Gas Chromatography

Book excerpt: Gas Chromatography: Principles, Techniques, and Applications, Second Edition, is a general textbook on gas chromatography suitable for users of the technique and for research workers. It does not presuppose any knowledge of the subject. Starting with an introduction to gas chromatography, the first half of the book is primarily concerned with the ability of gas chromatography to perform separations. The theory of the operation and design of gas chromatographic columns—both packed and open-tube—is described in detail, and it is shown how columns may be designed so as to secure any desired separation. Separate chapters discuss the thermodynamics of solution and the kinetics of chromatography. The third quarter of the book deals with detectors, which are the means of obtaining quantitative analyses by gas chromatography. It also contains a description of the union of gas chromatography with other techniques, and some indication of the use of the more sophisticated methods of handling gas-chromatographic data. The last quarter of the book is a single chapter in a series of sections, each dealing with the chromatography of a particular class of chemical compound