Experiment

Using a Gas Chromatograph:

1
Identifying Unknown Compounds
There are many different types of chromatography: paper, thin layer, liquid, high-pressure liquid
(HPLC) and gas (GC). Chromatography is applied in many fields. Biochemists use liquid
chromatography to separate proteins; chemists use GC and HPLC to identify organic
compounds. Technicians use GC for drug tests, toxin screens and environmental analysis. Many
forensic tests involve chromatography.

All chromatography approaches operate under the same principles. There is a stationary phase
and a mobile phase. The mobile phase travels along the stationary phase (in the column or on a
plate) from a start point to an end point. Compounds can travel from the start to the end at
different rates, depending on whether they tend to “stick” to the stationary phase or “float” in the
mobile phase. Compounds stick to the stationary phase through dipole interactions, dispersion
forces or ionic interactions.

The Vernier Mini GC uses a metal column with the inside of the column coated with the
stationary phase. A sample, consisting of one or more compounds, is injected onto the column
and is pushed through by air, which acts as the mobile phase. Organic compounds flowing out of
the chromatography column are seen as a peak on a chromatograph, as seen in Figure 1. The
amount of time it takes for a compound to exit the column after it is injected is called the
retention time. With a GC, a compound can be identified from a mixture of chemicals by its
retention time.

Figure 1: Sample gas chromatogram

Several factors can affect the interaction of a compound with the GC. More volatile compounds
(i.e., compounds with a lower boiling point) tend to move through the column faster because
they are flowing in the mobile phase and interacting very little with the stationary phase. The
functional groups present on the compound are also a factor. For example, alcohols may interact
with a polar stationary phase more than esters because alcohols can form stronger hydrogen
bonds. The molecular weight of a compound can also play a role, although it is not a simple
matter of saying that the heavier the molecule, the slower it will travel through a GC column.

Gas Chromatography Investigations © 2009 Vernier Software & Technology 1-1

Experiment 1

OBJECTIVES
In this experiment, you will
• Measure and analyze the retention time of five ketones and a known mixture of the
ketones as they pass through a Vernier Mini GC.
• Measure and analyze the retention time of an unknown mixture of ketones.
• Identify the ketones present in an unknown mixture based on retention times.

MATERIALS
Vernier Mini GC acetone
computer or LabQuest 2-butanone
Logger Pro 3 or LabQuest App 2-hexanone
1 µ L glass syringe 4-methyl-2-pentanone
Kimwipes® or paper towel 2-pentanone
mixture of the 5 ketones
unknown ketone mixture

PRE-LAB EXERCISE
Complete the table below. Look up the boiling points for the ketones listed and predict the order
in which these compounds will exit the GC column (known as elution order). Rate the
compound you think will exit the column first with the number 1; the last compound to exit the
column is given the number 5.

Predicted elution
Compound Boiling point (°C) order
(1–5)

2-butanone

2-hexanone

4-methyl-2-pentanone

acetone

2-pentanone

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 Using a Gas Chromatograph

PROCEDURE
1. Obtain and wear goggles.

2. Obtain a glass syringe and a set of vials containing the five ketones, a mixture of the five
ketones, and an unknown mixture of ketones to be tested. You will not only test acetone but
use it to clean the syringe needle.

Important: The glass syringe is fragile and can be easily damaged. Be careful not to bend the
needle or bend the plunger. If the plunger is accidentally pulled out of the glass barrel,
reinserting it is extremely difficult, and sometimes impossible.

3. Prepare the Vernier Mini GC for data collection.

a. Turn on the Mini GC.
b. Connect the USB cable of the Mini GC to the USB port on your computer or
LabQuest.
c. Start the data-collection program, and then choose New from the File menu.
d. Click Collect in Logger Pro, or tap ► in LabQuest, to bring up the Temperature-
Pressure profile.
e. Set the Temperature-Pressure values to:

Start temperature 35°C

Hold time 2 min

Ramp rate 5°C/min

Final temperature 55°C

Hold time 9 min

Total length 15.0 min

Pressure 5.0 kPa

f. Select Done to initiate the Mini GC warm up. Note: A new message will appear, “Do
not inject until GC is ready”, and the LED on the Mini GC is red. The Mini GC will
take a few minutes to warm up and stabilize. When the Mini GC is ready for injection
in Step 7, the message will read, “Inject and select Collect simultaneously”, and the
LED will turn to green. Continue with Step 4 during warm up.
4. Follow the steps below to clean and flush the syringe with acetone. Important: The glass
syringe is fragile. Be careful not to bend the needle or bend the plunger. Never pull the
plunger back more than 50% of its total volume. Be careful not to bend the plunger as you
press it down.
a. Depress the plunger fully.
b. Submerge the tip of the syringe needle into the vial of acetone.
c. Pull back the plunger to fill the barrel about 1/3 full of acetone. Examine the barrel of
the syringe and estimate the amount of acetone in the barrel.

Gas Chromatography Investigations 1-3

 Experiment 1

d. Expel the liquid onto a Kimwipe or a paper towel.

e. Repeat Steps a–d at least two times, until you are comfortable pulling up a liquid into
the syringe and measuring the volume in the syringe barrel. Use a Kimwipe or a paper
towel to carefully pat around the tip of the syringe needle.
5. Follow the process in Step 4 to clean and flush the
syringe with 2-butanone, the first ketone sample to
be injected into the Mini GC.

6. Collect a volume of 2-butanone for injection.

a. Submerge the needle into the vial of 2-
butanone one last time.
Figure 2
b. Draw up approximately 0.2 µ L of liquid. It
is not critical that the volume be exactly 0.2 µ L; a tiny bit more or less volume is all
right.
c. After collecting your sample, use a Kimwipe to gently wipe the needle from barrel to
tip.
7. Prepare for injection and the start of data collection. It is important for you and your lab
partner to divide the tasks in this step. One person will operate the syringe and the other
person will operate the computer controls.
a. When the Mini GC has reached the correct start
temperature and pressure, the message reads, “Inject and
select Collect simultaneously,” and the LED on the Mini
GC is green.
b. To insert the needle of the syringe into the injection port of
the Mini GC, hold the syringe with one hand and steady the
needle with your other hand. Insert the needle into the
injection port until the needle stop is fully seated, as shown
in Figure 3. If the needle sticks, rotate it slightly while
inserting. Do not move the plunger yet.
c. Simultaneously, depress the syringe plunger and select
Collect to begin data collection. Pull the needle out of the Figure 3
injection port immediately.
8. While the data collection proceeds, repeat Step 4 to thoroughly clean the syringe and needle.
It may take more than three flushes to feel the syringe plunger move smoothly again, which
is your indicator that the syringe and needle are both suitably clean.

9. Data collection will end after fifteen minutes.

10. Analyze your chromatogram.

a. Choose Peak Integration from the Analyze menu.
b. Select and integrate the left-most peak. To do this, drag from a little before the peak to
a point far enough to the right that includes all of the peak. Then choose Add.
c. Record the retention time in your data table.
d. Enter the name of the compound, if known.
e. To analyze another peak on the same graph, repeat Steps b and c.
f. When you are finished with all of the peaks, select OK.

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 Using a Gas Chromatograph

11. (optional) You can choose to save this chromatogram and peak analysis for later use, with a
unique file name, by choosing Save from the File menu.

12. Select another ketone sample.

a. Click Collect in Logger Pro, or tap ► in LabQuest, to bring up the Temperature-
Pressure profile. This profile will be the same as for your previous run. If you are
satisfied with these values, select Done to initiate the Mini GC profile.
b. While the Mini GC adjusts to its Temperature-Pressure profile, repeat Steps 4–6 with
the next ketone sample.
c. After the Mini GC is ready, repeat Steps 7–11 using your new ketone sample.
13. Repeat Step 12 for the remaining ketone samples, the ketone mixture, and the unknown.

14. When you have completed your final data collection run, turn off the Mini GC.

DATA TABLE
Actual Elution
Boiling Point Order (1-5) Retention Time
Compound (°C) (min)

2-butanone

2-hexanone

4-methyl-2-pentanone

acetone

2-pentanone

Analysis of the Unknown Mixture

Peak # Retention Time

Gas Chromatography Investigations 1-5

Experiment 1

DATA ANALYSIS
1. In the Pre-Lab table, you predicted the elution order of the ketones. Did the chromatogram of
the ketone mixture support your prediction? Explain.

2. From the graph of the known ketone mixture, measure the retention time for each peak in the
chromatogram. Identify the ketone that produced each peak.

3. 2-hexanone and 4-methyl-2-pentanone are isomers, thus their molecular weights are equal.
Suggest reasons for their differing boiling points and GC retention times.

4. Identify the ketones that are present in your unknown mixture. Support your identification.

5. Based on the results of your testing, predict the retention time of diethyl ketone. Explain your
prediction.

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