Gas chromatography

Gas chromatography (GC) is a separation method whose general principles are the same as those of chromatography in general, i.e. based on the differential migration of the constituents of the mixture to be analyzed through a chosen substrate. The special feature of this process is that it operates entirely on volatilized products, which means that a suitable minimum temperature must be maintained, but without volatilization of the substrate, and that the process must operate in a gas-tight circuit.

First envisaged in 1941 by Martin and Synge, CPG developed mainly from 1952 onwards, under the impetus of James and Martin. Between 1960 and 1970, it became one of the most widely used separation methods. It is by no means a competitor to high-performance liquid chromatography or thin-layer chromatography (see specialized articles in this treatise), but has its own field. In particular, the considerable development of capillary columns in recent years has made them the process of choice for the detection of ultra-traces, the basic theme of pollution studies. For this purpose, spectrometric detection and identification methods are often combined.

At present, no chromatographer can keep up with all the articles on GC. Bibliography can only be carried out with the aid of a computer within the two or three hundred thousand references that make up the general collection. As a first step, for general information on the technique, you can use the indications given at the end of this article, concerning the titles of recent books and of a few dissertations to orientate you for more detailed research.