Intake system using glass ampoules for gas chromatographic analysis of volatile compounds of biological origin

A gas chromatographic intake system using 1 ml glass ampoules is described. Examples of analyses of gases and volatile organic compounds produced by soil and soil organisms incubated in the ampoules are given. The gas chromatographic system was used to analyze permanent gases produced by germinating Fusarium conidia and by an agricultural soil as well as to study the respiration of Panagrellus nematodes. A comparison of the gas chromatograms of volatile organic compounds present in a beech forest soil and an agricultural soil indicates that the chromatograms represent "finger prints" of the two soils. Results obtained with the intake system described are compared to those obtained using a conventional head space technique.