Real-time control of column switching in multidimensional gas chromatography

In chromatography the separation power expressed in terms of peak capacity can be greatly enhanced by multidimensional techniques. The most important aspect of multidimensional chromatography is the precise location of the heart-cut window. Very often the reliability of this positioning is ensured by applying relatively large heart-cuts; this reduces the intrinsic selectivity offered by the technique. The best way of locating peaks in chromatography is by means of retention indices. This technique can also be used in multidimensional chromatography. A method is described whereby the heartcut window in multidimensional gas chromatography (MDGC) can be defined precisely.