Identification of important trace components in complex samples like fragrances, natural products, petroleum fractions or polymers can be challenging. Achieving the mass on column and resolution necessary to locate and identify trace components using a single chromatographic separation can be difficult if not impossible.
A selectable 1D/2D GC-MS confi guration using Agilent capillary fl ow technology (CFT) and low thermal mass (LTM) GC column modules with dissimilar column phases was used to perform heartcutting 2D GC on two sample types. Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction was used as a solventless means to introduce sufficient mass of sample extract onto the precolumn of the multidimensional system. When additional mass is necessary to detect the analyte of interest in the second dimension separation, a selectable cryotrap after the precolumn can function as a fraction collector to accumulate fractions from many replicate chromatographic separations of the sample extract.
