{"id":42462,"date":"2019-06-25T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-06-25T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/uncategorized\/how-to-cut-a-metal-capillary-gc-column\/"},"modified":"2025-11-17T15:17:55","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T15:17:55","slug":"how-to-cut-a-metal-capillary-gc-column","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/fr\/video\/gnav3607\/how-to-cut-a-metal-capillary-gc-column","title":{"rendered":"How to Cut a Metal Capillary GC Column"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How to Cut a Metal Capillary GC Column\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CaJS38WW_SM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Description<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When doing gas chromatography, it is important to get a&nbsp;clean&nbsp;square cut for your metal&nbsp;MXT&nbsp;capillary GC column. A good cut is an integral part of making sure you have proper column installation and leak-free connections, and a ceramic scoring wafer is the right tool for this job.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Additional Resources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.restek.com\/articles\/mxt-columns\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MXT Columns: The Perfect Solution for Portable, Process, and High-Temperature GC Analysis<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Restek Recommended Tools &amp; Parts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.restek.com\/p\/20116\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ceramic Scoring Wafer<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.restek.com\/p\/23015\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ceramic Scoring Wafer with Handle<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Transcript<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s talk about the best way to cut a metal capillary GC column. If we follow just a few simple steps,\u202fwe\u2019re on our way to good chromatography every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before we start, we should always straighten the column ends. Run the ends between your fingers\u202fwhile bending against the curve until the column is perfectly straight.\u202fThis step is extremely important because hooked or bent columns will be difficult to install and can lead to inconsistent sample transfer, analyte activity,\u202fand poor reproducibility.\u202fThen, just like you would install a fused silica capillary column,\u202fplace the column nut and correct size ferrule onto your column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To cut the column we will use a ceramic scoring wafer. Run your\u202ffingernail\u202fon the side of the scoring wafer to find the smooth edge.\u202fPlace the column on your finger and position the smooth edge of the scoring wafer at approximately 45 degrees.\u202fUse mild\u202fpressure to score the column with a sawing motion.\u202fTypically,\u202f4 \u201csaw-moves\u201d should be enough.\u202fNext, place the scoring wafer beneath the score and use it to bend the column away from the score and\u202fthen back again. The column will snap in two pieces.\u202fThe ends can be\u202fpolished\u202fwith the sides of the scoring wafer.\u202fInspect the column end, looking for a straight cut and good column shape.\u202fClean the column ends with lab wipes moistened with isopropanol to remove any metal debris.\u202fYour column is\u202fnow\u202fready for installation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are\u202fa few things to watch out for. Using too much force\u202fduring the cut will flatten\u202fthe end\u202fcreating an oval shaped column.\u202fThis\u202fwill damage the needle during on-column\u202finjections,\u202for\u202flead to poor sample transfer during the injection process.\u202fAdditionally, scoring metal columns will dull the ceramic wafer over time. The edges might become uneven and the scoring wafer will eventually have to be replaced. I always like to have two scoring wafers:\u202fone for metal columns and the other one for more fragile fused silica columns.\u202fIt\u2019s\u202fas simple as that: straighten the column ends and don\u2019t push too hard when scoring and you will be on your way to good chromatography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you enjoy these videos, please like, share and subscribe. You can post your ideas for a future tech tip in the comments below.\u202fThanks for watching and we\u2019ll see you next time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cutting a metal GC column? Check out this Restek Tip\u202fvideo on how to properly cut your gas chromatography\u202fcolumns!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":41106,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[773],"tags":[],"industries-application":[2249],"post-badge":[],"resource-type":[],"product-library":[2516,2528],"resource-technique":[2332],"ppma_author":[414],"class_list":["post-42462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","industries-application-energia","product-library-prodotti-per-gascromatografia","product-library-colonne-gc","resource-technique-gascromatografia-gc"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":773,"label":"Video"}],"industries-application":[{"value":2249,"label":"Energia"}],"product-library":[{"value":2516,"label":"Prodotti per Gascromatografia"},{"value":2528,"label":"Colonne GC"}],"resource-technique":[{"value":2332,"label":"Gascromatografia (GC)"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/feature-GNAV3607-1024x536.jpg",1024,536,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Restek Corporation","author_link":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/fr\/author\/restek-corporation\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":773,"name":"Video","slug":"video","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":773,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":136,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":773,"category_count":136,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Video","category_nicename":"video","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"authors":[{"term_id":414,"user_id":11,"is_guest":0,"slug":"restek-corporation","display_name":"Restek Corporation","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Restek_Favicon_300x300.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Restek_Favicon_300x300.jpg"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42462"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42462\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64874,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42462\/revisions\/64874"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42462"},{"taxonomy":"industries-application","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industries-application?post=42462"},{"taxonomy":"post-badge","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-badge?post=42462"},{"taxonomy":"resource-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-type?post=42462"},{"taxonomy":"product-library","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product-library?post=42462"},{"taxonomy":"resource-technique","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-technique?post=42462"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=42462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}