A different operational mode for addressing the general elution problem in rapid analysis gas chromatography

The task of chromatographically separating a complex mixture containing constituents with a wide range of molecular weight has been referred to in the past as the “general elution problem”. A different operational mode for conducting gas chromatography, thermal gradient programmed gas chromatography, presently in the developmental stage, has been investigated and is proposed as a means whereby such separations might be accomplished rapidly. The inherent versatility of the technique for conducting rapid analyses (50 to 300 s duration) of complicated samples containing constituents with a wide range of volatility is considered in terms of the possibility of achieving the maximum amount of analytical information per unit time.