Retention of organic compounds in capillary gas chromatography using humid carrier gases

The influence of humid carrier gases (nitrogen and carbon dioxide) on the retention of polar compounds in a capillary column with polypropylcyanophenylsiloxane stationary liquid phase OV-225 was studied. It is noted that when humid carbon dioxide is used as the carrier gas, the retention of primary amines sharply increases. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 6, pp. 1129–1131, June, 1999.     

Analysis of trace components in gases by gas chromatography

Summary Relationships are derived describing how the detection limit of a chromatographic system depends on the minimum detectable limit of the detector and the chromatographic parameters such as column length, efficiency, carrier gas flow rate and the capacity factor. Performance data of detectors developed in the last 25 years at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences are given and a few selected application examples are listed. These include trace analysis by preconcentration and by direct analysis and the utilization of multidimensional gas chromatography with two columns, two detectors, a 12-port valve, and a catalytic conversion reactor.     

Water vapor as a carrier gas in capillary gas chromatography

The use of water vapor as carrier gas in capillary chromatography is analyzed. Under equivalent conditions, a comparison of water vapor and helium as a mobile phase was performed during the separation of diesel fuel components. The advantage of water vapor was demonstrated. The resolutions of peaks were calculated for a pair of substances, C₁₈-iso and C₂₀ (4.4 for water vapor and 3.9 for helium). The Van Deemter dependences were measured, and it was demonstrated that the substantially lower viscosity of the water vapor compared to helium makes it possible to perform the separation of substances in a broader range of linear velocities, comparable to hydrogen used as mobile phase. The prospects for using water vapor was demonstrated in chromatographic analysis of hydrocarbons.     

Capillary gas chromatography of amines with ammonia as carrier gas

The use of ammonia as a carrier gas for the chromatography of aliphatic and aromatic amines has been investigated. As compared to nitrogen, ammonia gave drastically improved peak symmetry and lower capacity factors (k′) for primary and secondary amines on polar (Polyethylene glycol) and medium Polar (methylphenylcyanopropylsilicone) stationary Phases. The effect of ammonia was more Pronounced at low column temperatures. Considerably better detection limits of primary and secondary amines were obtained with ammonia as carrier gas than with nitrogen. No detrimental effects of using ammonia were observed on the gas chromatograph or on the columns over a period of about one year.     

Viscosities of carrier gases at gas chromatograph temperatures and pressures

Summary Equations are derived for viscosities of H₂, He, N₂ and Ar for use at chromatographic temperatures which are accurate to within 0.3% for H₂, and 0.1% for the other gases. The effect of pressure is usually negligible but may increase the viscosity of N₂ or Ar by as much as 0.5% at 25°C or lower and 5 atm or higher.     

Ammonia as carrier gas in capillary gas-liquid chromatography.

Influence of helium and ammonia as carrier gases on retention of neutral solutes on polyethylene glycol has been studied theoretically and experimentally. It was shown that the influence of ammonia on the retention varied significantly depending on the solute's nature. For example, the influence is great for C22 n-alkane and it is small for phenol. Taking into account the results obtained by various researchers it makes sense to express an opinion on the expediency of development of gas chromatography operated under the conditions of acidic-basic chromatography.     

Improvements in preconcentration methods for determining trace impurities in ultra-pure gases by gas chromatography

Summary The blanks in preconcentration methods for determining trace amounts of impurities in ultra-pure gases, which include the preconcentration volume of sample gases, carrier gas impurities and atmospheric contamination are discussed and three concentration methods for eliminating blank errors are proposed. These are, the differential volume method by concentrating at the same flow-rate but different times (DVMSF), the differential time method by concentrating the same volumes at different flow-rates (DTMSV) and the differential volume method by concentrating for the same times but different flow-rates (DVMST). DVMST is proposed as the best method for its ability to eliminate all blank errors described. The methods are used to determine trace amounts of Ar+O₂ and N₂ in ultra-pure hydrogen. Calculations demonstrate that the methods can effectively improve analytical accuracy.     

Solubility of some carrier gases in stationary liquid phases used in gas-liquid chromatography

A simple gas chromatographic technique for the determination of the solubility of gases in low-volatile liquids was proposed. The procedure is based on the introduction of a certain volume of the liquid saturated with the gas at atmospheric pressure into a gas chromatograph. The solubility of carrier gases (helium, hydrogen, nitrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide) in various stationary liquid phases (SLP), such as pentadecane, polydimethylsiloxane PMS-100, and polyethylene glycol PEG-600, was studied. The carrier gases studied can be arranged in the following series by solubility in SLP: He<H₂<N₂<CH₄<CO₂. This order coincides with the series reflecting change in the retention values in GLC for different carrier gases. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 923–925, May, 1999.     

Ammonia as a carrier gas for acidic-basic chromatography

The influence of ammonia as a basic carrier gas on the retention of acidic and basic solutes was experimentally studied. Use of the basic carrier gas (ammonia) leads to an increase in retention of acidic solutes. A simplified theory on the influence of carrier gas basicity influence on the retention of acidic and basic solutes was developed. Contact of an inert gas with ammonia water at ambient temperature can be used to obtain basic humid carrier gas and to improve the chromatographic characteristics of amine's zones.     

Flow of the carrier gas in open-tubular capillary columns in temperature-programmed gas chromatography

A second-order non-linear partial different equation was derived to describe the dependence of carrier gas pressure in the column on the column distance and the time under temperature programmed conditions. This equation was solved numerically by the modified finite difference method for various column parameters. Constant inlet and outlet pressures were used as boundary conditions. The retention times calculated on assumption of a constant pressure profile along the column. Significant differences between retention times of corresponding solutes calculated by the two methods were found, especially when relatively long columns(L>50m) with small internal diameter(d<0.3mm)and high temperature program rates (r>5°/min)are used.     

Analysis of amine compounds by capillary gas chromatography using ammonia–helium carrier gas

The use of 10%, 1%, and 0.1% ammonia in helium as carrier gas was investigated as a means of improving poor chromatographic peak shape often associated with low level determinations of amine compounds using thin film capillary columns. The 1% ammonia in helium was found suitable for improving the peak shape of sterically unhindered amine compounds, such as urethane and certain aliphatic primary amines, during gas chromatographic analysis on thin film columns. There was a negligible effect on the peak tailing arising on thick film columns. The 0.1% ammonia in helium was suitable, but not as efficient as the 1% ammonia in helium, in eliminating the peak tailing associated with low level analysis of amine compounds. The signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio improved from < 1 using helium carrier gas to 20–25 (for certain test amine compounds) using 1% ammonia in carrier gas. The 10% ammonia in helium carrier gas had an effect on the chromatographic performance similar to that of the 1% ammonia in helium, but the baseline level was very high and this mixture was not used in further studies.     

Programming of temperature and flow rate of carrier gas in work with polycapillary columns for gas-liquid chromatography

Methods of programming temperature and flow rate of carrier gas for to reducing the time of analyte separation on polycapillary columns (PCC) are compared. As was shown, the programming of temperature is accompanied by a change of peak shape, associated with the irregular heating of PCC capillaries. The programming of carrier gas flow rate does not distort the shape of chromatography peaks and does not require long time to return the system to the starting conditions.     

Determination of trace amounts of permanent gases in ultra pure hydrogen by gas chromatography

Summary A HP-5880A gas Chromatograph equipped with TCD and FID has been used to determine trace amounts of O₂+Ar, N₂, CO, CH₄ and CO₂ in pure and ultra pure hydrogen. Utilizing the preconcentration technique, the minimum detectability with a 10-liter sample is around 0.2 ppb (v/v) for O₂+Ar, 0.4 ppb (v/v) for N₂, 0.05 ppb (v/v) for CO, 0.2 ppb (v/v) for CH₄ and 0.3 ppb (v/v) for CO₂. Calculation of results in trace gas analysis is discussed and a calculation method is proposed for the concentration of impurities in the sample calculated from the difference of successive sampling volumes and peak areas.

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Spurenbestimmung von permanenten Gasen in hochreinem Wasserstoff mit Hilfe der Gas-Chromatographie

     

Flux of gases across the air-water interface studied by reversed-flow gas chromatography.

In the present work the reversed-flow gas chromatographic technique was applied for the study of flux of gases across the air-water interface. The model system was vinyl chloride-water, which is of great significance in food and environmental chemistry. Using suitable mathematical analysis, equations were derived by means of which the following physicochemical quantities were calculated: diffusion coefficient of vinyl chloride (VC) into water, partition coefficient of VC between the water (at the interface and the bulk) and the carrier gas nitrogen, overall mass transfer coefficients of VC in the gas (nitrogen) and the liquid (water), gas and liquid film transfer coefficients of VC, gas and liquid phase resistances for the transfer of VC into the water, and finally the thickness of the stagnant film in the liquid phase, according to the two-film theory of Whitman. From the variation of the above parameters with temperature, as well as the volume and the free surface area of the water, useful conclusions concerning the mechanism for the transfer of VC into water were extracted. These are discussed in comparison with the same parameters calculated from empirical equations or determined experimentally by other techniques.     

Analysis of atmospheric sulfur gases by capillary gas chromatography with atomic emission detection

The atomic emission detector (AED) has been found to be a sensitive and selective instrument for analysis of atmospheric sulfur gases by capillary gas chromatography. It was possible to determine atmospheric dimethyl sulfide at concentrations below 0.3 nmol/m³ typical of the remote marine environment in winter. Sample analyses from the Australian Baseline Air Pollution Station, Cape Grim, are used to illustrate this. In comparison with other sulfur-specific detectors previously used for this work, the AED has been found to exhibit the best combination of specificity and sensitivity. A configuration comprising a series of valves, gas calibration loops, and a cryogenic trap prior to the GC-AED was used for sample analysis. Standard addition of sulfur hexafluoride was found to assist determination of carbonyl sulfide, as it could be used to take into account the magnitude of signal quenching from coeluting gases. The AED was also found to be a selective detector for the direct injection of water-soluble dimethyl sulfide oxidation products.