Issue 7, 1992

Detection and identification of volatile substances by headspace capillary gas chromatography to aid the diagnosis of acute poisoning

Abstract

Headspace gas chromatography with split flame-ionization–electron-capture detection is a simple method of screening for a wide range of volatile substances in biological fluids. A 60m × 0.53 mm i.d. thick-film (5µm) fused-silica capillary coated with SPB-1 (Supelchem) with split flame-ionization–electron-capture detection provides a valuable alternative to packed columns in this work. Most commonly abused compounds, including many with very low boiling-points such as bromochlorodifluoromethane (BCF), butane, dimethyl ether, FC 11, FC 12, isobutane and propane, can be retained and differentiated at an initial column temperature of 40 °C followed by programming to 200 °C. The total analysis time is 26 min. Retention and detector response data were generated for 244 compounds. Good peak shapes are obtained for polar analytes such as ethanol and injections of up to 0.30 cm3 of headspace can be performed with no discernable loss of efficiency. The sensitivity is thus at least as good as that attainable with packed columns. Of the commonly encountered compounds, only isobutane–methanol and paraldehyde–toluene are at all difficult to differentiate. Quantitative measurements can be performed either isothermally or by using the temperature programme.

Article information

Article type
Paper

Analyst, 1992,117, 1111-1127

Detection and identification of volatile substances by headspace capillary gas chromatography to aid the diagnosis of acute poisoning

P. J. Streete, M. Ruprah, J. D. Ramsey and R. J. Flanagan, Analyst, 1992, 117, 1111 DOI: 10.1039/AN9921701111

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements