Blood Alcohol Analysis with the Integrated Agilent 8697 Headspace Sampler on 8890 GC-Dual FID System

Importance of the topic

Blood alcohol analysis is critical in legal and forensic investigations globally. Headspace gas chromatography with flame ionization detection enables reliable measurement of volatile compounds in blood with minimal sample preparation and high accuracy.

Objectives and overview of the study

• Evaluate performance of Agilent 8697 headspace sampler coupled to Agilent 8890 GC with dual FID
• Assess ethanol calibration linearity over a regulatory relevant range
• Test vial‐to‐vial reproducibility at a common intoxication threshold
• Examine resolution of a standard alcohol mix using complementary columns

Methodology and instrumentation

• Headspace sampling with Agilent 8697, 20 mL vials, t-butanol internal standard
• GC analysis on Agilent 8890 with split/splitless inlet and dual FID
• Columns: DB-BAC1 UI (30 m×0.32 mm×1.8 µm) and DB-BAC2 UI (30 m×0.32 mm×1.2 µm) plus precolumn
• Headspace conditions: oven 70 °C, loop 80 °C, transfer line 90 °C, 7 min equilibration
• GC conditions: inlet 150 °C, split 10:1, constant pressure at 40 °C isothermal, FID at 250 °C

Main results and discussion

• Ethanol calibration showed linear response from 0.02 to 0.4 mg/dL with R² > 0.9995
• Vial-to-vial reproducibility at 0.05 mg/dL yielded RSD below 2 % for most alcohols and carbonyls
• Chromatographic resolution on DB-BAC1 UI and DB-BAC2 UI confirmed adequate separation; column 2 improved low-resolution pairs

Benefits and practical applications

• Simplified sample preparation and reduced human error
• Fully integrated control and diagnostics within GC driver
• High throughput and reliable quantitation for forensic blood alcohol testing

Future trends and possibilities

• Integration of peak evaluation software for proactive system monitoring
• Expansion to other volatile analytes and complex biological matrices
• Automation and remote diagnostics to enhance laboratory productivity

Conclusion

The Agilent 8697 headspace sampler combined with the 8890 GC dual FID delivers robust and reproducible blood alcohol analysis, matching legacy systems while offering enhanced integration and user guidance.

References

1. Analysis of Blood Alcohol Concentration with an Agilent Intuvo 9000 GC System. Agilent Technologies Application Note 5991-8999EN 2020
2. Improved Resolution and Peak Shape Performance for Blood Alcohol Concentration. Agilent Application Note 5991-8206EN 2017
3. Forensic Analysis of Blood Alcohol Concentration. Agilent Technologies Application Note 5994-0443EN 2019
4. Agilent Technologies GC Intelligence web resource accessed February 16 2021