ChemStation raw data export and individual backgrounds

[a54mb]

Hi

We have two ChemStation questions (OpenLAB CDS Version Rev C.01.07[27] steering a Agilent GC 7890B) considering raw data export and peak integration. And please forgive if this is too easy, we are newbies on the ChemStation and just cannot find it in the program or reference guide. Our chromatograms are rather easy, as we analyze air for trace gases (N2/O2/Ar in TCD, CH4 in FID, CO2+N2O in ECD), basically our baseline is flat, peaks well separated.

1. Is there an easy way to automatically export detector raw data after each run (of a sequence) as ascii/csv file? (We know that one can "File-Export-CSV..." but this is manual and costs a lot of klicks per detector.)

2. How can the background used for a peak be defined individually? We imagine something as easy as: define a time period of the chromatogram which will be used to determine the background level for each peak individually. As I see it ChemStation detects a peak starting at "A" ending at "B", how can we force it to use the averaged data measured between e.g. "A minus 10 sec" to "A minus 1 sec" as background level?

Thanks for your thoughts!
Best
Michael

[eselmeister]

Hi Michael,

you could use OpenChrom for this task:
https://openchrom.net/download

We have a batch process which allows to convert dozen of files:
https://wiki.openchrom.net/index.php/Op ... arketplace

Please don't forget to install the appropriate converter from the marketplace:
https://wiki.openchrom.net/index.php/Op ... arketplace


Cheers,
eselmeister

[a54mb]

Thanks for you reply, eselmeister. I appreciate open source applications very much and actually did try out UniChrom some time ago. Do you actually steer your GC using OpenChrom or are you using it for data analysis only?

However, in this case I really would like to get the raw files from ChemStation directly after each run. So I mean literally not 1 additional click.

The same holds for part 2 of my original question: Any chance of getting the described "old school" background range defined individually for each peak?

Thanks for any thoughts !

Regards
Michael

[mckrause]

use a post-run macro and export just the areas if that is all that you are looking for. This is one of the easier things to do with macros.

[a54mb]

Thanks mckrause for the hint on Macros. Can you provide more information (or links) on how to implement macros, syntax, etc? We do not have this in our manuals and I could not find a comprehensive overview in the web.

However, this is not exactly what we have been looking for:

We really want to define our peak-backgrounds by the mentioned means and would then be happy with the automated reports we already receive after each run automatically (which are then collected by a custom made python routine for further peak data handling).

Only if this is not possible we need the possibility to export raw (time, signal) chromatogram data in a fully automated manner after each run for each detector (we would then create our own peak finding and integration routine).

Thanks if anyone can comment on these specific needs...

Best
Michael