Gas chromatography of indium in macroscopic and carrier-free amounts using quartz and gold as stationary phases

Abstract

The chemical investigation of E113 is likely to become soon feasible. The determination of chemical properties of carrier-free amounts of the lighter homologues of element 113, especially indium and thallium, allows designing experimental set-ups and selecting experimental conditions suitable for performing these studies. Here, we present investigations of the interaction of indium species with quartz and gold surfaces. Deposition temperatures as well as enthalpies of adsorption were determined for indium T_dep=739±20 °C (−ΔH_ads(In)=227±10 kJ mol⁻¹) and for indium hydroxide T_dep=250±20 °C (−ΔH_ads(InOH)= 124±10 kJ mol⁻¹) respectively, on quartz. In case of adsorption of indium on a gold surface only a lower limit of the deposition temperature was established T_dep>980 °C (−ΔH_ads(In)≥315±10 kJ mol⁻¹). Investigations of macroscopic amounts of indium in thermosublimation experiments at similar experimental conditions were instrumental to establish a tentative speciation of the observed indium species.