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New Agilent J&W 1ms Ultra Inert GC columns give you greater flexibility for your trace-level analysis
By Agilent J&W GC Column Team
Today’s analysts must detect and quantitate increasingly smaller amounts of active solutes. With that in mind, you cannot afford interferences caused by column activity or bleed.
By itself, low column bleed enhances sensitivity by decreasing background interference and improving the signal-to-noise ratio. However, your results will be flawed if active analytes (such as acids, bases and diols) are adsorbed by active sites in the column. Similarly, if your column is well deactivated, but exhibits even moderate column bleed, some of the analyte-generated signal could be smothered by the bleed signal. Again, your results will be flawed. Only when the column exhibits both low bleed and low activity are your results reliable.
Agilent J&W Ultra Inert GC columns can help you meet these growing challenges by ensuring a chemically inert flow path and exceptionally low column bleed, which can prevent extraneous signals, negative analyte interactions and erroneous detector readings. They’re the only GC columns that are proven to deliver on the promise of both low column bleed and consistent column inertness, allowing you to perform trace-level analysis of acids, bases and other active compounds with the utmost confidence.
More options for avoiding inaccurate quantification and false negatives
Recently, Agilent J&W DB-1ms Ultra Inert and HP-1ms Ultra Inert columns were added to our Ultra Inert column family, giving you greater application flexibility for trace-level analysis.
Every 1ms Ultra Inert column is tested using Agilent’s very rigorous 1ms Ultra Inert test probe mixture (Table 1), which was created to highlight deficiencies in column activity (unlike weak mixtures that can actually mask such deficiencies). For this reason, the test probes in Agilent’s Ultra Inert test probe mixture have low molecular weights, low boiling points and no steric shielding of their active groups. These characteristics allow the probative portion of the test molecules to penetrate – and fully interact with – the stationary phase and column surface. Agilent’s QC testing procedure goes a long way toward ensuring the most consistent column inertness performance and providing the ultimate confidence in your analytical results.
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1ms Ultra Inert |
Elution Order |
Test Probe |
Functional Test |
1 |
1-Propionic acid |
Basicity |
2 |
1-Octene |
Polarity |
3 |
n-Octane |
Hydrocarbon marker |
4 |
1,2-Butanediol |
Silanol |
5 |
4-Picoline |
Acidity |
6 |
Trimethyl phosphate |
Acidity |
7 |
n-Propylbenzene |
Hydrocarbon marker |
8 |
1-Heptanol |
Silanol |
9 |
3-Octanone |
Polarity |
10 |
tert-Butylbenzene |
Hydrocarbon marker |
11 |
n-Decane |
Hydrocarbon marker |
Table 1. Ultra Inert test probe mixture for 1ms columns.
Proven performance for a wide range of applications
The following separation examples demonstrate how Agilent J&W 1ms Ultra Inert columns put even “impossible” analyses well within your reach.
Lavender Oil
The essential oil extracted from lavender blossoms is often used in hair and skin care products, and is a frequent component in the bouquet of fragrances found in perfumes. Characterization of these complex oils was analyzed using an Agilent J&W DB-1ms Ultra Inert column.
In Figure 1 you can see that the main components in lavender oil samples were well resolved and identified using a single quad GC/MS against NIST library 5.01. The identified peaks then served as the “fingerprint” for the analysis, allowing subsequent samples to be evaluated quickly and cost effectively using GC-FID. Note that this approach is made possible through the well-resolved, sharp peaks observed on the Agilent J&W DB-1ms Ultra Inert column. For more details about this analysis, read Agilent Application Note 5990-3700EN.
EPA Method 555.1 for chlorinated disinfection byproducts
Trace-level chlorinated hydrocarbon analyses using methods such as US EPA Method 551.1 are important tools for assessing organochlorine contamination in water. Because of their high volatility and limited retention, however, target organochlorine compounds can prove chromatographically challenging.
Figure 2 shows a dual-column configuration. An Agilent J&W HP-1ms Ultra Inert column served as the primary column, while a DB-1301 column was the confirmation column for analyzing disinfection by products such as trihalomethanes and haloacetonitriles. The excellent peak shape of the chloral hydrate, together with the resolution between bromodichloromethane and trichloroethylene (which exceeds the method requirement of greater than 0.5 resolution), emphasize the advantages of the Agilent J&W HP-1ms Ultra Inert capillary GC column for EPA Method 551.1 analysis. For more information, review the Agilent Application Note 5990-3737EN.
Continuing to raise the bar on consistent column inertness
Whether you are identifying semivolatiles in water and soil, quantifying amine pharmaceuticals, or screening for unknown samples, Ultra Inert columns – together with Agilent’s Renewable Gas Purification System and MS-Certified Liners – help ensure an inert GC flow path, which is essential for sensitivity, performance and the integrity of your results.
Learn more about Agilent J&W 1ms Ultra Inert GC columns, explore additional application examples and review chromatograms in our Ultra Inert Application Notes.
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