Solvent rinse kit

One solution is to replace the column, but a less expensive approach is to attempt to clean the column. Baking is one approach that removes some forms of contamination, but also shortens the column life because it removes some of the stationary phase. A solvent rinse is the most effective means of cleaning a bonded or cross-linked phase column. Solvent rinse kits are available with instructions from most column manufacturers. The procedure involves forcing solvents through the GC column, usually in the following order—water, methanol, methylene chloride, and hexane—using 10-15 psi back pressure. 

FIGURE 3.60 Schematic diagram of a solvent rinse kit (illustration courtesy of Walter Jennings, consultant). 

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