A System for Combination of Gas Chromatography With Liquid Scintillation Counting

Abstract

A simple system for measuring weak beta emitting radioisotopes in the effluent from gas chromatographs has been developed. The system does not require construction of electronic equipment, can be connected to most commercial gas chromatographs, and is not temperature limited. Sensitivity of detection better than 15 micromicrocuries/peak has been obtained. Construction of the system for scrubbing the effluent from a gas chromatograph is described. The continuous flow of scrubbing solution is caught as a series of samples which are counted with the ubiquitous liquid scintillation spectrometer. A coincident time plot of sample activity on the gas chromatograph trace provides the desired qualitative information. Normalization from the count of sample before chromatography generally provides easy quantitation.