Best Practice Techniques for the Mini GC and the Mini GC Plus

In order to prolong the life of your MINI GC (original or Plus), or to prevent having to send it in for repair, make sure you note the following best practices.

1. After receiving your Mini GC, it is best to begin with at least one experiment from the experiment book that accompanies the instrument. This will give you the best idea of compounds that come out cleanest, along with their temperature/pressure profiles.

For examples associated specifically with the new capabilities of the Mini GC Plus, see TIL 2942: What are some sample temperature/pressure profiles for the new compounds that can be investigated with the Mini GC Plus?

2. The Hamilton syringe that is shipped with the device has a brown plastic bumper guard on the needle, also known as a needle stop. Do not remove this guard. Injections go straight into the column, and you can damage the instrument by forcing the syringe too far into the device.

3. Make sure you have referred to the list of acceptable compounds in the user guide before attempting to inject new compounds. The latest information for the Mini GC can be
found at www.vernier.com/gc-mini, and the latest information for the Mini GC Plus can be found at www.vernier.com/gc2-mini

4. If you inject samples that contain more than 5% water, you will shorten the life of the detector, or you may ruin it altogether. To get the longest life out of your Mini GC, only inject between 0.2 and 0.3 µl of a pure organic sample, or 0.4–0.6 µl of a mixture of organic compounds.

If you have a particular gas chromatography application in mind, but you are not quite sure if it is appropriate for the Mini GC or Mini GC Plus, please call Vernier Technical Support at 888-837-6437 and ask to speak with a chemist. You can also email us at chemistry@vernier.com