Gas Detection Knowledge Base

Recent Knowledge Base Articles

• Nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere

  A complete list of nitrogen oxides would include… Nitric oxide, aka nitrogen monoxide   (NO), nitrogen(II) oxide Nitrogen dioxide   (NO2), nitrogen(IV) oxide Nitrous oxide   (N2O), nitrogen(−I,III) oxide Nitrosylazide   (N4O), nitrogen(−I,0,I,II) oxide Oxatetrazole   (N4O) Dinitrogen_trioxide   (N2O3), nitrogen(II,IV) oxide Dinitrogen tetroxide   (N2O4), nitrogen(IV) oxide Dinitrogen pentoxide   (N2O5), nitrogen(V) oxide Trinitramide   (N(NO2)3 or N4O6), nitrogen(0,IV) oxides Of primary interest…

  January 31, 2019
• Parking garage and tunnel monitoring

  In most cases, the goal is to establish some sort of ventilation control, such that a balance can be achieved between energy conservation and guarding against toxic exposure. Carbon monoxide is usually chosen as the target analyte, unless the vehicular traffic will be largely diesel. While diesel engines do emit CO, it is less than…

  January 31, 2019
• Multi-gas monitoring applications

  In most cases, gas monitoring applications focus on a single gas. There may well be interest in detecting this compound at several points, but the end-user has determined that it has one particular target analyte. Sometimes, though, there will be two gases of interest. Common examples are hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide; and carbon monoxide and…

  January 31, 2019
• All you need to know about pH

  The classical first year chemistry definition of “pH” refers back to Danish biochemist Søren Sørenson, who originated the term, alluding to the “potential of hydrogen ion.” Specifically, pH is the negative logarithm of the molar concentration of the hydrogen ion (H+) in the particular solution. This is usually expressed as a formula… pH = -log[H+]…

  January 31, 2019
• What Do We Mean By “Real Analytics”?

  Interscan started the real analytics movement in the field of gas detection, to demonstrate that at least one company is serious about assuring the best possible analytical accuracy in every measurement our instruments make. After all, the very term “gas detector,” which is far more common than “gas analyzer,” immediately reminds one of detector tubes,…

  January 31, 2019
• Gas Sampling From A Distance

  Sometimes it is necessary to transport sample from some distance to the analyzer. There is no inherent problem in doing this, unless the sample is subject to condensation (see “Sample Conditioning” article); the analyte is unstable; or the interconnect tubing material might exhibit chemisorption properties. System lag time, reflecting the time for gas sample to…

  January 31, 2019
• Sample conditioning

  The term “sample conditioning” simply means the preparation of the gas sample containing your analyte to render it suitable for introduction into your gas analyzer. This is usually less of a consideration in ambient air monitoring applications than in source monitoring applications. When sampling from a source such as an industrial process, utility stack, or…

  January 31, 2019
• Information on commonly used sterilants

  Ethylene Oxide (EO or EtO) Ethylene oxide is the most widely used low temperature sterilant, and it is still the dominant process used by the medical device industry, owing to its effectiveness and compatibility with most materials. First employed as a fumigant in the 1920s, it was developed as a sterilant in the 1940s by…

  January 31, 2019