Two-dimensional gas chromatography

Patent Granted Two-dimensional chromatography is a type of chromatographic technique in which the injected sample is separated by passing through two different separation stages. This is done by injecting the eluent from the first column onto a second column. Typically the second column has a different separation mechanism, so that bands that are poorly resolved from the first column may be completely separated in the second column. (For instance, a C18 reversed-phase chromatography column may be followed by a phenyl column.) Alternately, the two columns might run at different temperatures. The second stage of the separation must be run much faster than the first, since there is still only a single detector. The plane surface is amenable to sequential development in two directions using two different solvents.