Ion-exchange chromatographic analysis of peroxynitric acid (O2NOOH) was performed by combining an acidic eluate with an UV-vis detector and immersing the separation column in an ice-water bath. The decomposition behavior of peroxynitric acid in the solution was also studied using this system. The fraction for the peroxynitric acid peak was collected. Ion-exchange chromatographic analysis of this fraction, after standing at room temperature for 24h, showed that the decomposition products were mainly nitrate ions with a very small amount of nitrous acid. The peroxynitric acid peak area correlated perfectly with the total amount of decomposition products. The ion-exchange chromatographic isolation allowed us to evaluate the molar extinction coefficient of peroxynitric acid precisely in a wider wavelength range than previous reports. The value decreases monotonically from 1729±26M(-1)cm(-1) at 200nm to 12.0±0.5M(-1)cm(-1) at 290nm.
Chromatography, Ion Exchange Nitrates