Cylindrical vial

Headspace is a common approach used for analysing VOCs from aqueous samples or solids. Heating and agitation of the sample in a sealed vial releases volatiles from non-volatile matrix, and after equilibrium is reached the headspace gas is sampled and injected into the GC or GC–MS using a heated syringe. Why use headspace? Only the headspace gas is injected, making it a ‘clean’ technique that requires minimal maintenance. A solvent-free technique, meaning reduced environmental impact. Enables analysis of samples that cannot be directly injected into the GC. Fully automated using Sample Preparation Robots or Markes International's Centri® platform. Automated headspace and headspace–trap The Centri system from Markes International fully automates both regular headspace sampling and headspace–trap, with cryogen-free focusing. Headspace–trap results in enhanced sensitivity by larger injection volumes and multiple extraction cycles from a single sample to be ‘concentrated’ in one GC–MS run, as well as improved peak shape and optional sample splitting and re-collection for repeat analysis without the need to repeat extraction steps. Applications Comparison of the aroma profiles of hops using dynamic headspace sampling with TD–GC–TOF MS This study demonstrates the high performance of a dynamic headspace sampler with TD–GC–TOF MS analysis for investigating the complex aroma profiles from three varieties of hops. Fully automated on-line headspace monitoring of VOCs This study demonstrates a fully automated GC analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the headspace of waste effluent using a flow-through cell with a sample preparation