LCGC Europe-05-01-2004

In another of Ettre's historical examinations of the early days of gas chromatography, he discusses four major application fields in which the technique changed the way chemists perform analyses. These include hydrocarbon analysis, fatty acid analysis, flavour compounds and essential oils analysis, and environmental analysis. In addition, he also explains how GC helped in the evolution of liquid chromatography and in the development of the scientific industry.

Editor of LC–GC Europe, David Hills, reports on his findings from a GC users' survey conducted amongst a selection of LC–GC Europe readers.

The authors discuss the application of shear-driven chromatography, a technique that depends on viscous drag to propel mobile phase in high-resolution/high-speed liquid chromatography. This method, it is claimed, overcomes the pressure- and voltage-drop limitations of both HPLC and CEC. Early development of the technique is reviewed and updated with the current status of the group's work. Also covered are the challenges faced and opportunities available to interface such systems to MS and UV/vis absorption detectors.

In this month's instalment, the authors cover the topics of column-switching techniques and parallel chromatography for LC?MS?MS methods, and describe the time benefits that can be achieved using such systems. An example set-up is presented and the authors outline the various steps required to perform such analyses routinely.