Imagine yourself on the road, driving past a lush forest that stretches beside you. If you were to take a moment and look out the window, that forest would look like one long strip of hearty pine trees. However, should you take to the skies and look down from a plane, that same forest would look a lot different. It is no longer a single strip of pines, but a rugged terrain of land dotted with bushes, oak trees, pine trees, even a small, hidden stream that you never would’ve known was there if you just looked on from the street.
When it comes to chromatographic analyses, GCxGC is much like obtaining the view from above. It can be tempting to think you have the full picture when running one-dimensional chromatographic analyses, but as any chromatographer knows, coelutions are inevitable — especially in samples with hundreds or thousands of compounds. Running GCxGC workflows paired with LECO’s Paradigm Flow Modulator and Shift Flow Splitter will give you the most extensive and accurate results, painting a complete picture of your sample analysis that you otherwise wouldn’t see.
The Paradigm Reverse Fill-Flush (RFF) Modulator allows for full transfer of analytes from the first dimension to the second during GCxGC-TOFMS/FID, while the Shift Flow Splitter maintains a constant split ratio and MS flow between the MS and FID throughout the entire GC oven ramp. Combining the chromatographic resolution of Paradigm with the innovative flow handling of Shift unlocks novel quantitative capabilities — even during complex non-target screenings.
The Paradigm Shift system was made for labs seeking complex sample characterization. It is perfect for analysis of highly volatile and exceedingly complex samples like fragrances, fuels, and more. The figure below illustrates how improved resolution of the Paradigm Shift system accurately identifies and quantifies multiple analytes that would have otherwise coeluted in one-dimensional GC.
GC and GCxGC separations of a fragrance mixture are shown. GCxGC chromatographically resolved three analyte pairs that coelute in the associated GC separation, increasing the number of quantitated compounds and improving overall area % accuracy.
To learn more about LECO’s Paradigm Shift system, check out our Featured Applications on the Paradigm Shift Product Page that highlight how the system enhances simultaneous quantitative and qualitative data collection.
