Fast capillary gas chromatography. Comparison of different approaches

Savings in analysis time in capillary GC have always been an important issue for chromatographers since the introduction of capillary columns by Golay in 1958. In laboratories where gas chromatographic techniques are routinely applied as an analytical technique, every reduction of analysis time, without significant loss of resolution, can be translated into a higher sample throughput and hence reduce the laboratory operating costs. In this contribution, three different approaches for obtaining fast GC separations are investigated. First, a narrow-bore column is used under conventional GC operating conditions. Secondly, the same narrow-bore column is used under typical fast GC conditions. Here, a high oven temperature programming rate is used. The third approach uses a recent new development in GC instrumentation: Flash-2D-GC. Here the column is placed inside a metal tube, which is resistively heated. With this system, a temperature programming rate of 100°/s is possible. The results obtained with each of these three approaches are compared with results obtained on a column with conventional dimensions. This comparison takes retention times as well as plate numbers and resolution into consideration.