Supercritical fluid extraction / capillary supercritical fluid chromatography / Fourier transform infrared microspectrometry of polycyclic aromatic compounds in a coal tar pitch

The combination of supercritical fluid extraction, high resolution capillary supercritical fluid chromatography, and Fourier transform infrared microspectrometry is described for the separation and identification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a coal tar pitch. The variable solvating power of the supercritical fluid was utilized to selectively fractionate the sample. The fluid extract was decompressed through a frit restrictor into the sample cavity of a cooled microvalve injector, where the analytes were deposited and concentrated for subsequent chromatographic analysis. Several of the analytes separated in the chromatograph were collected on a potassium bromide disc at a solvent elimination inter-face for subsequent infrared analysis involving the use of an infra-red microscope accessory. The spectra obtained show the power of this detection technique for distinguishing between isomers.