Halogenated and oxygenated hydrocarbons - Analysis of hydrocarbons C1-C3, halogenated hydrocarbons C1-C2 and oxygenated compounds C2-C3

Importance of the Topic

Analysis of light halogenated and oxygenated hydrocarbons is essential for environmental monitoring and industrial quality control. These volatile organic compounds can impact air quality, human health, and regulatory compliance. A rapid, robust analytical method enables laboratories to efficiently detect and quantify trace-level contaminants in air and process streams.

Objectives and Study Overview

This application note outlines a gas chromatographic method using an Agilent PoraPLOT U column to separate and quantify twelve C1–C3 hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons, and oxygenated compounds. The goal is to achieve complete resolution of all target analytes within a 15-minute runtime.

Methodology and Instrumentation

The method employs capillary gas chromatography with the following conditions:

• Column: Agilent PoraPLOT U, fused silica, 0.32 mm × 25 m, 10 μm film thickness
• Temperature program: 70 °C hold for 2 minutes, ramp at 8 °C/min to 140 °C
• Carrier gas: Helium at 100 kPa (1 bar)
• Injector: Split mode, 20 mL/min, inlet temperature 120 °C
• Detector: Flame ionization detector at 175 °C
• Injection volume: 0.2 μL

Key Results and Discussion

The optimized conditions yielded baseline separation of twelve compounds: methane, ethylene, acetylene, propane, propylene, cyclopropane, chloromethane, vinyl chloride, ethylene oxide, acetaldehyde, chloroethane, and propylene oxide. All analytes eluted within 15 minutes, and detector response was linear around ±500 ppm for later-eluting peaks, demonstrating consistent quantitative performance.

Benefits and Practical Applications

This GC method offers:

• Rapid screening of halogenated and oxygenated hydrocarbons in air and industrial streams
• High resolution to prevent coelution and ensure accurate quantitation
• Simplicity and robustness suitable for routine QA/QC workflows

Future Trends and Opportunities

Emerging directions include coupling the PoraPLOT U column with mass spectrometric detection for enhanced specificity, integrating micro-GC systems for field analyses, and refining temperature programs to lower detection limits and accommodate more complex sample matrices.

Conclusion

The Agilent PoraPLOT U column method delivers a fast, reliable solution for separating and quantifying light halogenated and oxygenated hydrocarbons in a single, 15-minute GC run. Its efficiency and reproducibility make it well suited for environmental monitoring and industrial quality control.

References

• Agilent Technologies, Inc. Application Note A00599, 2011