High purity carbon adsorbents for sample preparation and GC applications

Looking for more information on carbon adsorbents for gas chromatography (GC) and sample preparation? If so, read on...

The first high purity Supelco^® carbon adsorbents were made for gas chromatographic packed columns. Then, specialty carbons were developed for thermal desorption tubes followed by the introduction of carbons in solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridges. In later developments, Supelco carbons were used to make porous layer open tubular (PLOT) columns as well as solid phase microextraction SPME fibers. Current Supelco carbon technologies include nanocarbons for electronic applications. Merck, under the Supelco brand, has a total of 75 carbon intermediates that are utilized combined or stand-alone in different analytical devices. These carbons are highly customizable, high capacity, synthetic, and reusable which differentiates them from activated charcoal. These carbons are categorized below.

• Carboxen^® and Carbosieve^® are amorphous carbon molecular sieves suitable for permanent gas analyses and small molecule analysis at high pressures (16,000-20,000 psi), volatile organic compound analysis using air sampling tubes, and for extracting small molecules from aqueous samples for SPE analyses.
• Carbopack™ and Nanocarbons are graphitized carbon blacks. These carbons are effective for separating volatile, semi-volatile, and non-volatile compounds for gas chromatographic analyses, and for extraction of semi-volatile and non-volatile compounds from aqueous samples for SPE applications. Carbopacks typically can only withstand 400 psi, but are effective adsorbents for separation of semi-volatiles and nonvolatiles in air sampling applications.
• Graphsphere™ are graphitized polymer carbons, and represent an additional benefit over the graphitized carbon blacks due to their spherical particle shape in packed bed systems. Graphsphere™ is also nonfriable; it can withstand superior pressures (16,000- 20,000 psi) when used in packed bed systems in gas and liquid applications. The uniformly defined graphite surface provides unique selectivity for both chromatography and sample preparation.

All four families of carbons are processed at the Supelco site in Bellefonte, USA where all carbon containing devices are manufactured. For those research groups that are investigating new applications, these carbons are also available in family kits containing either carbon molecular sieves, graphitized carbon blacks or graphitized polymer carbons.

To find out more on these carbon families, particularly in terms of particle- and pore-size distribution, sample preparation, and GC applcations, click on the button below: