CHROMATOGRAPHY, Vol. 28 (2007), No. 1, pp. 25-28

Specific separation of polar analytes on a medium polar stationary phase by gas chromatography with carrier gas containing vaporous modifiers

Hiroshi Ito^1,2*, Takashi Sugiura³, Hidenori Nagai³, Atsushi Murase¹, Shuji Kodama⁴, Yoshinori Inoue⁵, Atsushi Yamamoto³, Kazuichi Hayakawa²

¹Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc., 41-1, Nagakute, Nagakute-cho, Aichi 480-1192, Japan
²Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa-shi, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan
³College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chubu University, 1200, Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai-shi, Aichi 487-8501, Japan
⁴Toyama Institute of Health, 17-1 Nakataikoyama, Imizu-shi, Toyama 939-0363, Japan
⁵ChromaNik Technologies Inc., 6-3-1, Namiyoke, Minato-ku, Osaka 552-0001, Japan

We have developed a novel generator that constantly introduces a vaporous modifier into the inert carrier gas. The effect of different modifiers on the retention times of analytes using a medium polar stationary phase and the generator was studied. When using formic acid as a modifier, the line of the van't Hoff plot of acetic acid was convexly curved. The inflection point was in the range of 100 to 120 ℃, which corresponds to the boiling point of formic acid under pressurized conditions. The inflection point was found to be related to the association of formic acid.