INSIGHT provides separation of volatiles from C1 to C40 and above without using liquid nitrogen.
It is also compatible with heart-cutting, splitting for parallel detection and back-flushing.
Comprehensive two-dimensional GC subjects each ‘fraction’ from a 1D column to a second GC separation, using a modulator to focus the first-column eluent into narrow bands before injecting them into the faster-eluting secondary column, according to SepSolve Analytical.
Broaden uptake and appeal of GC×GC
SepSolve’s applications lab has used INSIGHT for applications including aroma-profiling of whisky, high-throughput screening of contaminated soils and identification of fragrance allergens.
The approach means a reduced cost of ownership for laboratories wishing to use GC×GC.
SepSolve Analytical said cost has previously been a barrier for the technique to all but the largest laboratories.
INSIGHT uses control of gas flows to fill and flush a sample loop to fractionate the first-column effluent and deliver it to the second column.
The pared-down design fits inside standard GC ovens and uses reverse fill/flush dynamics to boost peak shape and increase peak capacity for GC×GC compared to first-generation flow modulators.
Bob Green, sales and business development manager at SepSolve, said analysts have a tool that opens the door to routine GC×GC analyses of complex mixtures in a way that had not been possible.
“Because of their precise flow control, flow modulators inherently provide better method repeatability rather than cryogenic systems, which can be inconvenient, bulky and expensive to operate,” he said.
“This makes them ideal for high-throughput laboratories running routine GC×GC analyses and comparisons across large sample batches.”
Green said it is expected to be popular in the fragrance industry which relies upon GC×GC to separate and identify often very similar compounds in highly complex mixtures.
The flow modulator is available as a stand-alone addition to existing GC setups, or as part of a tailored application-specific package.
Growing from consultancy
SepSolve Analytical has also announced a focus on two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) for challenging applications.
Founded in 2016, the firm offered advice on sampling, separation and detection methodologies for GC and GC×GC analysis.
SepSolve has expanded to be an OEM reseller of autosamplers from CTC Analytics, a purge-and-trap concentrator and autosampler from EST Analytical, a multi-mode inlet and olfactometry equipment from GL Sciences and vacuum ultra-violet detectors from VUV Analytics.
SepSolve is a global reseller of Markes’ International thermal desorption products and the firm’s BenchTOF time-of-flight mass spectrometers. Both companies are members of the Schauenburg International Group.
Green said it helps customers identify the best system to help them achieve analytical goals such as increasing automation of sample prep, lowering detection limits, separating complex mixtures or other aims.
“The development of our GC×GC flow modulator and software, and our distribution agreements with key manufacturers over the last 12 months, have meant that we can now not just advise on equipment, but actually supply our customers with a complete package in the shortest possible time,” he said.
“For example, our recent agreement with CTC Analytics means that our customers have direct access to a range of front-end automation equipment for GC and GC×GC that dramatically increases laboratory efficiency.”