In March of 2020, Go Direct® Mini GC (GDX-GC) replaced the Vernier Mini GC Plus (GC2-MINI).

There are several differences between the Go Direct Mini GC and the Mini GC Plus. There is a new column and new detector in the Go Direct version; this allows it to detect more compounds as well as show more classic gaussian GC peaks.

Key Similarities:
1. Both can be connected via USB to a computer (using Instrumental Analysis), LabQuest 2 or LabQuest 3 (using LabQuest App), or Chromebook (using Instrumental Analysis).
2. The GDX-GC can be used to complete any of the previous experiments written for Vernier gas chromatographs, including those from Organic Chemistry with Vernier. 
3. All Vernier gas chromatographs use the same power supply, syringe, and septa.
4. All Vernier gas chromatographs are compatible with the free Instrumental Analysis software.

Key Differences:
1. The GDX-GC has Bluetooth so it can transmit wirelessly directly to tablets, phones and other devices (the GC2-MINI cannot do this).
2. The Go Direct Mini GC can detect significantly more chemicals than the Mini GC or Mini GC Plus did. Most notably, it can detect nonpolar compounds, including hydrocarbons. The complete list of compatible compounds is available on the product webpage. You can also view sample chromatograms for the Go Direct Mini GC here. 
3. The GDX-GC does not work with Logger Pro. It only works with LabQuest 2, LabQuest 3, or with Instrumental Analysis software.
4. It comes with five brand new experiments to help users explore the new compounds it can detect.
5. The detector in the Go Direct Mini GC is resistance based so as temperature increases over time, so will the resistance value. This is why you see a drift around zero. There are two ways to avoid this. The most accurate is to subtract off the baseline. The other is to limit the temperature increase but still maintain good peak separation. Retention time and peak integrals aren’t affected by this baseline drift so removing it is mostly to enhance visual appeal.
6. **It is important to note that the Go Direct Mini GC has a different detector and a different column than the Mini GC or Mini GC Plus. This is why it can detect so many more compounds than the previous Mini GCs. However, this means that a chromatogram collected on the Go Direct Mini GC will produce different peak heights and retention times when compared with the Mini GC Plus, despite using the same sample and same temperature/pressure profile. If the goal is for chromatograms to look similar then student’s using a Mini GC Plus should follow instructions for the Mini GC Plus and student’s using the Go Direct Mini GC should follow the temperature/pressure profile recommended for the Go Direct Mini GC. If all students are following the same temperature/pressure profile, then their chromatograms will look slightly different. The elution order will, of course, be unaffected.

See also Go Direct Mini GC Troubleshooting and FAQs

If you have a question about whether the Go Direct Mini GC will work for your particular application, please contact chemistry@vernier.com