Application of comprehensive two-dimensional chromatography for the analysis of complex samples in the field and in the laboratory is therefore studied. In this method, analytes eluting from one column are trapped for a short time in a special interface and re-injected into a second column with a different stationary phase. Separation in the second column is very fast, so that all components leave the column before subsequent injection takes place. Several simple interfaces for GCxGC with no moving parts were developed. Their performance is comparable to that of much more complicated designs described in the literature.
Work is under way on further improvements of the resolution of the system.
Non-discriminating pyrolysis High molecular weight fragments produced during pyrolysis often carry the most significant structural information, yet they cannot be detected using commercial pyrolysis system because of analyte discrimination on transfer to the GC column. New pyrolysis technique was developed to overcome this problem. To facilitate transfer of very high-boiling analytes to the GC column, the pyrolysis capillary is subject to thermal desorption immediately following the initial heating pulse. Other applications, including environmental analysis, are being developed. The choice of detectors used in field portable instruments is usually limited, and, with a few exceptions, their parameters are worse than those typical of laboratory instruments.