Hydrogenation reactor in GLC for formaldehyde determination in aqueous solutions by the reducing FID technique

The insertion of an hydrogenation catalytic reactor into a gas chromatographic line for response enhancement of formaldehyde to the flame ionisation detector (FID) was tested. The specific response of methane is approached and the reaction parameters are not critical for a wide range of reactor temperature and gas composition. Good sensitivity and no modification of the gas chromatografic analysis reliability can be attained for aqueous solutions of formaldehyde (10-100 ppm) with a reactor temperature above 300°C and with a proper gas composition.