Fast GC Add-On for PTR-TOF Instruments

摘要

IONICON (Austria) presents an innovative accessory for its successful PTR-TOFMS series. IONICON PTR-TOF systems are capable of measuring trace gas samples in real-time with a high mass resolving power. The new "fastGC" module adds an optional chemical separation step before the analysis. The module consists of a short GC column with an advanced heating concept for ultra-fast heating and equally fast cooling rates which makes this pre-separation step nearly real-time. "A key advantage of PTR-MS is to see trace concentrations in real-time. Compare to the discrete and time consuming sample analysis in GC-MS, the introduction of PTR-MS back in 1998 has been like the step from one high-resolution picture to a full movie.", says Dr. Alfons Jordan, co-founder of IONICON. A full PTR-TOF spectrum can be acquired every 100 ms -18,000 times faster than a typical GC spectrum - and contains several hundred compounds separated according to their chemical composition. Separating compounds with the same composition (isomers) remains, however, the domain of GC.