CSI chromatography

[Sonia]

Hi

I've recently been assigned to research a separation technique that might be used in a CSI lab (I guess that was my professor's idea of making this a fun project). Many have chosen to look into LC or HPLC but i'm wondering if there is a separation technique that's perhaps a little newer and would allow me to look at this as more of an inquiry than straight research. I realize the criteria are rather vague but any help/direction would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Sonia

[Kostas Petritis]

You could suggest ion-mobility that it is a gas phase separation technique, extremely fast (i.e. < 1 sec) and it is already been used in the airports for explosive detection.

The technique was around for quite a while but was not developed too much due to some limitations (i.e. you could have either sensitivity or resolving power) which start to be overcome.

Suggesting something like this will differenciate you from the crowd (your collegues) but might require some more work to explain the basics...

[CE Instruments]

In all the CSI programs they always run everything in an autosampler mounted on a GC/MS including often DNA In real labs LC/MS/MS is taking over. Looking into Gas Chromatography would at least give you an insight into what can be analysed and how long it takes
Not like the TV show at all

[Rafael Chust]

I would love my GC to give results as in CSI...

They inject and voilá... less than 1 second the laser printer is shooting peaks!

Anyway, I think it's a good service to our community... at least I have an opportunity to talk about what I do for living!

[Fabiano]

There´s a episode that a purge-and-trap method is used. One of the guys used a ground chalk to adsorb compounds from perfume in air.

This is a real and simple exemple, although I don´t know nothing about the behavior of CaSO4 as adsorbent only CaCO3 (used by Tswet in 1904)