RECENT ADVANCES IN THE SIMULTANEOUS DETERMINATION OF ANIONS AND SILICA IN HIGH-PURITY WATER

It is possible to determine anions and silica in a single injection. However, there are interactions that occur between the anions and silica that are not completely understood. This work provides the data for the hypothesis that the hydronium ion occurring at a suppressor promotes a catalytic formation of silica complexes. Silica forms halogen complexes and uses sulfur as a bridge to form other compounds thereby reducing the amount of free silica, fluoride, chloride and sulfate. This in turn is reflected in the response at the conductivity and visible detectors. This work also provides the data that even when the system is not coupled there still are anion-silica complexes being formed which inhibit complete detection of either the anions or silica separately. The interactions between silica and the anions occur either precolumn or oncolumn with the possible exception of fluoride which coelutes with silica.