The compounds S_2F_10, S_2F_10, and S_2o_2F_10 are formed by decomposition of gaseous sulfur hexafluoride (SF_6) in electrical discharges.~1.2 The species S_2F_10 is known to be highly toxic to humans,~3 and there is recent evidence that S_2O_2F_10 may also be very toxic.~4 There is, therefore, an interest in having analytical methods to detect these compounds in compressed SF_6 at trace levels down to 10 parts in 10~9 by volume (10 ppb_v). Two chromatographic methods have been used to detect these compounds at the 10 ppb_v level or lower. The first method developed by Sauers and coworkers~5 is based on a cryoigenic enrichment procedure first proposed by Janssen~6, and uses a gas chromatograph with an electron-capture detector. The second method, which is the focus of the present work, utilizes a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC/MS)with a thermal-chemical converter.
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