A chemical detector for rapid, simultaneous detection of multiple chemicals including chemical warfare agents, toxic industrial chemicals, and explosives having one or more gas chromatography columns each with a chemosorbent or a chemo-reactive stationary phase and an infrared-transparent base, a bright infrared light source, a mechanism to direct the light source to any point along any of the columns, and an infrared sensor. Another disclosed detector has one or more gas chromatography columns each on the surface of a substrate having at least one infrared-transparent waveguide pattern, a bright infrared light source, and at least one ring resonator for each column, where each ring resonator is coated with a chemosorbent or a chemo-reactive stationary phase, and where each ring resonator spectroscopically probes the stationary phase. Also disclosed are the related methods for chemical detection.

Disclosed is a chromatographic separation column assembly (100) comprising a column cylinder (120) having a cylinder wall (126) including an inner wall surface (124) partially defining a column volume (50), and a column component (110/130) insertable into to the cylinder (120), wherein at least an edge region (113/133) of the column component is intended to be in contact or adjacent a part of the inner wall surface (124) in use, the edge region and the contacting or adjacent part of inner wall surface each being formed from a compatible heat fusible material or materials, and wherein at least the cylinder wall in the area of the contacting or adjacent part of the inner wall is formed from a material which allows transmission of the light energy needed to cause said fusing of the adapter plate edge region to the inner wall surface.

A system for live compound visualization in column chromatography separation of compounds, including a shortwave UV transparent column configured to receive a crude mixture to be separated with an eluting solvent; a sorbent that is homogenously premixed with an inorganic UV indicator, wherein the fluorescent sorbent can be washed in-place and reusable; a shortwave UV light source that satisfies the following regarding its wavelength: 1) creates fluorescence on the inorganic UV indicator, 2) does not get absorbed by the eluting solvent, and 3) gets absorbed by the compounds; a detachable flow control valve rigidly fitted to an outlet end of the shortwave UV transparent column; a nozzle to the flow control valve configure to provide for eluent outflow of compounds separated from the crude mixture; and a hand-powered pressure bulb configured to provide low-pressure air flow into the shortwave UV transparent column attached to an inlet end of the quartz shortwave UV transparent column.