Quasi-Stop-Flow Modulation Strategy for Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography.

Abstract

An easy-to-implement strategy of differential flow modulation for comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography was innovated. With this approach, an independent auxiliary pneumatic control device for flow modulation was not a prerequisite. The strategy involved splitting the carrier gas stream into two separate streams before reaching the inlet embodiment. One stream was employed as a mobile phase for chromatographic separation. The other stream, for flow modulation, was routed to one of the ports of a three-way solenoid valve. The modulation stream flowed onward to a fluidic path and a T-junction that joined the primary and secondary dimension columns. With this arrangement and depending on the configuration of the three-port valve, the analytical platform can be operated in three different modes: bypass stop-flow, vent stop-flow, and quasi-stop flow. Quasi-stop-flow mode was demonstrated to have a significantly better chromatographic performance, as demonstrated in various types of real-life petroleum samples such as gasoline and light cycle oil. In the light cycle oil sample, a respectable separation between compound classes was achieved with peak width at half height of 34 ms or less for alkanes on a second dimension with polyethylene glycol stationary phase. Excellent repeatability was shown with normal alkanes standards of nC8-nC25. Relative standard deviations for retention times are almost zero in 1D, less than 0.2% in 2D, and less than 3.5% for peak areas (n = 9).