Petrochemical Applications
Molecular Sieve 5A and 13X
Chromatography Products
Packed GC Columns for Permanent Gas Separations
Molecular sieves, synthetic forms of Zeolite packing, have been used since the 1950s for separating light
gases (oxygen, nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide) and inert gases (helium, argon, neon, krypton,
and xenon), yet there have been few changes or improvements in their basic composition or performance.
Restek has designed the two most common molecular sieves—5A and 13X, as high-performance packings that feature batch-to-batch inertness and consistency. These packings are used in a wide range of
packed and PLOT column analyses.
Molecular sieve 5A and 13X packings differ in pore size and composition, causing differences in retention
and selectivity for many gases. The 5A packing provides greater retention, which improves the separation
of argon, oxygen, and nitrogen, and is a better choice for analyzing the trace impurities in inert gases typically used in the semiconductor industry. The 13X packing often is preferred for analysis of carbon
monoxide, particularly at trace concentrations, because lower retention results in sharper chromatographic peaks and improved detection limits.
Molecular Sieve 5A or 13X Packing in Silcosteel® Treated Tubing Exhibits Excellent Chromatography
for Permanent Gas Analysis
Figure 1 compares a gas mixture analyzed using a 1-meter high-performance Molecular Sieve 5A column
and a 2-meter high-performance Molecular Sieve 13X column. Notice the excellent peak symmetry for
carbon monoxide on each column, indicating that the packing and column tubing are extremely inert.
Combining high-quality molecular sieves with Silcosteel® treated* tubing produces a packed column
optimized for trace analysis of the difficult components oxygen and carbon monoxide.
Figure 1 Permanent gases on Molecular Sieve 5A and Molecular Sieve 13X packed
columns.
1
Molecular Sieve 5A: excellent
resolution of oxygen, nitrogen,
methane, and carbon monoxide.
2
1.
2.
3.
4.
1
2
oxygen
nitrogen
methane
carbon monoxide
10µL helium, 5–10% each component
3
min.0
4
2
Molecular Sieve 13X: rapid
analysis and excellent peak
symmetry for carbon monoxide.
Oven temp.:
Inj./det. temp.:
Carrier gas:
Flow:
Detector:
3
50°C
150°C/200°C
hydrogen
30mL/min., helium
TCD
4
min.0
4
2
4
GC_PC00166
Molecular Sieve 5A 80/100 mesh
1m x 1/8" x 2mm ID (cat.# 80440)
Molecular Sieve 13X 80/100 mesh
2m x 1/8" x 2mm (ID) (cat.# 80439)
*Silcosteel® treatment is a proprietary surface treatment for passivating steel and stainless steel. U.S. Patent 6,511,760.
Restek Corporation, 1-800-356-1688 or 1-814-353-1300 www.restek.com
Quality Testing Ensures Reproducibility
Each lot of Zeolite packing is purified to remove metals and other trace contaminants that can adsorb
trace gases, such as carbon monoxide. Then, every batch is carefully classified to precise mesh ranges,
ensuring lot-to-lot reproducibility. Our thermal conditioning process is critical for establishing the relative retention of methane/carbon monoxide, and for producing excellent peak symmetry for active compounds like carbon monoxide. As a result, each lot of molecular sieve is precisely produced, conditioned,
and quality assurance tested for reproducible efficiency, column back pressure, peak symmetry, and relative retention time, using a permanent gas performance mixture.
Column
C
rations
Molecular Sieve Packed Columns
General
Configuration
Molecular Sieve
Molesieve 5A
Molesieve 5A
Molesieve 5A
Molesieve 5A
Molesieve 13X
Molesieve 13X
Suffix -800
Agilent
5880, 5890,
5987, 6890:
Suffix -810
Varian 3700,
Vista Series,
FID:
Suffix -820
PE 900-3920
83/4" Sigma 1,2,3:
Suffix -830
6 1/2"
PE Auto System
8300, 8400,
8700 (Not OnColumn):
Suffix -840
See our general catalog for
custom configurations
Note: Initial 2" of column will
be empty, to accommodate a
needle. For a completely filled
column add suffix -901.
Mesh
60/80
80/100
80/100
80/100
60/80
80/100
L
(ft.)
6
3
6
10
6
6
Stainless Steel Tubing
OD
ID
(in.)
(mm)
1
/8
2.1
1
/8
2.1
1
/8
2.1
1
/8
2.1
1
/8
2.1
1
/8
2.1
cat.#*
804738801580474880148047580476-
Silcosteel® Treated Stainless Steel Tubing
L
OD
ID
(m)
(in.)
(mm)
cat.#*
1
2
/8
2
804281
1
/8
2
804401
2
/8
2
804291
3.05
/8
2
804301
2
/8
2
804801
2
/8
2
80439-
*Please add configuration suffix number to cat.# when ordering.
Micropacked Columns
•
•
•
•
Increased efficiency over traditional packed columns.
Higher capacity than PLOT columns.
Made from inert, flexible Silcosteel® treated stainless steel tubing.
Silcosteel® treated, braided wire end plug keeps packing intact, even under intense pressure surges
during valve switching.
Molesieve 5A
Molesieve 5A
Molesieve 13X
Molesieve 13X
Mesh
80/100
80/100
80/100
80/100
ID
0.75mm
1.00mm
0.75mm
1.00mm
OD
0.95mm
1
/16"
0.95mm
1
/16"
Temp. Range
up to 300°C
up to 300°C
up to 350°C
up to 350°C
1-Meter
19002
19000
19006
19004
2-Meter
19003
19001
19007
19005
Molecular Sieve Bulk Packings
Description
Molecular Sieve 5A
Molecular Sieve 13X
Max. Temp. (°C)
400
400
Mesh
60/80
60/80
g/btl.
50g
50g
cat.#
25601
25605
Bulk quantities are available.
PATENTS & TRADEMARKS
Restek® patents and trademarks are the property of Restek Corporation. (See www.restek.com/Patents-Trademarks for full list.) Other trademarks appearing in Restek® literature or on its website
are the property of their respective owners. The Restek® registered trademarks used here are registered in the United States and may also be registered in other countries.
Lit. Cat.# 59538A
© 2007 Restek Corporation. All rights reserved.
Printed in the U.S.A.
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