1989 Volume 38 Issue 12 Pages 659-666
Neither multidimensional gas chromatography (MDGC) nor multidimensional gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (MDGC/MS) has been used for biomedical research as often as desirable because suitable equipment has not been available. Simple pre-cutting techniques were investigated for MDGC/MS systems. Precutting allows high boiling-point compounds, not objects of interest for analysis, to be expelled, and has many advantages for GC/MS analysis, such as avoiding contamination of the ion source and lengthening the life span of the analytical column, shortening analysis time and simplifying pretreatment. Drugs in serum extracts were determined using packed and capillary columns as precolumns. Although some drugs could be run clearly through a packed precolumn, polar compounds such as acetaminophen could not be, resulting in peak distortion. The use of a capillary precolumn was effective for such compounds because of minimal adsorption, resulting in improved peak shape. An analgesic, anticonvulsants and tranquilizers extracted from serum were analyzed within 25 min.
