GC Column conditioning

Conditioning at elevated temperatures without flow will permanently damage or destroy the performance of the capillary column. Conditioning with an oxygen leak present causes the column bleed and destroys its utility at high operating temperatures. Therefore prior the conditioning a column:

• Check proper carrier gas flow settings
• Make a leak test to verify that there is not oxygen present in the system

GC column conditioning:

• Install the column to the injector. Do not connect the column to the detector. Leave the column end in the GC oven.
• Set the GC oven to 40°C
• Hold this temperature 15 minutes
• Set the temperature gradient to 10°C/min
• Set the maximum operation temperature 20°C above your final temperature of the GC temperature program (the maximum temerature must be 25°C below the column maximum operating temperature)*
• Leave the column at high temperature ovenight until the baseline stabilizes. If the column is pre-conditioned, leave tha maximum temperature for 2 hours and untill the baseline stabilizes.

^*Note: Overnight conditioning is not necessary with pre-conditioned columns. Read carefully the conditioning instructions supplied by the column manufacturer. They have priority to the general conditioning recommendation above .