Steam Carrier Gas-Solid Chromatography

Steam carrier gas-solid chromatography promises several advantages over conventional techniques of gas chromatography. The presence of a multilayer of adsorbed water under conditions similar to those employed in steam carrier gas-solid chromatography (SSC) has been proved experimentally. The apparatus for SSC resembles that for traditional gas chromatography (GC) in many aspects except that the former has a steam generator for the carrier steam. Liquid pumps for carrier materials must operate at a rather high pressure to obtain a steady flow of carrier vapor against the column pressure drop. As in ordinary GC, liquid samples can be injected with a micro syringe through a silicone-rubber septum used to seal the end of the injection port. The head of the analytical column or the sample-injected port, maintained usually at a rather high temperature, also serves as a vaporization port if the liquid is pumped directly into the head of the analytical column.