Question

A client brings a clear, colourless liquid of organic compounds collected from a reaction vessel. The client indicated that the mixture was only composed of C, O, N, and H and upon heating boils to dryness at 120°C leaving no residue. The client wants you to determine how many components are in the mixture. Select the best method.

Options: HPLC with an atomic emission detector

Gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector

Ion chromatography with a conductivity detector

Gas chromatography with an electron capture detector

Answer 1

Gas chromatography with a flame ionisation detector. Here compounds are heated at higher temperatures to separate. Formation of vapour is essential and it is checked that which vapour reaches first to the detector through the stationary phase.

HPLC leads to separation of polar molecules from non polar molecules, without heating at such a higher temperatures.

In organic molecules ion chromatography is not suitable as organic compounds mostly forms covalent bonds.