Modulation in comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography: 20 years of innovation

With almost 20 years having passed since John B. Phillips described the first comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC) separation, much has occurred in this ever-expanding field of separation science. GC × GC is currently one of the most effective techniques for the separation and analysis of complex mixtures, offering significantly greater peak capacities than conventional chromatographic methods. The technique is generally based upon separations performed on two chromatographic columns characterized by considerably different selectivities, joined together through a modulating interface. The modulator periodically traps or samples the primary column effluent, usually refocuses it into a narrow chromatographic band and injects the focused fraction into the secondary column. The modulator is often referred to as the ‘heart’ of the instrument, since a GC × GC separation is impossible without its use. This article reviews major innovations in GC × GC modulator development since its first use by Phillips in 1991. Emphasis has been placed on modulator design and function.     

全二维气相色谱在食品风味化学成分分析中的应用

食品风味是评价食品品质特征的重要指标。食品风味物质分析通常采用一维气相色谱或气相色谱-质谱联用法,但由于某些食品风味成分组成和基质复杂,无法用一维气相色谱将其完全分离。全二维气相色谱将分离机理不同而又相互独立的两根色谱柱以正交方式组合,显著提升了色谱分离能力和分析速度,可满足食品中风味化学成分的二次分离。该文综述了全二维气相色谱技术在未经二次加工的食用农产品(如水果、蔬菜和肉类)和经过二次加工的食品(如乳制品、饮品和调味品)中风味化学成分分析中的应用,展现了全二维气相色谱技术的特点,并为食品风味的解析提供参考。     

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography applied to illicit drug analysis

Multidimensional gas chromatography (MDGC), and especially its latest incarnation—comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC)—have proved advantageous over and above classic one-dimensional gas chromatography (1D GC) in many areas of analysis by offering improved peak capacity, often enhanced sensitivity and, especially in the case of GC × GC, the unique feature of ‘structured’ chromatograms. This article reviews recent advances in MDGC and GC × GC in drug analysis with special focus on ecstasy, heroin and cocaine profiling. Although 1D GC is still the method of choice for drug profiling in most laboratories because of its simplicity and instrument availability, GC × GC is a tempting proposition for this purpose because of its ability to generate a higher net information content. Effluent refocusing due to the modulation (compression) process, combined with the separation on two ‘orthogonal’ columns, results in more components being well resolved and therefore being analytically and statistically useful to the profile. The spread of the components in the two-dimensional plots is strongly dependent on the extent of retention ‘orthogonality’ (i.e. the extent to which the two phases possess different or independent retention mechanisms towards sample constituents) between the two columns. The benefits of ‘information-driven’ drug profiling, where more points of reference are usually required for sample differentiation, are discussed. In addition, several limitations in application of MDGC in drug profiling, including data acquisition rate, column temperature limit, column phase orthogonality and chiral separation, are considered and discussed. Although the review focuses on the articles published in the last decade, a brief chronological preview of the profiling methods used throughout the last three decades is given.     

Rapid and quantitative extraction and analysis of trace organics using directly coupled SFE-GC

Supercritical fluid extraction can be coupled with capillary gas chromatography (SFE-GC) using commercially-available on-column or split/splitless injection ports. While liquid solvent extractions require several hours or even days to perform, SFC-GC analyses can be completed in ≤ 1 hour including extraction, analyte concentration, and GC separation. SFE-GC yields chromatographic peak shapes that compare favorably with those obtained using conventional liquid solvent injections. Quantitative extraction and recovery of analytes is usually achieved in 10 minutes, and maximum sensitivity is obtained since the extracted analytes can be quantitatively transferred into the GC column for cryogenic focusing prior to GC analysis. SFE-GC analysis of a variety of organic pollutants from environmental solids and sorbent resins, and flavor and fragrance compounds from food products will be discussed.     

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry detection: analysis of amino acid and organic acid trimethylsilyl derivatives, with application to the analysis of metabolites in rye grass samples

First, standard mixtures of trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives of amino acid and organic acid are analyzed by comprehensive two-dimensional (2D) gas chromatography (GC) coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC/TOFMS) in order to illustrate important issues regarding application of the technique. Specifically of interest is the extent to which the peak capacity of the 2D separation space has been utilized and the procedure by which the derivative standards are identified in the 2D separations using the mass spectral information. The resulting 2D separation is found to make extensive use of the GC × GC separation space provided by the complementary stationary phases employed.Second, in order to demonstrate GC × GC/TOFMS on two real sample types, trimethylsilyl metabolite derivatives were analyzed from extracts of common lawn grass samples (i.e., perennial rye grass), as a means to provide insight into both the pre and post harvest physiology. Various chemical components in the two rye grass extract samples were found to either emerge or disappear in relation to the trauma response. For example, a significant difference in the peak for the TMS derivative of malic acid was found. The successful analysis of various components was readily facilitated by the 2D separation, while a 1D separation would have produced too much peak overlap, thus impeding the analysis. The importance of using a GC × GC separation approach for the analysis of complex samples, such as metabolite extracts, is therefore demonstrated. The real-time analysis capability of GC × GC/TOFMS for multidimensional metabolite analysis makes this technique well suited to the high-throughput analysis of metabolomic samples, especially compared to slower, stopped-flow type separation approaches.     

Evaluation of two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry for the determination of multiple pesticide residues in fruit

In recent years, comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC x GC) has attained increasing attention for its outstanding separation potential and capability to solve demanding analytical tasks. Trace level analysis of pesticides residues in complex food matrices represents such a demanding task. For some commodities, such as baby food, the requirements on method detection limits are very strict and the unambiguous confirmation of the pesticide presence based on mass spectrometric detection is required. In this work, GC x GC coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF MS) has been evaluated for the determination of pesticides residues in fruit samples. Twenty modern pesticides with a broad range of physico-chemical properties were analysed in apple and peach samples. It has been demonstrated that the application of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography brings distinct advantages such as enhanced separation of target pesticides from matrix co-extracts as well as their improved detectability. The limits of detection of the pesticides comprised in the study (determined at S/N = 5) ranged from 0.2 to 30 pg, injected with the exception of the last eluted deltamethrin, for which 100 pg could be detected. When compared to one-dimentional GC-TOF MS analysis under essentially the same conditions the detectability enhancement was 1.5-50-fold. Full mass spectral information by time-of-flight mass spectrometry and the deconvolution capability of the dedicated software allowed for reliable identification of most pesticides at levels below 0.01 mg/kg (< 10 pg injected) in fruit. Performance characteristics of the GC x GC-TOF MS method, such as linearity of calibration curves, repeatability of (summed) peak areas, as well as repeatability of first and second dimension retention times, were shown to fully satisfy the requirements for trace level analysis of the pesticide residues in food.     

Comparison of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the analysis of tobacco essential oils

A sample of tobacco essential oil was analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to a time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC/TOFMS), respectively. In the GC/MS analysis, serially coupled columns were used. By comparing the GC/MS results with GC × GC/TOFMS results, many more components in the essential oil could be found within the two-dimensional separation space of GC × GC. The quantitative determination of components in the essential oil was performed by GC × GC with flame ionization detection (FID), using a method of multiple internal standards calibration.     

全二维气相色谱分析持久性有机污染物的应用进展

持久性有机污染物（POPs）组分复杂,在自然界中超痕量存在,其分离分析十分困难。全二维气相色谱（GC×GC）作为一种新型色谱技术,与传统的一维气相色谱相比,具有峰容量大、分辨率和灵敏度高等优势,越来越广泛地应用于环境有机污染物的分析。该文综述了近十年来全二维气相色谱在持久性有机污染物分析中的应用进展,主要包括全二维气相色谱在解决一些复杂POPs定性定量分析难题方面的应用,如二恶英、毒杀芬和短链氯化石蜡等;概述了全二维气相色谱对多种POPs同时定性定量分析的应用进展;讨论了全二维气相色谱在非目标有机污染物筛查分析中的应用,并对发展趋势及相关应用前景进行了总结展望。     

Gas chromatography with ballistic heating and ultrafast cooling of column

An overview of the existing methods for minimization of the analysis time in gas chromatography (GC) is presented and a new system for fast temperature programming and very fast cooling down is evaluated. In this study, a system of coaxial tubes, a heating/cooling module (HC-M), was developed and studied with a capillary column placed inside the HC-M. The module itself was heated by a GC oven and cooled down by an external cooling medium. The HC-M was heated at rates of up to 330 °C min⁻¹ and cooled at the rate of 6000 °C min⁻¹. The GC system was prepared for the next run within a few seconds. The HC-M permits good separation reproducibility, comparable with that of a conventional GC, expressed in terms of relative retention times and peak areas of analytes reproducibilities. The HC-M can be used within any commercial gas chromatograph.     

Isocratic Separation of Some Food Additives by Reversed Phase Liquid Chromatography

In recent years, concern about food safety has been growing. The use of food additives in different countries is limited by specific regulations. Therefore, analytical methods that simultaneously determine artificial sweeteners and preservatives are advantageous. High performance liquid chromatography has been the most popular choice for the determination of food additives. In this study, reversed-phase liquid chromatography was developed for the separation of α-aspartame, sodium saccharin, acesulfame-K, vanillin, sorbic acid and benzoic acid. The effects of the proportion of the organic modifier on the chromatographic separation were investigated in order to separate these additives. The results showed that optimum chromatographic separation for these compounds takes place when the acetonitrile content in the mobile phase was 15% containing ammonium acetate buffer (0.005 M). It was concluded that the best separation was obtained with YMC-ODS pack column by using this mobile phase at pH 4.0. All additives were separated within 40 min. The RP-HPLC-UV method was validated in terms of LOD/LOQ, linearity, recovery and repeatability. This method was used for the determination of α-aspartame, acesulfame-K and benzoic acid in cola and instant powder drinks.     

Application of headspace solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to determine short-chain alkane monocarboxylic acids in aqueous samples

In this study, a procedure was developed to determine short-chain alkane monocarboxylic acids (SCMAs) in aqueous samples using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by gas chromatography (GC) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS). A Stabilwax-DA capillary column (30 m × 0.32-mm inner diameter, 0.50-μm film thickness) was used for GC separation and a 60-μm poly(ethylene glycol) fiber was used to isolate SCMAs from water and introduce them into the gas chromatograph. Parameters of HS-SPME, analyte desorption, and GC-MS analysis were selected and an analytical procedure was proposed. Limits of quantitation were on the order of about 0.2 mg L^-1. As an example of the application of the procedure, SCAMs were determined in municipal wastewater at different steps of treatment.     

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometric detection applied to the determination of pesticides in food extracts

The separation provided by conventional gas chromatography (1D-GC) can be significantly enhanced by using comprehensive two-dimensional GC (GC X GC) instead. Combination with mass spectrometric detection is desirable for unambiguous confirmation of target compounds and the provisional identification of unknowns. A GC X GC system using a cryogenic modulator was coupled to a time-of-flight mass spectrometric (TOF MS) detector. With the determination of pesticides in vegetable extracts as an example, it was demonstrated that GC X GC improves the separation dramatically. All 58 pesticides of interest could be identified using their full-scan mass spectra, which was not possible when using ID-GC-TOF MS. In addition, the high scan speed of the TOF MS allowed the deconvolution of compounds partly co-eluting in GC X GC.     

MLC Determination of Preservatives in Cranberry Foodstuffs

Optimized conditions for the determination of 14 food preservatives were selected by using interpretative optimization strategy and Derringer’s desirability function for combining three main chromatographic goals: resolution, separation time and ruggedness. The best mobile phase for separation by micellar liquid chromatography contains 0.045 M SDS and 1.0% (v/v) 1-pentanol at pH 2.5 adjusted with trichloroacetic acid. The accuracy of the method was confirmed by analysis of spiked samples and is useful for routine analysis of food preservatives in drinks due to simple sample preparation, safety and low cost of micellar mobile phases. Presented in part by A.P. Boichenko at the 4th Black Sea Basin Conference on Analytical Chemistry, 19–23 September, 2007, Sunny Beach, Bulgaria.     

Hybridation of different chiral separation techniques with ICP-MS detection for the separation and determination of selenomethionine enantiomers: chiral speciation of selenized yeast

Enantioseparation and determination of selenomethionine enantiomers in selenized yeast was investigated using chiral separation techniques based on different principles, coupled on-line to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for selenium-specific detection. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on a beta-cyclodestrin (beta-CD) column, cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography (CD-MEKC), gas chromatography (GC) on a Chirasil-L-Val column, and HPLC on a Chirobiotic T column have been investigated as the chiral separation techniques. For HPLC separation on the beta-CD column, and also for CD-MEKC, selenomethionine enantiomers were derivatized with NDA/CN(-). For chiral separation by GC, selenomethionine enantiomers were converted into their N-trifluoroacetyl (TFA)-O-alkyl esters. The developed hybridation methodologies are compared with respect to enantioselectivity, sensitivity and analysis time. The usefulness of the best-suited method [HPLC (Chirobiotic T)-ICP-MS] was demonstrated by its application to the successful chiral speciation of selenium and D-and L-selenomethionine content determination in selenized yeast.     

Simulation and Evaluation of the Silicon-Micromachined Columns for Gas Chromatography

In this paper, the impact of airflow velocity and pressure in the two popular configuration gas chromatography (GC) column channels (the serpentine channel and the spiral channel) was simulated and evaluated using ANSYS dynamic analysis. The simulated result of airflow velocity and pressure distribution in the Gas chromatography (GC) channel shows that the impact in the spiral channel corner is smaller than that in the serpentine channel corner. So, the spiral channel columns were fabricated based on the MEMS technology and the stationary phase OV‐1 was coated using a dynamic procedure. The separation performance of the 3 m non‐polar GC column shows perfect separation efficiency for the non‐polar components, the microfabricated GC column yields 7100 theoretical plate, and the analysis time is less than 200 s.     

禁用偶氮染料检测中假阳性结果的鉴别方法

全面比较了薄层色谱法、握相色谱法、液相色谱法（ＨＰＬＣ）、气相色谱－质谱联用法（ＧＣ／ＭＳ）在禁用偶氮染料检测中的优缺点。分析实际检测中假阳性结果产生的原因,研究了８种致癌芳香胺的１９种异构体在气相色谱和订色谱上的分离情况,提出取ＧＣ／ＭＳ和ＨＰＬＣ互为确证手段的阳性结果鉴别方法,可有效提高定性结果和准确性,避免假阳性结果。     

Comparison of differential mobility spectrometry and mass spectrometry for gas chromatographic detection of ignitable liquids from fire debris using projected difference resolution

The significance of forensic arson analysis accelerates the applications of new technologies in this area. Based on the previously reported application of differential mobility spectrometry (DMS) as a detection method for gas chromatography (GC) in arson analysis, the performances of DMS and mass spectrometry (MS) were compared using a novel chemometric tool, projected difference resolutions (PDRs). The PDR results show that one-way mass spectra data exhibit higher resolution than DMS data, while total ion chromatograms from GC–DMS show higher resolution than that from GC/MS for differentiating seven kinds of ignitable liquids. Combining the information from both chromatography and spectra, two-way data always have higher resolution than one-way data for these two detection methods, and GC/MS would exhibit better performance than GC–DMS according to the minimum resolution value. To verify the PDR results, a fuzzy rule-building expert system was applied for classifying these seven kinds of ignitable liquids from fire debris based on GC–DMS and GC/MS data, respectively. The prediction accuracies were consistent with PDR results, which proved that PDR is a powerful tool in comparing the performances of different analysis methods for pattern recognition. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Determination of multiclass pesticides in food commodities by pressurized liquid extraction using GC–MS/MS and LC–MS/MS

Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) was applied to the simultaneous extraction of a wide range of pesticides from food commodities. Extractions were performed by mixing 4 g of sample with 4 g of Hydromatrix and (after optimization) a mixture of ethyl acetate:acetone (3:1, v/v) as extraction solvent, a temperature of 100°C, a pressure of 1000 psi and a static extraction time of 5 min. After extraction, the more polar compounds were analyzed by liquid chromatography (LC), and the apolar and semipolar pesticides by gas chromatography (GC); in both cases LC and GC were coupled with mass spectrometry in tandem (MS/MS) mode. The overall method (including the PLE step) was validated in GC and LC according to the criteria of the SANCO Document of the European Commission. The average extraction recoveries (at two concentration levels) for most of the analytes were in the range 70–80%, with precision values usually lower than 15%. Limits of quantification (LOQ) were low enough to determine the pesticide residues at concentrations below or equal to the maximum residue levels (MRL) specified by legislation. In order to assess its applicability to the analysis of real samples, aliquots of 15 vegetable samples were processed using a conventional extraction method with dichloromethane, and the results obtained were compared with the proposed PLE method; differences lower than 0.01 mg kg⁻¹ were found.     

Application of Comprehensive Two‐Dimensional Gas Chromatography (GC×GC) to the Qualitative Analysis of Essential Oils

This paper investigates the separation of moderately complex samples by comprehensive two‐dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC). The analysis of peppermint (Mentha piperita) and spearmint (Mentha spicata) essential oil components, including acetates, alcohols, furans, ketones, sesquiterpenes, and terpenes, was achieved by one‐dimensional gas chromatography with quadrupole mass spectrometry detection (GC/MSD) and GC×GC with flame ionization detection. Peppermint essential oil was found to contain 89 identifiable peaks by GC×GC compared to 30 peaks in the GC/MSD chromatogram. Likewise, 68 peaks were found in the GC×GC chromatogram of spearmint (compared to 28 in GC/MSD). Plots of the first dimension versus second dimension retention times provided a fingerprint of the two essential oils, which revealed 52 similar compounds between the two essential oils as opposed to 18 matches by 1D GC.