5975C Mass Spec vs. Residual Gas Analyzer
Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 6:32 pm
Hello,
We're currently running an Agilent 7890A GC/5975C GC/MS. In the past, I've used the GC/MS for qualification of my unknowns, and then used our GC/TCD/FID for quantitation. However, desiring faster run times than possible with the GC/TCD/FID setup we have, we got a micro GC, which got us down to about 4 minutes for H2, N2, CO, CH4, CO2, C2H4, C2H6.
A colleague working at a different university said he was able to quantitate these gases using a residual gas analyzer, with an analysis time of 2 minutes. I asked him for more specifics about the analysis but he was not familiar with the instrument.
I've been trying to find some articles that explain the distinctions between residual gas analyzers and mass spec systems, and I'm having a hard time doing so. Can anyone here comment on and/or provide articles discussing the fundamental differences, advantages/disadvantages to each? Could I use an RGA to quantitate the light gases mentioned above being produced in a process, and if so, what types of things would I need to keep in mind in terms of things like sample introduction and quantitation limits?
Thanks!
We're currently running an Agilent 7890A GC/5975C GC/MS. In the past, I've used the GC/MS for qualification of my unknowns, and then used our GC/TCD/FID for quantitation. However, desiring faster run times than possible with the GC/TCD/FID setup we have, we got a micro GC, which got us down to about 4 minutes for H2, N2, CO, CH4, CO2, C2H4, C2H6.
A colleague working at a different university said he was able to quantitate these gases using a residual gas analyzer, with an analysis time of 2 minutes. I asked him for more specifics about the analysis but he was not familiar with the instrument.
I've been trying to find some articles that explain the distinctions between residual gas analyzers and mass spec systems, and I'm having a hard time doing so. Can anyone here comment on and/or provide articles discussing the fundamental differences, advantages/disadvantages to each? Could I use an RGA to quantitate the light gases mentioned above being produced in a process, and if so, what types of things would I need to keep in mind in terms of things like sample introduction and quantitation limits?
Thanks!