Flow Field Thermal Gradient Gas Chromatography

Negative temperature gradients along the gas chromatographic separation column can maximize the separation capabilities for gas chromatography by peak focusing and also lead to lower elution temperatures. Unfortunately, so far a smooth thermal gradient over a several meters long separation column could only be realized by costly and complicated manual setups. Here we describe a simple, yet flexible method for the generation of negative thermal gradients using standard and easily exchangeable separation columns. The measurements made with a first prototype reveal promising new properties of the optimized separation process. The negative thermal gradient and the superposition of temperature programming result in a quasi-parallel separation of components each moving simultaneously near their lowered specific equilibrium temperatures through the column. Therefore, this gradient separation process is better suited for thermally labile molecules such as explosives and natural or aroma components. High-temperature GC methods also benefit from reduced elution temperatures. Even for short columns very high peak capacities can be obtained. In addition, the gradient separation is particularly beneficial for very fast separations below 1 mm overall retention time. Very fast measurements of explosives prove the benefits of using negative thermal gradients. The new concept can greatly reduce the cycle time of high-resolution gas chromatography and can be integrated into hyphenated or comprehensive gas chromatography setups.