ANALYZING TIME-VARYING FLOW COMPOSITION USING MULTIPLE-INPUT CHROMATOGRAPHY

The chromatography of samples whose composition varies with time can b e difficult if the time it takes for the sample composition to change is less than the separation time of the sample components. This paper deals with the multiple input chromatography approach, in which multip le injections are performed in such a way that the interval between th ese injections is one to three orders of magnitude less than the separ ation time of the sample components. The method does not require exten sive hardware modifications of the chromatographic apparatus, but is c omputationally intensive. Using specifically designed input sequences of the sample, a dramatic increase of the time resolution was achieved . Examples of the monitoring of gases evolving from volcano rock soils and polymers during the heating, from 100 degrees C to 600 degrees C, by linear temperature programming are presented.