Combined capillary column gas chromatography-molecular fluorescence spectrometry

Abstract

A vapour-phase detector for capillary column gas chromatography based on molecular fluorescence spectrometry has been developed and its performance evaluated. Monitoring the fluorescence characteristics of the column effluent, as it passes through a heated flow cell, offers a sensitive and highly selective method for the determination of compounds exhibiting native fluorescence. Detection limits for the combined gas chromatography-molecular fluorescence spectrometry (GC-FS) technique are comparable to those for conventional detectors and specific components can be selectively analysed by careful choice of excitation and emission wavelengths, whilst retaining the high column efficiency of capillary column gas chromatography.