Abstract: A process is provided for purifying liquid tungsten hexafluoride containing volatile and non-volatile impurities. The process comprises the steps of evaporating tungsten hexafluoride from non-volatile impurities dissolved in liquid tungsten hexafluoride and condensing the evaporated tungsten hexafluoride. The condensed tungsten hexafluoride is subjected to freezing to solidify the tungsten hexafluoride. Volatile impurities are then evacuated from the solid tungsten hexafluoride. Thereafter, the solid tungsten hexafluoride is thawed to liquid tungsten hexafluoride to release trapped volatile impurities and then heated to a temperature above the boiling point of tungsten hexafluoride under pressure in a closed container. The volatile impurities dissolved in the thawed tungsten hexafluoride are removed and collected above the thawed tungsten hexafluoride and vented into an evacuated space.

Abstract: A torch device is provided for use in preparing a sample of a gas or vapor for analysis by an analyzer. The torch device is comprised of an elongated cylindrical body with an inductively coupled plasma generating device located at its output or forward section. The torch includes a first tubular element for separately feeding a sample of reactive gas or vapor into a mixing chamber located rearward of said plasma generating means, a second tubular element for separately feeding a nabulizer flow of a plasma gas and including water or solvent vapor or aerosol thereof into the mixing chamber to thereby mix with said sample, and a third tubular element for maintaining a first sheath of plasma gas concentrically about the sample mixture as it enters the plasma generating device for dissociation therein by a plasma flame, including a fourth tubular element for maintaining a second sheath of plasma gas around the first sheath as a coolant prior to introduction of ions formed by dissociation into the analyzer.