ISQ User Guide - Write Frame of Mind

1 Changing the Column
Replacing the Factory-Installed Column
7. Cool down the GC inlet and oven.
WARNING - BURN HAZARD: The injector, oven, and transfer line may be hot. Allow
them to cool to room temperature before touching them.
8. Open the front door of the GC.
9. Unscrew the transfer line nut and remove the column from the transfer line.
10. Unscrew the injector nut and remove the column from the injector.
11. Connect the new column to the injector inside the GC.
a. Unwind the column about a half turn.
Note Wear clean, lint- and powder-free gloves when you handle the column and
injector ferrule.
b. Wipe about 100 mm (4 in.) of the column with a tissue soaked in methanol.
c. Insert the column through the injector nut and ferrule (open end up). Wipe the
column again with a tissue soaked in methanol.
d. Use a scoring wafer to score and break the column about 2.5 cm (1 in.) from the end.
Use a magnifying glass to check for an even, flat cut. Repeat if necessary.
e. Insert the column into the injector so that the end of the column is the proper
distance (splitless = 64 mm, split = 40 mm, PTV = 30 mm) from the back of the
injector nut.
f. Tighten the column nut finger-tight plus a quarter turn.
12. Power-on the GC.
13. Set the carrier gas flow to 1.0 mL/min.
14. Set up the GC.
Tip Slide a septum on the column before the injector nut to make it easier to
measure the proper distance between the nut and end of the column.
a. Set the oven and injector temperatures to 50 °C.
b. Turn off vacuum compensation, which is located on the Carrier menu of the GC.
c. Use the column flowmeter connector to verify that there is flow through the column.
If you do not have a flowmeter, dip the column outlet in a small vial of methanol.
Bubbles indicate there is flow through the column. If there is no flow, check that the
carrier gas is on, the GC inlet is pressurized, and the column is not plugged. If there is
still no flow, consult the Troubleshooting section or contact Technical Support.
d. Allow the column to purge for at least 10 minutes.
4 ISQ User Guide Thermo Scientific