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Gas Chromatography Lab

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Introduction Chromatography is a technique used to identity chemical compounds. The prefix, chromato meaning colors and graphy meaning to produce images. It refers to the original methods where the results were displayed as colored bands.
There are two components to chromatography, the stationary phase and the mobile phase. The stationary phase supports the compounds. How far the compound moves through the stationary phase is determined by the interactions the phase has with the intermolecular forces of the molecules. The mobile phase is what carries the compounds through the stationary phase.
The method of chromatography performed depends on the identity of the phases. Thin Paper Chromatography uses a thin porous paper as the stationary …show more content…

With Thin Paper Chromatography we measure the generated spots for their Rf value. By comparing how high the mobile phase went to how high the spots are at we can calculate a Rf value that can be used to identify compounds. In Gas Chromatography we measure the retention time. The retention time is how long it takes for the compound to fully leave the column. The compounds will exit the tube at different time and be measured as electrical signals by the GC machine. In the same situations, the same compounds will always come out at the same time. So, by comparing the retention time of an unknown to a known we can identity …show more content…

We start with our Gas Chromatography machine, in our case the Vernier GC Mini. It is connected to the computer the software on the it will control the GC Mini as well as display the retention time. The GC Mini needs to heat up, so hitting collect on the Vernier software will start the process, letting you adjust the values for temperature, pressure, ramp time and other variables.
Next, we need to prepare the sample for the GC Mini, it is injected with a large needle through a little hole on the top of the machine. In addition, the needle must be cleared of other molecules that might have remained from previous runs. Putting the syringe into a strong solvent, in our case methanol. Pulling in the solvent up into the needle a third of the way, and then emptying it, and repeating that twice will assure a clean needle for our sample.
We can then get our sample. We want to try to take the same amount each time, the needle is a little hard to read. When the GC is ready we can place the need the GC’s opening, being careful to not bend the it. Pushing slowly and twisting if the needle gets stuck, it can go all the way down. With another person pressing the collect button on the software and you pushing down the needle, you can then pull the needle out and repeat with a new

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