection of Inorganic Oxidizers

Inorganic oxidizers such as chlorates and perchlorates are prevalent in various industries, including energy storage, pharmaceuticals, and explosives. The detection of these elements is critical for quality control, safety, and regulatory compliance. However, identifying these inorganic oxidizers has historically been challenging because of the complexity of their chemical structures and their interactions in different mediums. Traditional detection mechanisms for inorganic oxidizers suffer from limited sensitivity and selectivity which can cause false negatives or positives. Detection can also be hindered by the presence of other substances in the sample. The low ease of vaporization of these analytes further complicates their detection. Current methods also have limited capacity to generate a range of detectable signals for these oxidizers.

Technology Description

This technology involves the use of volatilization reagents in the detection of inorganic oxidizers, including chlorates, perchlorates. Its mechanism involves a reagent transferring a proton to the anion in the inorganic salt analyte, creating acids like chloric acid or perchloric acid. This acidified state of the reagent is more easily vaporized and allows for improved detection of inorganic oxidizers. Simultaneously, the anion of the acid generates a new salt with the released cation from the original acidified salt. Furthermore, the reagents employed can be acidic salts or, more generally, cation-donators. This technology is capable of increasing the detection sensitivity for oxidizers. It leverages the transformation of inorganic salts into easily detectable acids through volatilization. Additionally, the formation of new salts from the released anions and cations provides an expanded range for detection mechanisms using this technology.