Gas purifiers Are Essential Since they help in giving a clean gas flow, which can guarantee the quality of the gas chromatographic analysis and the reliability of the results. Further, such gas purifiers minimize sensor noise and prolong the life span of the column. Gas purifiers are like insurance policies to protect the instrumentation and other analytical columns from various kinds of contaminants. Nonetheless, the gas purifiers would not have the ability to convert low purity gases into high purity gases. As a result of this important factor, it is necessary to choose the ideal grade of gases with different purity levels for suitable use in gas chromatographic applications.
Choice of Right Gas Purifier to agree with your Applications
Various Kinds of gas purifiers are available on the market. Though some gas purifiers eliminate a single specific contaminant, other types remove numerous contaminants simultaneously from the gas flow. You must reflect on many factors during the selection procedure of gas purifiers, taking into account your particular applications. These factors include the possible contaminants within the gas flow, the limitations on pressure and flow, levels of gas purity required, desirable convenience in replacement of spent gas traps, and space availability.
Frequent Traps Used in Gas Purifiers
Oxygen, hydrocarbon, carbon Dioxide, and moisture traps are the most frequent purifiers used in most the Paper Chromatography GC applications. Oxygen traps are typically packed with metal catalysts. Oxygen is thought to be the most damaging contaminating gas in most analytical columns. Oxygen is capable of producing irreversible oxidation damage, particularly to polar stationary phases. Hydrocarbon traps are generally packed with activated charcoal, which may absorb organic compounds which are bigger than methane. Nonetheless, the molecular size and weight of these organic contaminants will have a definite influence on the capacity of the hydrocarbon trap to a wonderful extent but it will also reflect on trap efficiency to some degree.
Activated charcoal possesses a greater capacity to trap larger hydrocarbons which are greater than C4, in contrast to smaller hydrocarbons, which are lower than C4. Moisture traps are often packed with unique molecular sieves. When exposed to extensive heating, the crystalline structures are made to lose their hydration or water content. This opens a cavity that gets filled easily with any compound that could fit the cavity. Water fits perfectly into this cavity but this trap will also have the ability to eliminate gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen chloride, and chlorine or other gases which have powerful diameters lesser than water.