Product category:
Testing, analysing and monitoring equipment
News Release from: Agilent Technologies Europe | Subject: 6890N
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 28 June 2002
Chromatography aids fuel additive
analysis
Agilent Technologies has developed a 2D gas chromatography method that enhances resolution when analysing additives and aromatics used to improve performance and reduce emissions in gasoline.
Agilent Technologies has developed a two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC) method that enhances resolution when analysing oxygenated additives and aromatics used to improve performance and reduce emissions in gasoline Gasoline, a complex mixture, contains low-boiling aromatic compounds and polar additives such as ether and alcohol
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 1 Dec 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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Quantitative measurement of these additives using GC is difficult because there is no single column that can completely and quickly separate the target compounds from the complex hydrocarbon matrix.
Two-dimensional GC solves this problem by coupling two GC columns, each with different selectivity.
Unresolved analytes eluting from the first column transfer to the second column, where complete separation occurs.
Agilent application chemists used an Agilent 6890N GC system equipped with a Deans switch to heart-cut the unresolved analytes in the gasoline matrix.
This plumbing design makes it easy to determine cut times, allowing easy method setup.
The switch also improved performance by eliminating carryover and minimizing peak tailing for very polar compounds.
This allows greater confidence in results for low concentrations of polar additives.
Moreover, the Agilent 6890N's electronic pneumatics control provided retention time precision that allowed narrow cut times for enhanced resolution and a backflushing technique for faster analysis time.
System calibration and quantitative results demonstrated excellent performance.
The two-dimensional GC method complies with European Standards EN13132 for oxygenate additives in gasoline and EN12177 for benzene in gasoline.
An application note entitled "Two-dimensional gas chromatographic analysis of oxygenates and aromatics in gasoline using a heart-cutting technique", Agilent publication number 5988-6696EN, is available without charge from the Agilent website.
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