The Application Notebook
Since the gas flow required for the separation step in gas chromatography is frequently lower than that required to optimize the detection, nitrogen is used as a make-up gas to increase the gas flow for detection.
Since the gas flow required for the separation step in gas chromatography is frequently lower than that required to optimize the detection, nitrogen is used as a make-up gas to increase the gas flow for detection. In many facilities, zero grade nitrogen make-up gas is provided from a cylinder or tank. While this approach works, an in-house "make-up" gas generator can provide the desired nitrogen with a higher level of purity than bottled nitrogen. In addition, the use of an in-house make-up gas generator can provide a considerably safer, more convenient, and less expensive approach to supply the required gas.
Zero grade nitrogen for make-up gas can be readily obtained from laboratory compressed air using an in-house generator (Parker Hannifin FID MakeUpGas Generator) that includes a heated catalytic converter in which a proprietary catalyst blend is combined with platinum to remove all hydrocarbons by converting them to CO2 and water vapor. The converter is followed by a hollow fiber membrane separator which preferentially allows oxygen and water vapor to quickly permeate the membrane wall while nitrogen travels through the hollow fiber out the end (Figure 1). The hollow fiber has a small internal diameter and thousands of fibers are bundled together to provide a large surface area to provide the desired flow of nitrogen. The makeup gas generator can provide nitrogen with purity of better than 99.9999% with respect to hydrocarbons (< 1 ppm) and greater than 99% with respect to oxygen.
Figure 1: Oxygen and water vapor permeate the membrane, providing high purity nitrogen.
A chromatographic comparison of the nitrogen that was produced by the MakeUpGas generator and gas that was obtained from bottled fuel air from a commercial supplier is shown in Figure 2. The gas generated by the MakeUpGas generator is much purer than that from bottled fuel air; and provides an extremely flat baseline with essentially no signal due to hydrocarbons, while the zero grade bottled air provided an irregular baseline with a significant level of hydrocarbons, which could impact the analysis.
Figure 2: The MakeUpGas generator (left figure) provides gas of significantly higher purity than bottled fuel gas (right figure).
In addition to the extremely high level of purity provided by the generator, the use of an in-house generator provides benefits in safety, cost, and convenience. When a MakeUpGas generator is employed, only a small amount of nitrogen is generated at a given instant and a leak would lead to a negligible change in the composition of the laboratory air. In contrast, a leak from a full tank could cause problems. When an in-house generator is employed, gas is available on a 24/7 basis and the possibility of injury or damage during the transportation and installation of a heavy gas tank is eliminated. In addition to the significant safety and convenience benefits, there is an economic benefit from using a MakeUpGas generator. The running cost of operation maintenance of the MakeupGas generator is extremely low; as the raw materials to prepare the required gas are air and electricity.
Parker Hannifin Corporation
Filtration and Separation Division
260 Neck Road, Haverhill MA 01835
tel. (800) 343-4048, (978) 858-0505
Website: www.parker.com/gasgeneration.
LC–MS/MS-Based System Used to Profile Ceramide Reactions to Diseases
April 26th 2024Scientists from the University of Córdoba in Córdoba, Spain recently used liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) to comprehensively profile human ceramides to determine their reactions to diseases.
Inside the Laboratory –– Women in Separation Science Edition
April 25th 2024Inside the Laboratory is a joint series with LCGC and Spectroscopy, profiling analytical scientists and their research groups at universities all over the world. This series spotlights the current chromatographic and spectroscopic research their groups are conducting, and the importance of their research in analytical chemistry and specific industries. In this “Inside the Laboratory –– Women in Separation Science” special edition PDF, we profile four industry leaders and the impact that their research is having in specific fields such as environmental analysis, forensics, national security, and drug development.