Gas Chromatography: Making a Big Impact with a Small Footprint

At this year’s American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) conference, Agilent Technologies introduced two new mass spectroscopy products – the 7010D Triple Quadrupole GC/MS System and the Agilent ExD Cell for use with the 6545XT AdvanceBio LC/Q-TOF system.

In addition to these launches, the Agilent team also highlighted their new advancements in gas chromatography technology, including a showcase of the new 8850 Gas Chromatograph System.

Technology Networks had the pleasure of sitting down with Jim Gearing, associate vice president of marketing in Agilent Technologies’ Gas Phase Division, to discuss the recent launch of the 8850 system and the importance of designing analytical solutions with sustainability in mind.

Alexander Beadle (AB): Can you give us the top-level overview of the new 8850 Gas Chromatograph and what is so unique about it?

Jim Gearing (JG): We took the legacy of our robust single-channel 6850 gas chromatograph — which was a highly popular instrument launched in 1999 — and combined it with the latest GC intelligence, inlets and detectors, and the EPC [electronic pneumatics control] of the 8890, and put them together to introduce a new generation, single-channel, conventional air-bath oven GC.

The primary goal is to address the market needs of our customers who trusted the 6850. We constantly assess customer needs, wants, and expectations, and we received clear feedback from our users that they desired a replacement of this compact, robust, small form factor instrument. So, we introduced the 8850.

AB: What application areas do you see the 8850 being used in?

JG: One is in the pharmaceuticals sector for residual solvent analysis. We have a number of solutions for USP 467, and the 8850 provides a compact footprint and dedicated system for this type of analysis.

The second is the food segment, particularly in flavors and fragrances. This type of instrument is highly popular among flavor and fragrance companies, as they often have labs that are built around limited space, small form factor, single-channel dedicated analysis, so this is an area where the 8850 shines.

The third is the chemical and energy segment. Chemical plants and users who have adopted this single channel for dedicated analysis. There are a lot of 8890 dual-channel instruments in that space as well. But when a customer purchases a dual-channel instrument, they typically have front and back channels for different analyses. If the instrument is down, then two channels are down. So there is a segment of those customers who will purchase a single-channel instrument, such as the 8850, to have dedicated analysis and redundancy. These are three objectives for the 8850 GC.

AB: You said that this instrument was partly based on the 6850 – the predecessor that first came about in the 1990s – but unlike that instrument, this one has some more modern features built in. Can you tell us more about those features?

JG: The 8850 incorporates the same infrastructure as the 8890, including the seven-inch touchscreen, and the embedded software environment which provides remote connectivity.

As mentioned, the 8850 system enables remote status monitoring, troubleshooting, diagnostics, and built-in online assistance for routine tasks. In addition, the peak evaluation intelligence feature is also incorporated, similar to the 8890 and other advanced instruments. Customer feedback has been very positive, particularly the touchscreen and real-time alerts.

AB: One of the key themes we have heard from Agilent at ASMS is the idea of “intelligence” in analysis. What does this “intelligence” look like here?

JG: There are a number of ways [a lab] can use this [system]. The early maintenance feedback feature enables tracking of the use of consumables or maintenance items. Alerts can advise the user that that system requires attention to prevent any downtime.

With the integration of peak evaluation combined with Agilent’s OpenLab software, users can track specific peak parameters in their samples, including tailing, width, and height. Users can also select which aspects to monitor, and the instrument alerts them e.g. if the chromatography begins to diverge from the desired conditions. This feature helps prevent the need for re-runs by detecting issues early.  

AB: Is sustainability something that has been considered in the design of this instrument?

JG: The 8850 uses up to 30% less power than a conventional GC, providing a power saving as a smaller oven has to be heated. It also supports features for alternative carrier gas or carrier gas switching. So instead of using helium, which is expensive, hydrogen can safely be used in this instrument.

We are also in the process of obtaining third party accreditation for the new 8850 GC via the My Green Lab (MGL) ACT label certification, but it takes time to execute the thorough array of tests and data collection per the parameters specificied by MGL. We test power consumption and other factors, and these analyses contribute to the strict MGL certification process.

About the interviewee:

Jim Gearing is long-time Agilent team member, starting his career in the GC software R&D group at HP. After 22 years in software development and R&D management, he has been in marketing for the past 11 years and now leads the global team responsible for GC and GCMS.