On-line multidimensional supercritical fluid chromatography/capillary gas chromatography

A new analytical technique combining on-line supercritical fluid chromatography with capillary gas chromatography has been developed. The supercritical fluid sample effluent is decompressed through a restrictor directly into a conventional capillary gas chromatographic injection port. This technique allows for not only direct (100%) sample transfer from the supercritical fluid chromatograph to the gas chromatograph but also for selective or multi-step heartcutting of various sample peaks as they elute from the supercritical fluid chromatograph. Heartcut times are determined by monitoring the responses from the flame ionization or ultraviolet absorbance detectors on the supercritical fluid chromatograph. This report describes the operational setup and provides the results of heartcut reproducibility experiments using normal hydrocarbon and aromatic test mixtures. Results from studies where operational parameters were varied, such as GC injector temperature, will also be provided. The potential usefulness of this new technique for selective heartcutting will also be demonstrated using complex hydrocarbon streams.     

Deactivation of small-diameter fused-silica capillary columns for gas and supercritical fluid chromatography

Summary In order to prevent plugging during deactivation of small diameter (50 m i.d.) capillary columns for gas and supercritical fluid chromatography, various high temperature deactivation methods were employed. Pure hexamethyldisilazane and hexamethyldisiloxane (a substitute for D₄) were dynamically coated on the column, while a film (0.05 m) of OV-101 was statically coated, before high temperature (450°C) treatment. Excellent deactivated columns were obtained, and no significant difference in column activity was observed using any of these three methods.Dedicated to Professor S. R. Lipsky on the occasion of his 60th birthday.     

Temperature programming elution in capillary supercritical fluid chromatography

Summary Effects of column temperature on the retention behaviour of aromatic hydrocarbons and dialkyl phthalates were investigated in capillary supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) with carbon dioxide as the mobile phase. Negative temperature programming could partly replace pressure programming. Positive temperature programming was applicable to solutes with proper volatility, in which gas chromatography-like retention mechanism (partition process) was involved.     

Retention in capillary supercritical fluid chromatography

Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) sometimes exhibits GC-like behavior and sometimes LC-like behavior, depending on conditions. However, it is not always clear whether one of these types of behavior, or a combination, operates for a particular set of conditions for every solute in a mixture. For example, some components may be partitioned mostly by their vapor pressures, while others, in the same mixture, are partitioned predominantly by solvent-like properties of the mobile phase. Plots of retetion (as log of the capacity factor) vs. reciprocal temperature at constant pressure reveal a clear change in the character of the separation of well-behaved solutes. A thermodynamic explanation of the observed behavior is given, based on the assumption that partitioning is controlled by the heats of solution of solute in the mobile and stationary phases. A model of SFC retention as it deviates from pure-GC behavior on the same column is presented.     

Current technological challenges in capillary supercritical fluid chromatography

In cases where high efficiency is required to resolve complex mixtures of either thermally labile or nonvolatile organic compounds, capillary supercritical fluid chromatography may be the most desirable analytical method. While great strides in this new technology have been made over the last few years, several problem areas are requiring increased attention. These include sample introduction systems, pressure reduction at the end of the column, column stability in various supercritical mobile phases, and migration of polar solute molecules. This paper describes the state-of-the-art in capillary SFC with emphasis on the progress made and future needs in the solutions to these specific problems.     

Splitless injection in capillary supercritical fluid chromatography

A splitless injection technique, allowing 0.5 μl injections on 50 μm i.d. columns, has been developed.     

Introduction of large sample volumes in capillary supercritical fluid chromatography

A splitless injection method using make-up flow was developed for SFC. Dilution of sample solvent with carbon dioxide mobile phase was very effective for focusing the solutes onto the column. Injection of a 4.5-μl sample volume on a 100-μm i.d. capillary column became possible.     

Qualitative supercritical fluid extraction coupled to capillary gas chromatography

The usefulness and ease of utilizing supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) directly coupled to capillary gas chromatography (GC) as quantitative or qualitative analytical problem-solving tools will be demonstrated. As an alternative to conventional liquid solvent extractions, SFE presents itself as a means to achieve high extraction efficiencies of different compounds in complex solid matrices in very rapid tims frames. Moreover, SFE has an additional advantage of being able to achieve distinct extraction selectivities as a function of the solubilizing power of the supercritical fluid extracting phase. For on-line SFE/GC, the extraction effluent is directly transferred to the analytical chromatograph. On-line SFE/GC involves the decompression of pressurized extraction effluent directly into a heated, unmodified capillary split injection port of the GC. In this respect, SFE introduction into GC can be used as an alternative means of GC injection, comparable to such modes of injection as pyrolysis and thermal desorption. This paper will show applications of SFE/GC where mass spectrometric detection together with flame ionization detection was used for component identification from environmental, tobacco, and petroleum matrices.     

Effect of stationary phase film thickness on efficiency in capillary supercritical fluid chromatography

Fused-silica capillary columns with internal diameters of 50 μm were coated with 0.25 to 1.0 μm films of SE-54 and evaluated under supercritical fluid chromatographic conditions using carbon dioxide as mobile phase. Experimental results compared well with theoretical predictions. There was no significant difference in h_min or ū_opt for film thicknesses from 0.25 to 1.0 μm over k = 1 to 5. At a film thickness of 1.0 μm, calculations indicate that approximately 10% resolution loss would be expected for solutes with k = 1.     

The preparation of immobilized stationary phase fused silica capillary columns with OV-1701-vinyl deactivation

A new simplified method was developed for the preparation of immobilized stationary phase fused silica capillary columns coated with OV-1-vinyl, SE-54, and OV-1701-vinyl. This methodology includes the application of the moderately polar stationary phase OV-1701-vinyl as a surface deactivation agent that may also participate in the dicumyl peroxide initiated free radical immobilization process. Practical details of the procedure are presented and applications of the laboratory-produced columns are illustrated with capillary gas chromatographic separations of standard mixtures. Possible contributions of the OV-1701-vinyl deactivation layer to both crosslinking and surface bonding in the immobilization process are discussed.     

Simultaneous coupling of capillary supercritical fluid chromatography and high temperature glass capillary gas chromatography to a mass spectrometer

The coupling of glass capillary supercritical fluid chromatography to a high temperature GC/MS system via a micrometeradjustable glass capillary interface including an integrated pressure restrictor is described. With this coupling device, both complementary capillary chromatographic methods retain their full independence and flexibility. It is shown that in supercritical fluid chromatography glass fulfils all the requirements of a suitable support material. The preparation of narrow bore glass capillary columns (0.06 mm i.d.), coated with chemically bonded and crosslinked fluids with a film thickness of about 0.6 μm, which exploit the merits of OHterminated polysiloxanes as stationary phases is discussed. The application of glass capillary SFC is demonstrated and compared with examples given in the literature.     

Synthesis of siloxane stationary phases for capillary gas chromatography and supercritical fluid chromatography

A comparison is made between dichlorosilanes and cyclic siloxanes as starting materials in the synthesis of stationary phases for capillary gas chromatography (CGC) and supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). Siloxanes containing one or more of the side groups methyl, vinyl, phenyl, and cyanoethyl in various ratios were synthesized and compared. These phases were characterized by chromatographic (gel permeation, GPC), spectroscopic (IR, ¹H NMR, ²⁹Si NMR), and thermal (DSC) methods. Coated fused silica columns were evaluated with respect to polarity, crosslinkability with several free-radical initiators, and thermal stability. A new liquid phase, 7% cyanoethyl, 7% phenyl, 1% vinyl methyl polysiloxane is shown to be more polar than OV-1701, more temperature stable, easily crosslinked and suitable for use in supercritical fluid chromatography.     

Investigation of parameters affecting the on-line combination of supercritical fluid extraction with capillary gas chromatography

Two different injectors, a split/splitless injector and a programmed temperature vaporizer (PTV) injector were investigated as the interface in on-line supercritical fluid extraction (SFE)-capillary gas chromatography (cGC). The parameters affecting the chromatographic peak shapes as well as the quantitative performance of the interfaces in on-line SFE-cGC were identified and studied. Particular attention was paid to the case where modified extraction fluids were used. Experiments were performed on two different samples. The first sample consisted of PAHs spiked on sand at different concentration levels. The other sample was a polymeric material.     

Effect of column diameter on efficiency in capillary supercritical fluid chromatography

Fused silica capillary columns with internal diameters from 100 to 25 μm were coated with SE-54 and evaluated under supercritical fluid chromatographic conditions using carbon dioxide as mobile phase. Experimental results compared well with theoretical predictions. At ten times the optimum mobile phase velocity and for a capacity factor, k of 3, efficiencies of 2300 to 5600 plates m^?1 were obtained for column diameters of 100 to 25 μm, respectively.