On-line coupled reversed phase liquid chromatography and gas chromatography: a new sealing design for the TOTAD interface.

Total elimination of the eluent resulting from the pre-separation step is the critical point when coupling LC to GC. As a helium flow is applied during transfer to eliminate the solvent, the interface used for linking the two chromatographic systems must be properly sealed to prevent gas leaks and to achieve an effective evaporation of the eluent. The aim of this work was to improve the performance of the Through Oven Transfer Adsorption Desorption (TOTAD) interface to remove the eluent coming from LC by modifying the way in which the injector sealing system is held in place. As with the original design, the new approach makes it possible to transfer high volumes at a high rate, but the proposed modification also simplifies the experimental work because the displacement risk of the sealing system is reduced. Analyses of an ester mixture by RPLC-GC were performed to confirm the applicability of the system modification. In this work, volumes of up to 5 ml, at flow rates as high as 2 ml/min, were transferred from LC to GC with almost complete solvent removal even when working in reversed phase mode in the LC step.