Chapter 4
Instrumental Analysis
4.1 High Performance Chromatography: GC, HPLC
Outlook
Gas chromatography GC and high-performance liquid chromatography HPLC
are fundamental analytical techniques. Here, their technical realization and the
basic parameters for optimizing the chromatographic separation are presented.
However, also restrictions and pitfalls are mentioned.
4.1.1 Gas Chromatography GC
Gas chromatography is one of the by far most important instrumental techniques
used in Organic Geochemistry. Its importance increased especially since a direct
online coupling with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) has been enabled. As already
introduced in Sect. 3.3.1, the basic concept of GC comprises gas as the mobile phase
and a fluid stationary phase. Modern GC systems are able to separate analytes with
an extraordinary separation efficiency and on low concentration levels on the ng-or
even pg-level.
A gas chromatograph, the technical realization of gas chromatography, exhibits a
relatively simple set-up (see Fig. 4.1). It consists mainly of three parts, the injector,
the detector and the main chromatographic component, the column. The column is
placed within an oven. In principal, the analytes are introduced via the injector and
become separated by flowing together with the carrier gas through the column. At
the end of the column, a detector is recording compounds in the effluent qualitatively
and quantitatively.
The core of a GC system is the column. High-performance gas chromatography is
using capillary columns with very narrow diameters and high length (see Fig. 4.2).
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
J. Schwarzbauer, B. Jovančićević, Introduction to Analytical Methods in Organic
Geochemistry, Fundamentals in Organic Geochemistry,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38592-7_4
39
Instrumental Analysis
4.1 High Performance Chromatography: GC, HPLC
Outlook
Gas chromatography GC and high-performance liquid chromatography HPLC
are fundamental analytical techniques. Here, their technical realization and the
basic parameters for optimizing the chromatographic separation are presented.
However, also restrictions and pitfalls are mentioned.
4.1.1 Gas Chromatography GC
Gas chromatography is one of the by far most important instrumental techniques
used in Organic Geochemistry. Its importance increased especially since a direct
online coupling with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) has been enabled. As already
introduced in Sect. 3.3.1, the basic concept of GC comprises gas as the mobile phase
and a fluid stationary phase. Modern GC systems are able to separate analytes with
an extraordinary separation efficiency and on low concentration levels on the ng-or
even pg-level.
A gas chromatograph, the technical realization of gas chromatography, exhibits a
relatively simple set-up (see Fig. 4.1). It consists mainly of three parts, the injector,
the detector and the main chromatographic component, the column. The column is
placed within an oven. In principal, the analytes are introduced via the injector and
become separated by flowing together with the carrier gas through the column. At
the end of the column, a detector is recording compounds in the effluent qualitatively
and quantitatively.
The core of a GC system is the column. High-performance gas chromatography is
using capillary columns with very narrow diameters and high length (see Fig. 4.2).
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
J. Schwarzbauer, B. Jovančićević, Introduction to Analytical Methods in Organic
Geochemistry, Fundamentals in Organic Geochemistry,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38592-7_4
39