Fully Automated Portable Comprehensive 2-Dimensional Gas Chromatography Device

We developed a fully automated portable 2-dimensional (2-D) gas chromatography (GC x GC) device, which had a dimension of 60 cm × 50 cm × 10 cm and weight less than 5 kg. The device incorporated a micropreconcentrator/injector, commercial columns, micro-Deans switches, microthermal injectors, microphotoionization detectors, data acquisition cards, and power supplies, as well as computer control and user interface. It employed multiple channels (4 channels) in the second dimension ( 2 D) to increase the 2 D separation time (up to 32 s) and hence 2 D peak capacity. In addition, a nondestructive flow-through vapor detector was installed at the end of the 1 D column to monitor the eluent from 1 D and assist in reconstructing 1 D elution peaks. With the information obtained jointly from the 1 D and 2 D detectors, 1 D elution peaks could be reconstructed with significantly improved 1 D resolution. In this Article, we first discuss the details of the system operating principle and the algorithm to reconstruct 1 D elution peaks, followed by the description and characterization of each component. Finally, 2-D separation of 50 analytes, including alkane (C 6 –C 12 ), alkene, alcohol, aldehyde, ketone, cycloalkane, and aromatic hydrocarbon, in 14 min is demonstrated, showing the peak capacity of 430–530 and the peak capacity production of 40–80/min.