Gas Chromatography (GC)

With the increasing interest in green chemistry and sustainability, analytical chemists are developing new methods and reexamining existing methods with a new emphasis on sustainability and environmental impact. Since the publication of the principles of green chemistry in the 1990s and the principles of green analytical chemistry in the 2000s, several scoring systems for evaluating the greenness or sustainability of analytical methods have been developed. In this column, we will examine three widely used scoring methods: Red, green blue (RGB), the analytical greenness metric (AGREE), and the analytical method greenness score (AMGS) with comments on how they all apply to gas chromatography (GC). We will see that classical GC, which has roots in the origins of the environmental movement, has been and remains among the greenest of analytical techniques.

This article explores the diverse career paths where analytical sciences PhDs create impact in fundamentally different ways than traditional research roles, and provides practical guidance on how to pursue them.

Discover the 2026 HTC Innovation Award, recognizing groundbreaking contributions in separation science and hyphenated techniques by emerging scientists.

Chemist Katelynn Perrault Uptmor discussed her work using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) to improve complex chemical analysis, forensic investigations, and laboratory accessibility at the 2025 Eastern Analytical Symposium

This LCGC blog highlights the ACS SCSC’s initiatives, events, and awards that connect and support the global separation science community across academia, industry, and government.

This past week, LCGC International published a variety of articles on hot topics in separation science.

The role of gas chromatography (GC) in forensic analysis is spotlighted.

How to take ownership of your next career steps

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Trap focusing offers a powerful solution to common challenges in headspace (HS) and solid-phase microextraction–gas chromatography (SPME–GC) analysis of foodstuffs, including poor peak shape, limited sensitivity, and restricted dynamic range. This article explores how automated cryogen-free focusing, combined with multi-step enrichment and re-collection capabilities, can improve the detection and quantitation of both aroma-active compounds and trace-level contaminants. Using real-world examples, including flavor profiling of cola and garlic, and quantitation of ethylene oxide and epichlorohydrin in spices, enhanced chromatographic performance, greater confidence in compound identification, and lower detection limits than traditional workflows such as direct SPME or QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) are demonstrated.

Gas chromatography (GC) liners are offered in dozens of different configurations and internal diameters. The liner is designed with baffles or glass wool to best vaporize and mix the sample prior to transferring it to the head of the analytical column. Split liners have considerably more flow and are designed to handle high split ratios. For example, some liners have a glass dimple at the bottom to allow for higher flow rates (low pressure drop). Some split liners have an outer diameter of 6.3 mm while splitless liners have an outer diameter of 6.5 mm. It has been reported that these liners have been used interchangeably, which begs the question: Does the outer diameter matter?

Discover how a novel alicyclic polydimethylsiloxane stationary phase enhances gas chromatography for precise carbon number grouping and hydrocarbon analysis.

Are you ready to separate the facts from the fiction?

In this installment, we will describe several modes of MS/MS detector operation.

Recent Advances in Gas Chromatography will be held on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, UK.

Looking at the fundamental terminology and data analysis principles in benchtop GC–MS

Switching from helium as a carrier gas is less of a problem than people think. Is it time for you to think about it?

The approach describes a new untargeted, trapped-headspace (THS)-GC-QMS-IMS setup for an exhaustive VOC analysis of complex food, beverage, and flavor products, and allows the classification of mango cultivars in combination with chemometric data evaluation.

Lina Mikaliunaite shares her journey from studying liquid chromatography as an undergraduate to working in industry with GC×GC, highlighting the mentors, research experiences, and career steps that shaped her path in separation science.

Researchers at the University of Huddersfield analyzed 60 new and used disposable e-cigarettes using HS-GC–MS and HPLC–DAD, finding concerning levels of ethyl maltol and benzoic acid and detailing their chemical composition and changes with use.

In new research, two transition substances in myrrh oil were studied during gas chromatography, in order to monitor for any changes in peak shape.

In the second part of this interview with Maria Olds of the University of Texas at Arlington, she discusses the consequences of not accounting for preanalytical factors in blood alcohol concentration (BAC) analysis.