Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy study of tert-butylarsine stability and purification

We have used gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GCMS) to study the decom position of TEA (tert-butylarsine, H2AsC(CH3)(3)) in storage containers at room temperature. Over a four-week period, as much as 1% of the TEA decompo sed to arsine and isobutane in a stainless-steel bottle, Several freeze-tha w purification schemes were tested. Use of a liquid-nitrogen bath left a su bstantial amount of arsine and isobutane in the bottle, while an ice water bath removed all of the arsine but left residual isobutane, Evacuation of t he storage container at room temperature removed both arsine and isobutane: to below the GCMS detection limits. However, this approach did lead to sig nificant TEA loss. Storing TEA in a Teflon-lined bottle and in a high-surfa ce-to-volume stainless-steel container did not change the decomposition rat e measurably, suggesting that stainless-steel surfaces do not promote TEA d ecomposition. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserv ed.