How to Troubleshoot and Improve your GC/MS like an Agilent Scientist

Separation Science, in collaboration with Agilent, offers an upcoming webinar in which the presenters will impart their expert knowledge from examples that they have experienced and worked through to help troubleshoot GC/MS problems.

Have you ever been sitting in front of your GC/MS instrument trying to troubleshoot a problem and thought, "I have no idea what to do? What do I look at first? I bet an expert knows exactly what is wrong."

• When we observe peak tailing, do we immediately change a column?
• If we observe peaks that are ¼ expected size, do we immediately vent the GC/MS to clean the source and change the column? Or, is it better to check the samples, syringe, and inlet before jumping into those time-intensive actions?
• Does the deactivation of a column or liner REALLY matter? (The short answer is Yes!)

We’ll discuss how to use artifacts observed in chromatograms and tune reports to diagnose the problem, fix the problem, and 'future proof' your analysis with the best supplies, columns, and solutions.

By attending this presentation you will:

• Learn how to half-split and troubleshoot through problems on a GC/MS, just like we do as Agilent scientists
• Learn about GC and MS supplies and columns and how choosing the right supplies can affect the outcome of your analysis…for better or worse!

Presenter: Angie Smith-Henry (Applications Chemist for GC and MS Supplies, Agilent)

Angie is is an applications chemist for GC and MS Supplies at Agilent in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. Previously, she was an applications chemist for the MSD Solutions and Applications group with a focus on developing analysers and applications for energy, chemical and environmental markets. Angie holds a PhD in Physical Chemistry from Lehigh University and BS in Chemistry from Juniata College.

Presenter:Vanessa Abercrombie (Gas Chromatography Applications Chemist, Agilent)

Vanessa is a GC Applications Chemist at Agilent in Folsom, California, USA. Vanessa has a broad background in GC and GC/MS, including experience as an instrument chemist at Bode Technology in Virginia working under contract to the FBI’s Laboratory Division. Prior to that, Vanessa worked for ETS Labs in St. Helena, California as an Analytical Chemist where she researched and developed quantitative separations by GC/MS and UHPLC for beer, wine, and spirits. She holds a Master of Forensic Science from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Sonoma State University.