Supercritical fluid extraction‐capillary gas chromatography: On‐line coupling with a programmed temperature vaporizer

A simple and versatile system is described for the on‐line coupling of SFE to capillary GC. The interfacing consists of a programmed temperature vaporizer (PTV) injector. With this injector it is possible to combine solute trapping, elimination of a high flow of extraction fluid, and quantitative transfer of solutes to the seperation column. The problems caused by impurities in the extraction fluid in on‐line SFE‐GC are discussed. Simple methods are described for the purification of commercially available carbon dioxide. The trapping efficiency of the PTV injector is studied. Applications of the SFE‐PTV‐GC system are given for the analysis of polymer anti‐degradants, polar compounds, and samples with environmental relevance.