title: Comparison of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography and gas chromatography--mass spectrometry for the characterization of complex hydrocarbon mixtures.
abstract: In this paper, we compare the current separation power of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GCxGC) with the potential separation power of GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) systems. Using simulated data, we may envisage a GC-MS contour plot, that can be compared with a GCxGC chromatogram. Real examples are used to demonstrate the current potential of the two techniques in the field of hydrocarbon analysis. As a separation technique for complex hydrocarbon mixtures, GCxGC is currently about as powerful as GC-MS is potentially powerful. GC-MS has not reached its potential separation power in this area, because a universal, soft ionization method does not exist. The greatest advantage of GCxGC is, however, its potential for quantitative analysis. Because flame-ionisation detection can be used, quantitative analysis by GCxGC is much more robust, reliable and reproducible.
authors.affiliation: Shell Research and Technology Centre, and Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. pjschoenmakers@its.chem.uva.nl
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Schoenmaker
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Oomen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blomberg
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Genuit
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: van Velzen
mesh_terms: D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000379:methods*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D006838:Hydrocarbons