Outline of CHN Elementary and CN Environmental Analysis

Abstract

A review on the CHN analysis of organic compounds and the CN environmental analysis is described. The review contains outline of the evolutionary development of elementary analysis, since Gay-Lussac, Dumas and Liebig era until a present slate analysis, with computer controlled, fully automated analyzers. Physical principles of high temperature and low temperature combustions are discussed. Technical foundations on conjunctions of the high temperature combustion with chromatographic separations of the ultimate combustion products of organic samples, is delineated. Commercially available elemental analyzers are compared and their construction and operating principles are described. The basic methods of determination of environmental carbon and nitrogen are discussed. The representative analyzers for environmental carbon and nitrogen analysis are presented and their operating principles are described.