AS301/AS302: The Benefits Provided by 2D GC & Automated Sample Preparation When Applied to Extractable and Leachable Analysis When Evaluating Rubber Extracts

The extracts produced when extracting rubbers or plastics into solvent as part of an extractables study often produce complex chromatograms that can be difficult to interpret when using traditional one-dimension gas chromatography. In this work, the use of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (2D GC) to provide enhanced separation with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) providing required data acquisition rates for deconvolution for analysis of rubber samples extracted in dichloromethane to simulate an extractables study. The resulting chromatograms showed a complex mixture containing multiple chemical species which were separated using orthogonal column chemistries. The conclusion of which demonstrates how use of 2D GC can be a powerful tool when used in extractables studies.