The New Person Portable Gas Chromatograph

Torion Technologies, Inc showcased the new GUARDION®, still the world’s fastest and most portable capillary gas chromatograph – toroidal ion trap mass spectrometer (GC-TMS) at Pittcon 2011. The new GUARDION GC-TMS features a low thermal mass capillary gas chromatograph (GC) with high-speed temperature programming (>2 ºC/sec) and a miniature toroidal ion trap mass spectrometer (TMS) with a nominal unit mass resolution over a mass range of 50 to 500 Daltons. The system is totally selfcontained, weighs less than 32 pounds with all accessories, is battery (24 V) operated, and has an on-board helium GC carrier gas supply cartridge (2500 psig, 90cc). The world’s smallest self-contained GC-TMS is packaged in a new, specially designed, hardened enclosure with dimensions of 15.0” (wide) x 15.5” (deep) x 9” (high). The GC-TMS features electronic pressure control (EPC) of the carrier gas and an on-board rechargeable battery system for renewable power.

Samples are introduced into the GC-TMS using Torion’s novel CUSTODION® SPME syringes. Target analytes in air, headspace, liquid or dissolved solid samples are rapidly trapped on the active coated surface of the SPME fibre, which is mounted in an easy-to-operate injection moulded syringe. The GUARDION GC-TMS provides step-by-step sample injection instructions via the system’s 7” LCD colour touchscreen and graphical user interface (GUI). Results are reported in an easy-to-understand tabular format that is displayed on theGUARDION’s LCD touchscreen. The GUARDION’s on-board firmware controls all GC and TMS system operations automatically without user intervention. However, Torion‘s PC-based operating CHROMION™ software enables the user to edit the GC- TMS method parameters, calibrate the instrument, and develop target analyte libraries for automated detection and identification of target chemical compounds based on their characteristic retention times and mass spectra. The new GUARDION miniature GC-TMS system is ideally suited for rapid, highly sensitive and selective detection of a wide variety of compoundsincluding, explosives, toxic industrial chemicals, environmental pollutants, food constituents and contaminants, and a variety of other hazardous and non-hazardous substances.