Detailed Analysis of Olefins in Processed Petroleum Streams by Combined Multi-dimensional Supercritical Fluid Chromatography and Field Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

A combination of multi-dimensional supercritical fluid chromatography and field ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SFC FI-TOF MS) is developed for the detailed analysis of olefins and other hydrocarbon types in total petroleum liquid products from catalytic cracking experiments. With a silver-modified silica column, SFC separates the petroleum samples into saturates, aromatics, and olefins. SFC with a flame ionization detector provides quantitation of the three major compound classes. SFC effluents are softly ionized by FI to form intact molecule ions, which are subsequently analyzed by TOF MS to determine elemental formulas via accurate mass analysis.