Analysis of Terpenes Using Gas Chromatography with Vacuum Ultraviolet

The separation and identification of natural mixtures of terpenes is challenging and laborious. A new gas chromatography detector based on vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) spectroscopy, which collects full scan adsorption in the range of 115-240 nm, was developed and applied to analyze terpenes. VUV features deconvolution of co-eluting signals from different analytes, making it a great tool for analysis from complex matrices. In this study, the VUV absorption spectra for different terpenes (42) were investigated and compared. The spectra of terpenes were found to be unique and highly featured. VUV was applied to the analysis of turpentine and demonstrated excellent specificity for qualitative identification analysis of terpenes. Deconvolution of co-eluting signals of terpenes was achieved utilizing the VUV data analysis software.