[Determination of sodium valproate in serum by gas chromatography]

Gas chromatography (GC) is a technique for separating and analyzing volatile compounds in a sample. Its primary purpose is to identify and quantify components in complex mixtures, making it essential in fields such as environmental analysis, pharmaceuticals, and petrochemicals. GC is also called vapor-phase chromatography (VPC) or gas-liquid partition chromatography (GLPC).
In GC,  a sample is vaporized and mixed with an inert carrier gas (the mobile phase), which transports it through a column.

Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) is the combination of analytical techniques of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry in a single instrument for analyzing a mixture of compounds. The gas chromatograph separates the compounds in the mixture, and the mass spectrometer analyzes each compound separately to determine the molecular masses and molecular structures.
A gas chromatograph consists of a long, narrow capillary column with a polysiloxane coating on the inner wall. The coating...

For solutions containing mixtures of different cations, the identity of each cation can be determined by qualitative analysis. This technique involves a series of selective precipitations with different chemical reagents, each reaction producing a characteristic precipitate for a specific group of cations. Metal ions within a group are further separated by varying the pH, heating the mixture to redissolve a precipitate, or adding other reagents to form complex ions.
For instance, group IV...

Polarography is a classical voltammetric technique used to analyze electrochemical reactions. This method applies a linear potential sweep to a dropping mercury electrode (DME), and the resulting current is measured. A dropping mercury electrode is commonly used as the working electrode in polarography. It consists of a capillary tube filled with mercury, where the tiny droplet forms at the tip. This droplet continuously drops from the capillary, creating a new electrode surface for each...

Detectors in gas chromatography (GC) help identify and quantify the components of a mixture by translating chemical properties into measurable signals, which are displayed on a chromatogram. Detectors can be categorized into two main types: destructive and non-destructive.
A non-destructive detector allows a sample to be analyzed without altering or consuming it, meaning the sample can be collected after detection for further analysis. Examples include thermal conductivity detectors and...

Capillary electrophoretic separations offer various modes, each with unique applications. These modes include capillary zone electrophoresis, capillary gel electrophoresis, capillary array electrophoresis, capillary isoelectric focusing, capillary isotachophoresis, micellar electrokinetic chromatography, and capillary electrochromatography.
Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) separates ionic components based on their electrophoretic mobility. It has been used to separate proteins, amino acids,...