Long-Term Performance of EPA 8260D using Hydrogen Carrier Gas with the Teledyne LABS Tekmar Lumin P&T and Agilent 7890B GC and 5977B MS System with the HydroInert Source

Ideas for a Sustainable Laboratory Program
Poster Presentation

Prepared by T. Hartlein1, A. Andrianova2, S. Novaes-Card2, S. Haddad3, A. Nutter1, T. Trent1
1 - Teledyne LABS, 4736 Socialville Foster Rd, Mason, OH, 45040, United States
2 - Agilent Technologies, 2850 Centerville Rd, Wilmington, DE, 19808, United States
3 - Agilent Technolgies, 2850 Centerville Road, Wilmington, DE, 19808, United States


Contact Information: [email protected]; 513.229.7065

ABSTRACT

As helium supplies become scarcer and more expensive, laboratories have been seeking alternative carrier gases. Hydrogen is a low-cost, renewable gas suitable for several Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) applications. Use of hydrogen as a carrier gas allows for improved chromatographic resolution when using a 20m x 0.18mm GC column. The Agilent HydroInert source is a GC/MS ion source developed for use with hydrogen carrier gas. Its inertness reduces in-source reactions such as hydrogenation and dechlorination, minimizing loss of sensitivity and spectral anomalies while enabling excellent peak shape for thigh-boiling targets. The Teledyne LABS Tekmar Lumin Purge and Trap (P&T) is compatible with hydrogen carrier gas and allows the use of nitrogen as purge gas, avoiding the need for a helium supply.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) last revised its 8260D method, revision 4, in February 2017, which differs from its 8260A-C methods with an updated Bromofluorobenzene (BFB) tune check acceptance criteria to help with interactions between the carrier gas and water vapor. The Tekmar Lumin P&T and AQUATek LVA autosampler was paired with an Agilent 7890B GC and 5977B MS and the HydroInert ion source utilizing hydrogen carrier gas. This over 5000 sample injection longevity study is a demonstration of the ability of the Tekmar Lumin’s sample preparation and concentration and Agilent’s GC/MS system equipped with the HydroInert source to quantitate volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with the quality control requirements of EPA Method 8260D in conjunction with EPA Method 5030 for aqueous samples. Every 12 hours, a BFB tune check was performed, as well as a Calibration Check Verification (CCV), Laboratory Control Standard (LCS) and a series of samples and method blanks. Agilent’s autotune was evaluated throughout the study and method analytes were analyzed by precision and accuracy and stability displayed.