GC/MS application in the structural group analysis of basic lubricant oils. Part I - State of knowledge

摘要

This article is a brief review of the development of gas-chromatographic methods applied in structural group analy-sis of hydrocarbon mixtures like base oils. These very complex mixtures contain a huge number of hydrocarbons characterized by similar physical and chemical properties, and their separation is practically impossible. From the technical point of view, the information about the content of different hydrocarbon groups is more important, because it allows to predict the properties of basic oils. Not much information can be found in literature relating to GC techniques of structural group analysis, which are reviewed in this paper. The most interesting is the use of two-dimensional chromatography technique, and the field-ionisation technique in mass spectrometry. The serious limitation of chromatographic methods is that the tested substances have the ability to decompose under applied conditions. As the techni?ue of GC simulated distillation of oil products is employed in base oil analysis, the use of GC/MS should allow easier classification of the hydrocarbon groups present in base oils.