Evaluating Hydrogen Carrier Gas for US EPA 8260D with Tekmar Atomx XYZ P&T and Agilent 7890B GC and 5977B MS using HydroInert Source

Automation & Innovation for Sample Preparation
Poster Presentation

Prepared by T. Hartlein1, A. Andrianova2, S. Haddad3, A. Nutter1
1 - Teledyne LABS, 4736 Socialville foster Road, mason, OH, 45040, United States
2 - Agilent Technologies, 2850 Centerville Rd, , DE, Wilmington, United States
3 - Agilent Technologies, 2850 Centerville Rd, , DE, Wilimington, 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 Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS) applications. The Agilent HydroInert source is a GC/MS ion source that improves chromatographic performance when using hydrogen as carrier gas. Its inertness minimizes hydrogenation and dechlorination reactions in the MS source, avoiding loss of sensitivity and spectral anomalies while offering a high-boiler peak shape. The Teledyne LABS Tekmar Atomx XYZ 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. This application is a demonstration of hydrogen carrier gas for the quantitation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with the method requirements of US EPA Method 8260D in conjunction with US EPA Method 5030 for the aqueous samples and US EPA Method 5035 for the solid waste samples. The Teledyne Labs Tekmar Atomx XYZ combined Purge and Trap (P&T) concentrator and autosampler was paired with an Agilent 7890B GC and 5977B MS and the HydroInert ion source to demonstrate the method requirements: average response factor (RF) calibration ≤20% RSD of RFs or r≥0.995, r≥0.99 for linear or quadratic regression respectively, Lower standard (LLOQ) recalculation within ±50% of the true value and all other calibration levels within ±30% of true value, method detection limits (MDL), a mid-point calibration check with accuracy and precision. This work also provides a comparison of the stated method requirements on the HydroInert source and the EI source with hydrogen and helium carrier gas.