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800-356-1688 •
2005vol. 3
1. 1, 4-butanediol
2.
γ
-butyrolactone
GC_PH00783
GC_PH00784
Column:
Rtx
®
-BAC1 30m, 0.32mm ID, 1.8µm (cat.# 18003) and Rtx
®
-BAC2 30m, 0.32mmID,
1.2µm (cat.# 18002)
Sample:
100µg/mL each
γ
-butyrolactone (GBL) and 1, 4-butanediol inmethanol
Inj.:
1.0µL split (split ratio 1:10), 4mm single gooseneck inlet liner withwool (cat.# 22405)
Inj.Temp.:
240°C
Carrier Gas:
helium, constant flow
FlowRate:
3.0mL/min.
OvenTemp.:
50°C to 240°C@ 10°C/min. (hold 2min.)
Det.:
FID@ 240°C
Rtx®-BAC1
Rtx®-BAC2
Figure6
γ
-butyrolactone&1,4-butanediol on
Rtx®-BAC1&Rtx®-BAC2Columns.
SeCure™“Y”ConnectorKit
SeCure™ “Y” connector body, 3 knurled nuts, “Y”
Universal Press-Tight
®
union, 3 ferrules.
Intermediate-PolarityDeactivatedGuard
Columns/TransferLines
Rtx®-BAC1Columns (fusedsilica)
ID df (µm)
temp. limits
length cat.#
0.32mm 1.80 -20 to 240/260°C 30-Meter 18003
0.53mm 3.00 -20 to 240/260°C 30-Meter 18001
Rtx®-BAC2Columns (fusedsilica)
ID df (µm)
temp. limits
length cat.#
0.32mm 1.20 -20 to 240/260°C 30-Meter 18002
0.53mm 2.00 -20 to 240/260°C 30-Meter 18000
Description
Ferrules Fit Column ID qty. cat.#
Connector Kit
0.28/0.32mm kit 20277
Nominal ID
Nominal OD
5-Meter
0.32mm
0.45± 0.04mm 10044
0.53mm
0.69± 0.05mm 10045
TheSeCure
™
“Y” connector’s opendesignallows visu-
al confirmationof the seal; secondary seals ensurea
leak-tight connection.
We designedRtx®-BAC1 andRtx®-BAC2 columns for blood alcohol analysis
byheadspaceGC/FID (Figure1),butmanyothermaterialsof forensic interest
also can be analyzed and confirmed using this column pair in a headspace
GC/FID system, including inhalant anesthetics, alkyl nitrites, glycols, industri-
al solvents,andpetroleumhydrocarbons.The substances in these targetgroups
are resolved to baseline on one column or the other. Inhalants (Figure 2) or
alkyl nitrites and their alcoholmetabolites (Figure3), for example, show excel-
lent resolution and responses, and symmetrical peak shapes, in short analysis
times. Similarly, performance is excellent for common industrial solvents
(Figure 4). Retention times formany compounds of interest are presented in
Table 1.1
For the analysis and confirmation of blood alcohols or other materials on
Rtx®-BAC1andRtx®-BAC2columns,weuseaGC/FIDequippedwithahead-
spaceautosampler that simultaneously introduces sampleonto the twoanalyt-
ical columns. This dual column technique increases throughput by providing
screening and confirmationdata from a single injection. Byusing 0.32mm ID
columns and a high carrier gas flow rate, we achieve baseline resolution of
blood alcohol compounds in less than3minutes (Figure 1).
Other abused substances of interest, such as gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB,
the “date rape drug”), and poisons, such as ethylene glycol, typically are ana-
lyzed from liquid injections.TheRtx®-BAC1 /Rtx®-BAC2dual column system
coupledwithFIDassures excellent responses andpeak shapes for ethylenegly-
colandpropyleneglycol (Figure5)or forGHB(Figure6),whichusually iscon-
verted to gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) for the analysis.
By analyzing these abused substances and poisons simultaneously on Rtx®-
BAC1andRtx®-BAC2columns,compoundscoelutingononestationaryphase
are resolved on the complementary stationary phase, and analytical and con-
firmationdataareobtained inhalf the timerequiredwithsequential injections.
Analytes characteristicallyare elutedwith excellent responses andpeak shapes.
These example applications establish dual column analysis and confirmation
onRtx®-BAC1 andRtx®-BAC2 columns as a veryuseful andhighly adaptable
forensics technique.
additional
reading
Clarke’s Analysis of Drugs and Poisons
,Third Edition, A.C. Moffat, M.D.
Osselton and B.Widdop (editors), Pharmaceutical Press, 2004.
Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault: A Forensic Handbook
, Marc A. LeBeau
and Ashraf Mozayani, Academic Press, 2001
Handbook of Forensic Drug Analysis
, Frederick P. Smith and Jay A. Siegel
(editors), Academic Press, 2004
¹Formore information about analyses of anesthetics, or for analyses of
petroleum hydrocarbons, please request ApplicationNote 59548 or
59574, respectively.
