DEVELOPMENTS IN THE ANALYSIS OF HEADSPACE VOLATILES - ON-COLUMN INJECTIONS INTO FUSED-SILICA CAPILLARIES AND SPLIT INJECTIONS WITH A LOW-TEMPERATURE BONDED PEG STATIONARY PHASE

The injection of headspace samples directly into the interior of small bore capillary columns offers several advantages; one of the more important is that additional dilution of the sample by carrier gas, especially during its transport to the column, can be minimized. Even so, chromatographic results are usually improved if the sample band is narrowed or focused before it begins the chromatographic process. This is particularly true for headspace injections and for purge-and-trap methods. For some samples, properly executed headspace injections can yield results that rival, and are often superior to, those obtained by conventional purge-and-trap.