Noble Gases Analysis Using the Agilent 990 Micro GC

Importance of the Topic

Noble gases are fundamental to many industrial and scientific applications, including metallurgy, aerospace, electronics and medical imaging. Accurate, rapid analysis of these inert gases supports process optimization, quality control and safety in gas extraction and handling operations.

Objectives and Study Overview

This application note demonstrates how the Agilent 990 Micro GC can be configured for the simultaneous detection of neon, hydrogen, argon, oxygen, krypton, methane and xenon. Two distinct separation channels are evaluated to achieve fast throughput and reliable quantification.

Methodology

The study used two capillary channels with helium as the carrier gas. Operating parameters for each channel were:

• CP-Molsieve 5Å, 20 m: injector 50 °C, column 50 °C, pressure 300 kPa, injection 300 ms, backflush 10 s with retention time stability protection
• CP-PoraPLOT U, 20 m: injector 50 °C, column 40 °C, pressure 200 kPa, injection 40 ms, backflush 15 s

Used Instrumentation

The analysis was carried out on the Agilent 990 Micro GC system equipped with two capillary columns: a CP-Molsieve 5Å for light permanent gases and a CP-PoraPLOT U for heavier noble gases and light hydrocarbons.

Main Results and Discussion

On the Molsieve channel, baseline separation of neon/hydrogen and argon/oxygen was achieved within 1.2 minutes. The PoraPLOT channel separated krypton, methane and xenon in under 2.4 minutes with a resolution exceeding 1.0 for closely eluting peaks. Ten replicate injections yielded retention time RSDs below 0.1% for all components. Peak area repeatability was better than 5% RSD except for hydrogen and oxygen (6.7% and 6.9% respectively). Limits of detection were under 3 ppm for all analytes except hydrogen (28 ppm).

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Rapid cycle time enables real-time monitoring during gas production and purification
• High separation efficiency ensures accurate quantification in complex gas mixtures
• Robust retention time stability extends column lifetime in the presence of moisture and CO₂

Future Trends and Potential Applications

Advances in micro-GC technology are expected to further reduce analysis time and improve sensitivity. Integration with automated sampling and data processing platforms will facilitate continuous online monitoring in industrial gas plants, semiconductor manufacturing and environmental monitoring.

Conclusion

The Agilent 990 Micro GC, configured with CP-Molsieve 5Å and CP-PoraPLOT U columns, provides a fast, reliable method for simultaneous analysis of a range of noble gases and light hydrocarbons. Its combination of speed, repeatability and low detection limits makes it a valuable tool for analytical laboratories and online process monitoring.

References

1. Remko van Loon. Permanent Gas Analysis – Separation of Helium, Neon and Hydrogen on a MolSieve 5A column using the Agilent 490 Micro GC, Application note 5990-8527EN, 2011.
2. Bajja, M. Permanent Gas Analysis – Separation of Argon and Oxygen on a MolSieve 5A column using the Agilent 490 Micro GC, Application note 5990-8700EN, 2011.