A new method of producing oxidized mercury species in the gas phase / 15.06.2022

Researchers Jan Gačnik and dr. Igor Živković together with colleagues from the Department of Environmental Sciences and the Department of Gaseous Electronics of the "Jožef Stefan" Institute and a colleague from Argentina under the leadership of prof. dr. Milena Horvat developed a new method of producing oxidized mercury (Hg) species in the gas phase. 

An article entitled Calibration Approach for Gaseous Oxidized Mercury Based on Nonthermal Plasma Oxidation of Elemental Mercury was featured on the cover of the journal Analytical Chemistry. In the article, the authors showed that Hg in the gas phase can be oxidized to oxidized Hg species by means of nonthermal plasma in the presence of reactive gases. The reproducible and metrologically traceable amounts of oxidized Hg species produced in this way represent a unique solution for calibration of instruments at very low concentrations. The work of the authors will significantly contribute to the comparability and reliability of mercury measurements in the atmosphere in the future.