In gas chromatography

Some techniques have been described that are based on the concept of flame ionization used in gas chromatography. The results are generally unsatisfactory because it is necessary to evaporate the solvent prior to introducing the mixture into the detector. 

Interest in this method has decreased since advances made in gas chromatography using high-resolution capillary columns (see article 3.3.3.) now enable complete identification by individual chemical component with equipment less expensive than mass spectrometry. 

Table 11.13 McReynolds Constants for Stationary Phases in Gas Chromatography...

Analytical separations may be classified in three ways by the physical state of the mobile phase and stationary phase by the method of contact between the mobile phase and stationary phase or by the chemical or physical mechanism responsible for separating the sample s constituents. The mobile phase is usually a liquid or a gas, and the stationary phase, when present, is a solid or a liquid film coated on a solid surface. Chromatographic techniques are often named by listing the type of mobile phase, followed by the type of stationary phase. Thus, in gas-liquid chromatography the mobile phase is a gas and the stationary phase is a liquid. If only one phase is indicated, as in gas chromatography, it is assumed to be the mobile phase. 

Another approach to improving resolution is to use thin films of stationary phase. Capillary columns used in gas chromatography and the bonded phases commonly used in HPLC provide a significant decrease in plate height due to the reduction of the Hs term in equation 12.27. 

In gas chromatography (GC) the sample, which may be a gas or liquid, is injected into a stream of an inert gaseous mobile phase (often called the carrier gas). The sample is carried through a packed or capillary column where the sample s components separate based on their ability to distribute themselves between the mobile and stationary phases. A schematic diagram of a typical gas chromatograph is shown in Figure 12.16. 

A chromatographic column provides a location for physically retaining the stationary phase. The column s construction also influences the amount of sample that can be handled, the efficiency of the separation, the number of analytes that can be easily separated, and the amount of time required for the separation. Both packed and capillary columns are used in gas chromatography. 

As noted earlier, control of the column s temperature is critical to attaining a good separation in gas chromatography. For this reason the column is located inside a thermostated oven. In an isothermal separation the column is maintained at a constant temperature, the choice of which is dictated by the solutes. Normally, the tern-... 

Despite their importance, gas chromatography and liquid chromatography cannot be used to separate and analyze all types of samples. Gas chromatography, particularly when using capillary columns, provides for rapid separations with excellent resolution. Its application, however, is limited to volatile analytes or those analytes that can be made volatile by a suitable derivatization. Liquid chromatography can be used to separate a wider array of solutes however, the most commonly used detectors (UV, fluorescence, and electrochemical) do not respond as universally as the flame ionization detector commonly used in gas chromatography. 

Ioffe, B. V. Vitenberg, A. G. Head-Space Analysis and Related Methods in Gas Chromatography. Wiley-Interscience New York, 1982. 

J. Drozd, ChemicalDerivati tion in Gas Chromatography, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1980. 

Table 10 shows some typical liquids used for stationary phases in gas chromatography. 

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