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GC/MS Systems
Cleaning Solvents
It is common to see cleaning solvent peaks in the mass spectra shortly after the ion source
is cleaned.
Remedy
• Dry all cleaned metal parts in the GC oven before reassembling and reinstalling them.
Refer to specific cleaning procedures in your MSD Hardware Manual or MSD
Maintenance and Troubleshooting Manual.
•
Use a temperature above the boiling point of the solvent but below the limit
of the column.
Fingerprints
Fingerprints contain hydrocarbons that can appear in mass spectra. Hydrocarbon
contamination is characterized by a series of mass peaks 14 m/z apart. The abundances
of these peaks decrease as peak mass increases. Fingerprint contamination is usually
caused by the failure to wear lint-free, nylon gloves during ion source cleaning,
GC inlet maintenance, or from installing the column. Use special care to avoid
recontamination of parts after you clean them. This typically occurs after some
maintenance or part replacement.
Remedy
Reclean using clean, nylon gloves and proper cleaning techniques.
The easiest way to insure that you
minimize background contamination
and remove damaging oxygen
from your carrier gas system is
to use a carrier gas purifying trap
right before the gas enters your
GC system.
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