The incorporation of supercritical fluid technology with analytical chromatography presents distinct advantages towards quantitative or qualitative determinations of specific solutes in complex matrices. In directly coupled multidimensional supercritical fluid chromatography-gas chromatography, after separation in a supercritical fluid chromatograph, the supercritical fluid sample effluent is decompressed directly into a capillary inlet of a gas chromatograph for further analysis. This technique allows selective or multistep heartcutting of fractions from the supercritical fluid chromatograph to a capillary gas chromatograph. Also, the multidimensional interfaces between coupled packed supercritical fluid chromatographic columns will be described. The effectiveness of various multidimensional techniques will be demonstrated on complex hydrocarbon streams. In addition, the discussion will focus on the use of supercritical fluid extraction on an analytical scale, when interfaced directly with a capillary gas chromatograph and a supercritical fluid chromatograph. The evaluation of various extraction parameters, such as supercritical fluid phases, extraction times, extraction pressures, and temperatures, will be discussed. Highlighted applications include the characterization of heavy hydrocarbon streams and polymer fingerprinting. Supercritical fluid extraction utilizes the properties of supercritical fluids for selective extractions of specific classes of solutes from complex matrices and can be used as an alternative to time-consuming solvent extractions for sample preparations.
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Levy et al. (1989) studied this question.