Accelerated PAH screening using Intuvo GC with MS Detection

Polyaromatic hydrocarbons are persistent pollutants that affect the environment and subsequently, agricultural products. Analysis for this class of compounds can take up to one hour for optimal separation of the various isomers, with many methods citing a run-to-run time of 35-40 minutes.

By applying the direct heating technology of the Intuvo gas chromatograph and installing high efficiency columns, a screening method has been developed, offering an extraordinary injection to injection time of 9 minutes. Shorter screening runs, while not optimized for complete resolution, can positively affect backlog as well as increase instrument efficiency and resource utilization.

As an added efficiency feature, with a simple column exchange, a more comprehensive separation is presented for improved quantitation in under 15 minutes, also utilizing the direct column heating provided by Intuvo GC systems.

Presenter: Luca Godina (GC & GC/MS Application Specialist, Agilent Technologies)

Graduated in Environmental Chemistry at the University of Pavia in Italy, Luca joined Agilent in 2004 as a Field Service Engineer, focusing his work on GC and GC/MS an special sample introduction techniques.

He moved the Agilent European Headquarter in Waldbronn, Germany in 2009 to work in Field Support Group for then changing role and going back to the lab working in the Waldbronn Center of Excellence, delivering customer demos and developing applications.