11.11 : Gas Chromatography: Introduction

Gas chromatography (GC) is a technique for separating and analyzing volatile compounds in a sample. Its primary purpose is to identify and quantify components in complex mixtures, making it essential in fields such as environmental analysis, pharmaceuticals, and petrochemicals. GC is also called vapor-phase chromatography (VPC) or gas-liquid partition chromatography (GLPC).

In GC, a sample is vaporized and mixed with an inert carrier gas (the mobile phase), which transports it through a column. The column is packed or coated with a stationary phase, either a liquid or solid material. Compounds in the sample are separated based on their boiling points, and compounds with lower boiling points elute first. The elution order- the sequence in which the compound exits the column- is visible on a chromatogram, where each peak corresponds to a specific compound.

There are two main types of gas chromatography:

1. Gas-liquid chromatography (GLC): In GLC, the stationary phase is a nonvolatile, thermally stable, chemically inert liquid, while the mobile phase is a carrier gas, typically helium. This technique is commonly used to separate compounds based on their boiling points.

2. Gas-solid chromatography (GSC): GSC uses solid particulates like diatomaceous earth as the stationary phase and a carrier gas like helium as the mobile phase. GSC is primarily used for permanent gases and small polar molecules not retained by gas-liquid columns due to severe tailing of elution peaks.