With the average purchase price of gas chromatography (GC) equipment running into the tens of thousands, it is critical that the GC chosen best fits your application and delivers consistent analytical results. Servicing and regular maintenance however are only part of ensuring this is achieved. Critical impurities such as oxygen, moisture and hydrocarbons in the carrier gas impact on the ability of a GC to operate optimally, causing column damage and increased baseline noise.
Most GC users are aware of the effects of these impurities, with some fitting inline purifiers, between the cylinder and the GC, to remove them from the gas before they can reach the capillary or packed column.
There is another solution though, which not only ensures the lowest levels of impurities, but also eliminates the need for inline purifiers. BIP® technology, exclusively from Air Products, delivers the lowest levels of critical impurities (water, oxygen and hydrocarbons) straight from the cylinder.
As a result of using BIP® technology the potential performance of your GC can be unlocked, as case studies demonstrating the improvements of switching to BIP® gases have shown. A leading UK laboratory, carrying out GC-FID analysis on a 'FAME' (fatty acid methyl ester) test mixture, saw column life extended from typically 25 days to 104 days, after switching to BIP® helium from standard helium 5.0. While a pharmaceutical laboratory, carrying out GC-FID analysis on 100ppm methanol samples using helium 5.0 with inline purifiers, demonstrated an improvement after removing the inline purifiers and changing to Air Products BIP® helium. Results showed the baseline noise itself was sharply reduced, with baseline rise almost eliminated.
Switching to high purity gases with BIP® technology couldn't be easier, just order BIP® gases in place of your normal carrier gas and see the benefits immediately.