A sample introduction device 10 includes a tube holding section 21 and a sample removing mechanism 40. The sample removing mechanism 40 removes a sample 6 in a sample tube 2 held by the tube holding section 21. Thus, in the sample introduction device 10, the sample 6 in the sample tube 2 held by the tube holding section 21 can be automatically removed. As a result, the operator no longer needs to perform an operation of taking out the sample 6 from the sample tube 2. Thus, a work load on the operator can be reduced.

An online measuring system for the semi-volatile organic compounds in the gas phase is provided in the disclosure. The system comprises a filter head, a three-way electromagnetic valve, an enrichment-thermal desorption device, a two-position six-way valve, a mass flow controller, a gas pump, a gas chromatograph, a primary capture trap, a secondary focus trap, and a gas supply and pressure control system, the inlet of the filter head is connected to be provided with a sampling object, the outlet of the filter head is connected with the port B of the three-way electromagnetic valve through a passivated stainless steel tube, the port C of the three-way electromagnetic valve is connected with the inlet of the primary capture trap through a passivated stainless steel tube, and the port A of the three-way electromagnetic valve is connected to the gas supply and pressure control system through a passivated stainless steel tube.

A diffusive sampling device is used for quantitative measurement of chemicals in indoor and outdoor air. The sampling device includes a vial containing a sorbent on the inside bottom of the vial. The sampling device can be thermally vacuum cleaned before transport to the sampling location, and the sorbent can be chosen to allow the collection of either volatile or semi-volatile compounds (VOCs or SVOCs). After a diffusive sampling period (1 hour to 1 month), the vial is closed, and the collected sample is transferred to a laboratory for analysis. Using a thermal vacuum extraction focusing technique, the collected sample is rapidly delivered to a GCMS-compatible preconcentration device including a second sorbent for either split or splitless injection into a capillary based GCMS. No solvents are used during sampler preparation or analysis, and detection limits needed for monitoring of ambient or indoor air can be achieved for thousands of chemicals.

A carrier gas flow path of at least from a trap to an analyzing portion is shared between a state wherein a sample component is trapped within the trap and a state wherein the sample component is not trapped within the trap. In this case, even after the sample has been introduced into the analyzing portion through the carrier gas flow path, there is a time interval over which the carrier gas flows within the carrier gas flow path. This makes it possible, through the carrier gas that flows within the carrier gas flow path afterward, to remove the sample component from within the flow path, despite there being a sample component within the carrier gas flow path at the time of sample introduction, thus making it possible to prevent the sample component from remaining within the flow path after sample introduction.

The present disclosure is directed to methods and systems for detecting a chemical substance. The methods and systems include using gas-solid phase chemistry to chemically and/or physically modify a substance of interest so that the substance can be vaporized and detected through an analysis of the substance.

A multi-capillary column pre-concentration trap for use in various chromatography techniques (e.g., gas chromatography (GC) or gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS)) is disclosed. In some examples, the trap can include a plurality of capillary columns connected in series in order of increasing strength (i.e., increasing chemical affinity for one or more sample compounds). A sample can enter the trap, flowing from a sample vial to a relatively weak column to the relatively strongest column of the trap by way of any additional columns included in the trap, for example. In some examples, the trap can be heated and backflushed so that the sample exits the trap through the head of the relatively weak column. Next, the sample can be injected into a chemical analysis device for performing the chromatography technique (e.g., GC or GCMS) or it can be injected into a secondary multi-capillary column trap for further concentration.

Techniques disclosed herein can be used to perform a rapid, splitless injection of a sample including SVOCs and VOCs. In some embodiments, a system includes two focusing traps combined in series, one inside of a GC oven and one in a separate oven to concentrate the SVOCs inside of the GC oven and concentrate the VOCs outside of the GC oven. Heating the VOC focusing trap and reversing the flow through both focusers allows splitless injection of compounds boiling from as low as −100° C. to as high as 600° C. in a single analysis, with a narrow injection bandwidth to optimize both sensitivity and the resolving power of the analyzer.

A system for preparing a test sample includes a vial holder, a needle trap connected to the vial holder, and a sample preparation station. The vial holder includes a vial chamber configured to hold a vial, a purge gas needle, and a needle trap heater. The needle trap includes a needle with the needle trap heater surrounding a distal end portion of the needle. A packing bed is disposed in the needle at the distal end portion. The sample preparation station includes a housing and a vial heater assembly including a vial heater and defining a cavity. The vial holder is configured to be received in the cavity in an installed position with the vial heater surrounding at least a portion of the vial.

A thermal desorption tube collection system uses a thermoelectric cooler to collect and concentrate gas samples. In some modes, the operation of the cooler is reversed to flow the concentrated sample directly into a separator such as a gas chromatography system. Components resolved in time by a thermal desorption separator accumulate in a sample cell and are analyzed by electromagnetic radiation-based spectroscopic techniques. Also presented are methods for analyzing biogas samples.

A water removal method for gas concentration sampling, and a sampling method and device. The water removal method comprises: removing water from a sample gas by means of a first cold trap tube filled with a hydrophilic material, and then concentrating the sample gas by means of a concentration cold trap tube; then by means of a carrier gas, conveying components desorbed by the first cold trap tube under a heating state to a second cold trap tube that is in a cooled state and that is filled with a hydrophobic organic adsorbent material, and adsorbing organic substances in the components desorbed by the first cold trap tube: by means of the carrier gas, bringing the moisture desorbed by the first cold trap tube out of the second cold trap tube, and then by means of the carrier gas, conveying residual components desorbed by the first cold trap tube and the second cold trap tube under the heating state to the concentration cold trap tube for concentration.