Tips And Tricks For Gas Chromatography

by Emily John Digital Marketing Service Provider

GC can be taken a craft as well as a science, and as with all crafts, knowing insider tips and tricks can prove extremely useful.

Capillary GC is clean GC

Cleanliness is a critical requirement of capillary GC as contamination is the largest source of capillary GC software problems. To avoid contamination you can take some simple steps:

Check your inlet

The inlet is the most common location for contamination so it's important that you check it regularly. A detailed inspection should include checking below the septum, in the glass liner and at the bottom of the inlet.

Keep your detector clean

If you see an increase in noise or noise spikes or a drop in sensitivity, this could indicate that your detector needs to be cleaned. If this is the case you should check your instrument manual for instructions.

Use High Purity Gases

Your capillary chromatography software carrier gas, typically hydrogen, nitrogen or helium, should be high purity. It's important for the carrier gas to be free of O₂ and H₂O as these can contaminate the detector or degrade the stationary phase.

Practice, Practice, Practice!

The more you use your GC the more familiar with it you'll become and the easier it will be for you to diagnose and fix minor issues.

Always be a GC student

Although you can learn the basics of chromatography GC in a day, it can take a lifetime to master so there is always the opportunity to learn something new and improve your techniques.

Online Training

There are several options for online training. There are huge academies that teach and provide demonstrations, webinars, videos, and articles. Instrument vendor websites are also a great source of online training materials.

Take a course

Often when you purchase a new instrument the vendor will offer a training course, this is an opportunity to be seized with both hands as no one else will have a greater level of experience with the instrument and you may discover tips and tricks which are not included in the instrument manual.

Learn from service engineers and technical support

When a service engineer comes to service your instrument doesn't just leave them to it. Watch, learn and ask questions! Service engineers are often aware of techniques that are not included in instrument manuals so they are a great source of untapped knowledge.

Conclusion

The above are just a few tips and tricks to enhance your knowledge of GC software. To get the best result you need to apply on GC.