Petrochemical Applications
Chromatography Products
OPN and n-Octane on Res-Sil™ C Packing
for the Separation of Hydrocarbons
SUPERCHROM s.r.l.
via C. Menotti, 11
20129 Milano
Tel. 02.76.100.37 - 02.73.863.15
Fax 02.70.100.100
E-mail: [email protected]
www.superchrom.it
The process GC and petrochemical industries have used bonded silica packing for analysis of C1 to C5
hydrocarbons for many years. These packings provide unique selectivity by modifying silica with a covalent attachment of either n-octane or cyanopropyl (OPN) functional groups. Their advantages over
conventional gas-liquid chromatography packings include faster separations, higher thermal stability,
shorter conditioning times, and longer lifetimes. With the discontinuation of the Waters Poracil® packings, laboratories analyzing C1 to C5 hydrocarbons were left without an alternative. Restek’s research
team responded by developing Res-Sil® packing support, an excellent replacement for n-octane on
Poracil® C and OPN on Poracil® C packings.
One of the problems associated with bonded phases such as Carbowax®, n-octane, and OPN on Porasil®
has been batch-to-batch variations in the amount of liquid stationary phase added to the solid silica support. Using our synthesis pathways, the amount of bonded liquid phase is precisely controlled in every
batch, to allow reproducible retention times and separations. Each production batch of Res-Sil™ C packing is quality-assurance tested with a complex hydrocarbon mixture to meet demanding retention time
and retention index specifications. Column bleed also is evaluated as part of the quality assurance test to
ensure there are no retention shifts or elevated baselines.
Unique Selectivity for Process GC and High-Speed Analysis of Petrochemicals
Speed of analysis is crucial for process GC and laboratory gas analyzers using multiple columns and valve
switching for separating complex gas mixtures. The Res-Sil™ C bonded packings are ideal for resolution
of the difficult-to-separate saturated and unsaturated C4 hydrocarbons. Figures 1 and 2 demonstrate the
excellent separation of hydrocarbons using n-octane on Res-Sil™ C and OPN on Res-Sil™ C packings,
respectively. For example, the n-octane on Res-Sil™ C packing provides excellent resolution of
propane/propylene and butene-1/isobutylene; whereas the OPN phase elutes cis-2-butene before 1,3butadiene. This unique selectivity, when combined with other columns in series, provides petroleum and
petrochemical method developers with powerful tools for fast determination of C1 to C5 hydrocarbons.1
Figure 1 n-Octane on Res-Sil™ C packing has unique selectivity for unsaturated light
hydrocarbons.
2,3 5 7 8
n-octane 80/100 Res-Sil™ C
20', 1/8" OD x 2mm ID, SilcoSmooth™ tubing (cat. # 80436)
Oven temp.:
60°C
Inj. temp.:
150°C
Det. temp:
150°C FID
Flow rate:
30mL/min. He
Sample:
refinery gas C1-C5
Sample size:
20µL
11
1
6
9
10
12
4
13
15
14
8
min.
0
2
4
6
16
10
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
methane
ethane
ethylene
acetylene
propane
propylene
isobutane
n-butane
1-butene
pentane
isobutylene
1,3-butadiene
1-pentene
trans-2-pentene
cis-2-pentene
2-methyl butene-2
12
GC_PC00372
Superchrom, Tel 027610037 Fax 0270100100 www.superchrom.it
Res-Sil™ C Packings are our Latest
Bonded GC Phases
Restek offers a wide range of bonded
packings for packed GC columns,
including Rtx®-1, Rtx®-5, and
Stabilwax® phases, Carbowax® and noctane phases on Res-Sil™ C packing,
and OPN on Res-Sil™ C packing.
Each of these packings has low bleed, a
conditioning time of less than 30 minutes, column longevity, and consistent
batch-to-batch reproducibility. Every
batch of Restek’s bonded phases is
tested for bleed, efficiency, retention
index, and retention time reproducibility. In addition, Restek offers a
full range of packed and micro-packed
GC columns, available with speciallydeactivated SilcoSmooth™ tubing for
improved inertness and efficiency.
Figure 2 OPN on Res-Sil™ C packing has unique
selectivity for cis-2-butene and 1,3-butadiene.
12 4 5
78
10
12
9
3
11
6
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
Retention
Indices
methane
100
ethane/ethylene
200
acetylene
260
propane
300
propylene
321
propadiene
345
isobutane
386
butane
400
1-butene
422
isobutylene/trans-2-butene
434
cis-2-butene
443
1,3-butadiene
454
isopentane
488
pentane/3-methyl-1-butene
503
1-pentene
522
trans-2-pentene
533
cis-2-pentene
540
2-methyl-2-butene
549
cis-2-butene/ 1,3-butadiene
resolved to baseline
13
14
Reference
1. N. C Saha, S. K. Jain, and R. K. Dua. J.
Chromat. Sci., 1978; 16, pp. 323-328.
Reference not available from Restek.
15 16
min.
0
5
17 18
10
GC_PC00373
Packed Column Tubing
Description
/8"OD, 2mm ID, SilcoSmooth™ Tubing
3
/16"OD, 3.2mm ID, SilcoSmooth™ Tubing
1
cat.#
21596
21595
OPN on Res-Sil™ C, 80/100 mesh, 12' x 2mm ID x 1/8" OD in SilcoSmooth™
tubing (cat.# 80437). 20µL on-column injection of refinery gas.
Concentration:
0.1-6 absolute mole %
Oven temp.:
50°C
Inj. & det. temp.:
200°C
Carrier gas:
helium
Flow rate:
30mL/min
Reference standard courtesy of AC Analytical Controls, Bensalem, PA.
Res-Sil™ Packing Materials
Restek Trademarks:
Res-Sil, Rtx, SilcoSmooth,
Stabilwax, Restek logo.
Other Trademarks:
Porasil (Waters Associates,
Inc.), Carbowax (Union
Carbide Corp.)
Description
Res-Sil™ C
Res-Sil™ B
1% TCEP on Res-Sil™ B
OPN on Res-Sil™ C
n-Octane on Res-Sil™ C
2% Carbowax® 1540 on Res-Sil™ C
Restek Corporation
110 Benner Circle
Bellefonte, PA 16823-8812
Temp.
Limit (°CC)
300
300
300
300
175
150
150
150
Mesh
60/80
80/100
60/80
80/100
80/100
80/100
80/100
80/100
Min.
Qty.
10g
10g
10g
10g
10g
10g
10g
10g
cat.#
25400
25028
25401
25080
25081
25042
25030
25044
Presorted Standard
US Postage
PAID
Restek
Lit. Cat.# 59549A
© 2007 Restek Corporation.
SUPERCHROM s.r.l.
via C. Menotti, 11
20129 Milano
Tel. 02.76.100.37 - 02.73.863.15
Fax 02.70.100.100
E-mail: [email protected]
www.superchrom.it