Fast gas chromatography: packed column solvating gas chromatography versusopen tubular column gas chromatography

Packed capillary column solvating gas chromatography (SGC) and open tubular column gas chromatography (GC) were compared with respect to their potenti als for fast separations. A recently introduced "universal" peak capacity e quation was used to compare the performance of these two methods. The effec ts of various factors on peak capacity were investigated. Results demonstra te that retention factor and column efficiency are the main factors affecti ng peak capacity for fast separations. Packed columns produce both high ret ention factors and high selectivities. While high efficiencies and high pea k capacities can be demonstrated by both techniques, open tubular column GC can surpass packed capillary column SGC in both measurements, except for t he case of the analysis of simple mixtures in short analysis times, where r etention factor and selectivity become important. Practical aspects such as pressure drop and sample capacity are compared for SGC and open tubular co lumn GC. It was found that packed column SGC demonstrates higher sample cap acities, but requires much higher column inlet pressures than open tubular column GC. A variety of mobile phases can be used for packed column SGC, wh ich can provide high solvating power for large and polar compounds. (C) 200 0 Elsevier Science B.V, All rights reserved.