The evolution of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC x GC)

For a technology little over a decade old, comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC x GC) has quickly reached the status of one of the most powerful analytical tools for volatile organic compounds. At the heart of any GC x GC system is an interface, which physically connects the primary and the secondary columns and acts to preserve the separation obtained in the first dimension (first column) while allowing additional separation in the second dimension. The paper presents a review of the technology, including fundamental principles of the technique, data processing and interpretation and a timeline of inventive contributions to interface design. In addition, applications of the technique are presented, with a more detailed discussion of selected examples.     

New liquid nitrogen cryogenic modulator for comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography

A new liquid nitrogen (LN2) jet-based thermal modulator for performing comprehensive two-dimensional (2D) gas chromatographic (GC x GC) separations has been designed and constructed. Temperature measurements of the trapping zone, a segment of uncoated fused silica capillary, show that it can be cooled to -196 degrees C in about 300 ms. A film of liquid nitrogen develops on the outside of the trapping capillary even when the oven temperature is in excess of 200 degrees C. Compounds as volatile as propane can be trapped by the modulator and held for periods of at least 1 min without breakthrough. The peak widths for n-alkanes are on the order of 80 ms at half height after passing through an 80cm second dimension column. Repeated analysis of gasoline demonstrated excellent run-to-run reproducibility of the system.