Zebron ZB-WAXPLUS™ - Breaking The Mold For WAX GC Columns

Significance of the Topic

The analysis of highly polar and water‐soluble compounds by gas chromatography (GC) poses challenges for column stability, inertness, and resolution. Traditional polyethylene glycol (PEG or WAX) GC phases can suffer from hydrolytic degradation, peak tailing, and poor reproducibility when exposed to aqueous or active sample matrices. The ZB‐WAXPLUS™ GC column family was developed to overcome these limitations by providing 100 % aqueous stability, enhanced inertness, and improved selectivity for polar analytes, thereby expanding reliable GC applications in environmental, pharmaceutical, food and industrial laboratories.

Objectives and Study Overview

This application note aims to introduce the Zebron™ ZB‐WAXPLUS™ column chemistry, dispel common myths about WAX GC columns, and demonstrate its performance advantages. It outlines key manufacturing innovations, compares the column against competitive phases, and presents representative separations across five major application areas. The note also highlights customer feedback and column specifications to guide selection and implementation.

Applied Methodology and Instrumentation

Various GC configurations were employed, including split/splitless injections, headspace analysis, flame ionization detection (FID) and mass spectrometry (MSD). Typical column dimensions ranged from 10 m×0.10 mm×0.10 µm to 60 m×0.53 mm×1.0 µm. Carrier gases (helium or hydrogen) were operated in constant‐flow mode. Oven programs were tailored to each application—headspace residual solvent tests (USP <467>), direct injection of aqueous alcoholic matrices, environmental screening of glycols, and flavor or fatty acid methyl ester profiling. Comparative runs used equivalent competitive PEG phases under identical GC conditions.

Main Results and Discussion

1. Water Stability and Reproducibility: ZB‐WAXPLUS columns maintained consistent retention times and peak shapes during repeated injections of 60 % aqueous whiskey and distilled alcohol standards, demonstrating true hydrolytic resistance.
2. Inertness with Active Compounds: Aldehyde and acid standards eluted with minimal tailing and high signal‐to‐noise in both FID and MSD experiments, outperforming a leading competitive WAX phase.
3. Enhanced Selectivity: Comparative separations of ketones, aldehydes, solvents and flavor compounds showed improved resolution of critical isomers and early eluting volatiles.
4. Faster Analyses: Shorter 10 m×0.10 mm columns preserved separation quality while reducing run times by up to 65 %, supporting high‐throughput workflows.
5. Broad Utility: Successful applications included USP residual solvent compliance, environmental glycol screening, whiskey, wine and cognac flavor profiling, fatty acid methyl ester analysis, phenols, industrial solvents and propylene glycol impurity testing.

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Robust aqueous stability enables direct injection of water‐rich samples without column degradation.
• Superior inertness ensures accurate quantitation of highly active or trace analytes.
• Versatile film thicknesses and internal diameters support both sensitivity and speed requirements.
• Compatibility with GC–FID and GC–MSD expands method choices for environmental, food, pharmaceutical and industrial QC.
• Easy method transfer from other PEG phases with minimal revalidation effort.

Future Trends and Potential Uses

As regulatory and quality demands intensify, fast, reproducible GC methods for polar and aqueous samples will become increasingly critical. Innovations in column deactivation chemistry and guard technologies will further enhance longevity. Integration with automated headspace systems, two‐dimensional GC and direct coupling to high‐resolution MS are poised to extend application scope. Emerging sectors such as biofuels, green solvents and metabolomics will benefit from tailored PEG phases with enhanced selectivity and throughput.

Conclusion

The ZB‐WAXPLUS™ column series represents a significant advancement in PEG GC phases, delivering genuine water stability, heightened inertness and improved resolution for polar compounds. Its performance across diverse matrices and methods underscores its value for analytical laboratories seeking reliable, high‐throughput GC solutions.

Applied Instrumentation

• Gas chromatographs configured for split/splitless and headspace injections
• Column dimensions spanning 10 m to 60 m, ID 0.10 mm to 0.53 mm, film 0.10 µm to 1 µm
• Flame ionization detectors (FID) operated 200 °C–280 °C
• Mass-selective detectors (MSD) with SIM and scan modes, 18–450 amu
• Carrier gases: helium (1.2–3 mL/min) or hydrogen (1.0 mL/min) in constant flow