{"id":51836,"date":"2022-11-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-23T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/uncategorized\/troubleshooting-gc-columns-a-methodological-approach-part-2\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T16:02:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T16:02:14","slug":"troubleshooting-gc-columns-a-methodological-approach-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/blogs\/gnbl4843\/troubleshooting-gc-columns-a-methodological-approach-part-2","title":{"rendered":"Troubleshooting GC Columns \u2013 a Methodological Approach \u2013 Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In my previous post, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/gnbl4843\/troubleshooting-gc-columns-a-methodological-approach-part-1\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"51836\">Troubleshooting GC Columns \u2013 a Methodological Approach \u2013 Part 1<\/a>, <\/strong>I provided questions which you should ask yourself to try to determine what may be causing the chromatography issue you are experiencing.&nbsp;&nbsp; In this post, I will provide links to Restek videos and literature (when available) which may help you fix specific issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New column (no samples\/matrix injected into the column)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. How old is the column?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>GC columns do not have an infinite shelf life.&nbsp; If unused, GC columns should have a shelf life of two years or more if stored properly (in a climate-controlled laboratory or warehouse).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Was the column installation verified to be leak free?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Always have clean, inert carrier gas flowing through the column and always leak check the column before heating it.&nbsp; At temperatures greater than approximately 80\u00b0C, oxidation may begin to occur if exposed to air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/GNAV3590\/gc-column-installation\/\">GC Column Installation (restek.com)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/GNAV3555\/10-places-to-check-for-gc-gas-leaks\/\">10 Places to Check for GC Gas Leaks (restek.com)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/GNAV4905\/gas-leaks-in-your-gc-system-how-to-find-and-eliminate-them\/\">Gas Leaks in Your GC System: How to Find and Eliminate Them (restek.com)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/GNAV3630\/pressure-decay-test-for-gc\/\">Pressure Decay Test for GC (restek.com)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Have the carrier gas traps\/filters been inspected and confirmed to be in good working order?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/GNAV3669\/why-does-my-gc-need-clean-gas\/\">Why does my GC Need Clean Gas? (restek.com)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/GNSS1758\/gas-management-supplies-for-gc-labs\/\">Gas Management Supplies for GC Labs (restek.com)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Was the column purged long enough to remove all traces of air (oxygen) before heat was applied?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. How exactly was the column conditioned?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/GNAV3589\/gc-column-conditioning\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.restek.com\/videos\/GC-column-conditioning\">GC Column Conditioning (restek.com)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/GNAN1533\/how-to-condition-a-new-capillary-gc-column\/\">How to Condition a New Capillary GC Column (restek.com)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. When a column test mix was injected\/analyzed, how did the peak shapes, responses, retention times and baseline compare to the original QA column test chromatogram that was supplied by the manufacturer?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/blog-troubleshooting-gc-teaser-product-gc-columns-fused-silica-capillary.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"-\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Used column (samples\/matrix have been injected into the column)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. How old is the column?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It may not be possible to accurately determine an expected lifetime for a column unless experimental data has been generated in the past for the same type of column for the same type of analysis.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/GNBL4702\/how-should-i-store-my-gc-column\/\">How should I store my GC column? (restek.com)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Generally speaking, for a similar analysis\/method, a non-polar or low-polarity column will often last longer than a mid or high polarity column.&nbsp; In the link below, see Stationary Phase.&nbsp; The non-polar columns are on the left and polarity increases as you move towards the right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/GNWC1612\/gc-column-selection-poster\/\">GC Column Selection Poster (restek.com)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Has this column ever worked well for the current analysis, or for any other analysis?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. If the column did work well in the past, is it installed into that exact same instrument?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. If the instrument has multiple injection ports and\/or detectors, have the column positions been switched?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. If the column had been working well in a particular instrument and now is not, what has changed?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. How quickly did the change take place from working well to working poorly?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/GNWC1723\/gc-troubleshooting-poster\/\">GC Troubleshooting Poster (restek.com)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/GNBL4857\/what-happened-to-my-gc-column\/\">What happened to my GC column? (restek.com)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/GNAV3662\/troubleshooting-principles\/\">Troubleshooting Principles (restek.com)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. Which GC maintenance steps were necessary to improve the column\u2019s performance?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/GNAV3615\/keeping-your-gc-system-clean-and-inert\/\">Keeping Your GC System Clean and Inert (restek.com)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/GNAV3661\/trimming-a-gc-column-to-remove-contamination\/\">Trimming a GC Column to Remove Contamination (restek.com)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>I hope you have found my two posts on <a href=\"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/gnbl4842\/troubleshooting-gc-columns-a-methodological-approach-part-1\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"48522\"><strong>Troubleshooting GC Columns \u2013 a Methodological Approach <\/strong><\/a>helpful and informative. Let me know if you have any questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this post, I provide links to Restek videos and literature to help you fix specific issues when you are trying to troubleshoot your chromatographic problems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"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":[9],"tags":[],"industries-application":[],"post-badge":[],"resource-type":[],"product-library":[],"resource-technique":[2294],"hf_cat_post":[623],"ppma_author":[582],"class_list":["post-51836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogs","resource-technique-gas-chromatography-gc"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":9,"label":"Blogs"}],"resource-technique":[{"value":2294,"label":"Gas Chromatography (GC)"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"Brenda Cogan","author_link":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/author\/brenda-coganrestek-com\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":9,"name":"Blogs","slug":"blogs","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":9,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":442,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":9,"category_count":442,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Blogs","category_nicename":"blogs","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"authors":[{"term_id":582,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"alan-sensue","display_name":"Alan Sensue","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51836"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51836\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85509,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51836\/revisions\/85509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51836"},{"taxonomy":"industries-application","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industries-application?post=51836"},{"taxonomy":"post-badge","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-badge?post=51836"},{"taxonomy":"resource-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-type?post=51836"},{"taxonomy":"product-library","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product-library?post=51836"},{"taxonomy":"resource-technique","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-technique?post=51836"},{"taxonomy":"hf_cat_post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hf_cat_post?post=51836"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=51836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}