Mass spectrometric study of the deterioration of polystyrene-based ion-exchangers.

A mass spectrometric study of the aging effects in polystyrene-based ion-exchangers has been made. Fragments in the m/e range 10-70 were examined and attributed to OH(+), H(2)O(+), CO(+), CO(+)(2), supplemented by SO(+) and SO(+)(2) from sulphonic-acid cation-exchangers. Ion-current intensities were found to be dependent on the state of the resin.