Second-Dimension Temperature Programming System for Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography. Part 2:...

The second-dimension (²D) temperature programming system (²DTPS) for comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC) described in Part 1 was updated and tested with the time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOFMS) and flow modulator. Addition of a real-time clock and remote port allowed the ²DTPS to be a truly standalone system to be used with any GC × GC instrument. GC × GC reproducibility with the ²DTPS was tested with thermal and flow modulation, coupled with the TOFMS and/or FID to demonstrate compatibility with all typical GC × GC setups. An improvement in the match factor, reverse match factor, and signal-to-noise ratio was found when performing ²D temperature programming. Within-day and day-to-day reproducibility of the ²DTPS for the ¹D retention time (≤0.04 and ≤0.05%), ²D retention time (≤0.36 and ≤0.52%), and peak area (≤2.47 and ≤3.37%) were acceptable, while providing flexibility in ²D optimization and improved peak capacity.