Shimadzu Headspace Samplers - HS-20 Series

Significance of the Topic

The analysis of volatile components via headspace sampling is essential across industries including environmental monitoring, food and beverage quality control, pharmaceuticals, forensic investigations and materials testing. Reliable quantitation of volatile organic compounds supports regulatory compliance, product safety and process optimization.

Objectives and Overview

This document introduces the HS-20 Series headspace samplers, highlighting their performance characteristics, ergonomic design and modular expandability for a wide range of analytical applications.

Used Instrumentation

• HS-20 Series models: HS-20 (standard), HS-20Trap (with electronic cooling trap), HS-20LT (long transfer line)
• Advanced Flow Control (AFC™) pneumatic flow controller for precise gas delivery
• Electronic cooling trap unit packed with TenaxTA (hydrophobic adsorbent) in trap model
• Optional barcode reader for sample traceability
• Compatible GC and GC–MS systems (e.g. GCMS-QP2010 Ultra, GC-2010 Plus)
• Control software: LabSolutions LC/GC (CFR 21 Part 11 compliant) or HSS Control for GC–MS

Methodology

The HS-20 Series employs bottom-entry vial conveyance to minimize heat loss and maintain oven stability up to 300 °C. Short, inert Sulfinert sample lines reduce carryover. Users can switch between loop mode for standard analyses and trap mode for ultra-trace enrichment via batch software. Vial warming, mixing and automatic leak checks are fully automated.

Main Results and Discussion

• Reproducibility: 1.5 % RSD for 50 ppm methanol and n-butanol (n=20)
• Carryover: < 0.0001 % residual acetic acid and DMI confirmed in coffee matrices
• High-temperature performance: stable detection of cyclic siloxane in resin outgassing at 300 °C
• Ultra-trace analysis: trap mode delivered linear calibration for 2,4,6-TCA in wine from 1–100 ppt (R² = 0.998)
• Fragrance profiling: peak areas increased 5–50× for coffee volatiles using HS-20Trap + GC-MS
• Batch VOC monitoring: RSD 0.7–3.1 % for 22 compounds at 0.1 ppb in wastewater (90-sample tray)
• Pharmaceutical residual solvents (USP467 Class 2A/2B): RSD 0.6–3.1 % (n=20) demonstrating high quantitative accuracy

Benefits and Practical Applications

• High reproducibility and minimal carryover enhance confidence in routine quality control and research analyses
• User-friendly sample tray and top access to consumables reduce operator errors and maintenance downtime
• Trap option enables ultra-trace detection for forensic, environmental and materials outgassing studies
• CFR 21 Part 11 compliant software ensures full traceability and audit readiness

Future Trends and Possibilities

Integration with advanced detectors and AI-driven data processing will further automate headspace workflows. Development of novel adsorbents and miniaturized trap units could broaden analyte range and enable field-deployable systems. Cloud-based LIMS integration will enhance real-time monitoring and data accessibility.

Conclusion

The HS-20 Series offers a versatile headspace sampling platform combining high precision, thermal stability and ease of use. Its modular trap capability and seamless software control make it suitable for diverse applications from trace-level research to high-throughput quality control.

References

No explicit literature references were provided in the source document.