hi .
iam using the GC . Agilent GC 7890B for oil analysis especially for Fatty acid methyl ester . and i always set the oven température to 180°C .
my question is why 180°C and not 200°C or more ? i mean what would happen if it's changed how could that effect the results ?
thank you.
Lower starting temperatures will cause compounds to retain longer on the column if using the same temperature ramp, but will allow greater separation in the early eluting compounds. Higher starting temperature will have the opposite effect. Many compounds elute from the column due to both interaction with the column phase and their boiling point, so temperature will change their elution time.
Also you have to consider the injection solvent, if your column temperature is below the boiling point of the solvent, the solvent will condense on the beginning of the column. This can be used to focus analytes but it can also cause peak distortions, so it is a trade off as to what you want to accomplish.