Evaluation of a transfer technique for direct coupling of reversed-phase liquid chromatography with gas chromatography

A method that allows direct transfer of liquid chromatographic aqueous eluents into capillary gas chromatography, using a programmed temperature vaporizer as interface, was investigated. The method involved both the evaporative and nonevaporative modes of solvent elimination and allowed large fractions of methanol-water eluents to be transferred from LC to GC. The speed of sample transfer was 1800 mu l/min and the internal diameter of the column used in the preseparation step was 4.6 mm. Working rules of the method were investigated to improve sensitivity for the direct analysis of trace compounds. Reproducibility was achieved and detection limits ranging from 0.1 to 1.5 mu g/ml of ethyl esters covering a wide range of boiling points were obtained. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.