title: A compact gas chromatograph and pre-column concentration system for enhanced in-field separation of levoglucosan and other polar organic compounds.
abstract: Portable and compact instruments for separating and detecting organic compounds are needed in the field for environmental studies. This is especially the case for pollution studies as in-field detection of organic compounds helps identify sources of pollution. Here we describe the development of a compact GC and simple pre-concentrator coupled to a MS detector. This simple system can easily be incorporated into portable instrumentation. Combining the pre-concentrator and compact column has the advantage of decoupling separation from manual injection and enhances separation of environmentally relevant polar organic compounds, such as levoglucosan. A detection limit of 2.2 ng was obtained for levoglucosan. This simple design has the potential to expand the use of gas chromatography as a routine in-field separation technique.
authors.affiliation: Brigham Young University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Provo, UT 84602, United States.
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Cropper
authors.affiliation: Brigham Young University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Provo, UT 84602, United States.
authors.forename: Steven R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Goates
authors.affiliation: Brigham Young University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Provo, UT 84602, United States. Electronic address: jhansen@chem.byu.edu.
authors.forename: Jaron C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Hansen
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005947:Glucose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; C014989:1,6-anhydro-beta-glucopyranose; D005947:Glucose
keywords: Compact GC; Field sampling; Levoglucosan; Pre-concentration