Patent ID: 7179422

Claim:
An apparatus for detection of carbon monoxide, comprising: a) a pipe for feeding a gas feed stream mixture containing carbon monoxide; b) a quartz tube containing one or more beds of a catalyst, said gas feed stream mixture being directed through said quartz tube so as to eliminate or substantially reduce said carbon monoxide and to produce a reference gas; c) an instrument being capable of making periodic zero point reference measurements; and d) a valve for periodically directing said reference gas through said instrument and directing through a bypass not containing said catalyst and through said instrument a sample of a gas to be tested for said carbon monoxide, said valve being arranged so that substantially no gas flows through said quartz tube when said sample of gas to be tested is directed through said bypass, and so that substantially no gas flows through said bypass when said sample of gas to be tested is directed through said quartz tube; wherein said catalyst comprises particles of gold deposited on inorganic oxides or on inorganic hydroxides or on a combination of said oxides and hydroxides; and wherein said catalyst comprises about 11.6 percent by weight of gold and about 88.4 percent by weight of manganese oxide.