title: Use of greatly-reduced gas flows in flow-modulated comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
abstract: The present research is specifically based on the use of greatly-reduced gas flows, in flow-modulator (FM) comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography systems. In particular, focus of the present research is directed to FM devices characterized by an accumulation stage, and a much briefer re-injection step. It has been widely accepted that the operation of such FM systems requires high gas flows (≥20mL/min), to re-inject the gas-phase contents of sample (or accumulation) loops, onto the second column. On the contrary, it will be herein demonstrated that much lower gas flows (≈ 6-8mL/min) can efficiently perform the modulation step of re-injection. The possibility of using such improved operational conditions is given simply by a fine optimization of the processes of accumulation and re-injection. The application of lower gas flows not only means that second-dimension separations are carried out under better analytical conditions, but, even more importantly, greatly reduces problems which arise when using mass spectrometry (i.e., sensitivity and instrumental pumping capacity).
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco e dei Prodotti per la Salute, Università di Messina, viale Annunziata, 98168 Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Peter Q
authors.initials: PQ
authors.lastname: Tranchida
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco e dei Prodotti per la Salute, Università di Messina, viale Annunziata, 98168 Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Flavio A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Franchina
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco e dei Prodotti per la Salute, Università di Messina, viale Annunziata, 98168 Messina, Italy; Centro Integrato di Ricerca (C.I.R.), Università Campus Bio-Medico, Via Álvaro del Portillo, 21-00128 Roma, Italy; Chromaleont s.r.l. A start-up of the University of Messina, c/o Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco e Prodotti per la Salute, Università di Messina, viale Annunziata, 98168 Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dugo
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco e dei Prodotti per la Salute, Università di Messina, viale Annunziata, 98168 Messina, Italy; Centro Integrato di Ricerca (C.I.R.), Università Campus Bio-Medico, Via Álvaro del Portillo, 21-00128 Roma, Italy; Chromaleont s.r.l. A start-up of the University of Messina, c/o Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco e Prodotti per la Salute, Università di Messina, viale Annunziata, 98168 Messina, Italy. Electronic address: lmondello@unime.it.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mondello
mesh_terms: D000473:Alkanes / Q000032:analysis; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000473:Alkanes
keywords: Comprehensive two-dimensional GC; Flow modulation; GC×GC; Method optimization