Analysis and Comparison of Gas Chromatographic Columns with Polyethylene Glycol Stationary Phase

Abstract

Gas chromatographic capillary columns with polyethylene glycol (PEG) stationary phase are very frequently used. Their polar character makes them able to analyze many molecules. Alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, and esters can be measured easily, but also molecules with acidic or alkaline characteristics can be separated. For these components, there are also acidic and alkaline modified PEG phases.
When we want to buy a new column, we can choose from many manufacturers. Everyone tells us their column is the best, but we don’t know the real differences between these columns. It is because every manufacturer has its testing method under different circumstances and uses different test molecules. Also, they give us only a couple of information about the column, but that is not helpful in every case.
We used an 8-component test mixture to compare the WAX columns of 6 manufacturers. The chromatogram lets us see the retention, resolution, and peak shape. We completed these parameters with the columns' efficiency and the sorption enthalpies and entropies of the analyzed compound. With these similar conditions, we can now compare the columns from different manufacturers and show more information about the columns to help the customer choose the best for the analysis.