Noncryogenic FSOT column separation of sulfur-containing gases

Fused silica open tubular (FSOT) capillary column GC separations of low molecular weight, reactive sulfur-containing gases (S-gases) are significant improvements over packed column separations in terms of resolution, detection limits, and conditioning effects. Nevertheless, some of the problems with current FSOT capillary systems include matrix Injection incompatibilities; detector dead volumes; the necessity for cryogenic initial oven temperatures to separate CO₂, H₂S, COS, and SO₂; and relatively long analysis times to separate later, closely eluting compounds. A noncryogenic FSOT GC-FPD system that either reduces or eliminates these problems is reported. Baseline separation of seven common S-gases (H₂S-DMDS) is achieved in less than 5 min with ambient initial oven temperatures via this system, which is a combination of (1) a cryogenic sample concentration/injection design that is flow compatible with a wide-bore FSOT column; (2) a combined DB-1/DB-WAX thick phase, wide-bore FSOT column for greater capacity, retention, and tuned selectivity; and (3) a reduced dead volume FPD to minimize peak width and tailing.