An Inert Atmosphere Enclosure for the Preparation of Samples Prior to the Determination of Oxygen

摘要

An inert atmosphere enclosure was assembled by equipping a commercial glove box, constructed from acrylate and methacrylate resin, with a gas puri¬fying and circulating system designed to remove water, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide from the argon atmosphere. Linde Molecular Sieve 5A is used as the desiccant and carbon dioxide trap, and uraninum turnings, heated to 640 °C, serve as a getter. The water and oxygen concentrations are continually monitored, and an atmosphere containing less than 2 ppm of either constituent can be readily maintained while the box is in use;the concentrations decrease slowly when the box is not being used and the glove covers are in place. Nitro¬gen and carbon dioxide also are removed effectively by the purification system. Relative efficiencies of anhydrous magnesium perchlorate and molecular sieve as desiccants, and of heated copper and uranium turnings as getters, were in¬vestigated. A device is (described that prevents atmospheric contamination of samples during transfer from the enclosure to an apparatus for determining oxygen.