AUTOMATED SAMPLE CLEANUP USING ONLINE COUPLING OF SIZE-EXCLUSION CHROMATOGRAPHY TO HIGH-RESOLUTION GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY

A fully automated on-line sample cleanup system based on the coupling of size exclusion chromatography to high resolution gas chromatography is described. The transfer technique employed is based on fully concurrent solvent evaporation using a loop-type interface, early vapor exit and co-solvent trapping. Optimization of the LC-GC transfer was done visually via an all-glass oven door. To circumvent the problem of mixing within the injection loop, an adaptation was made to the standard loop-type interface. The determination of a series ot additives in a polymer matrix is presented as one example of the vast range of applications opened up by this technique.