A better way to separate the wheat from the chaff. Progression from single-dimension gas chromatography to multidimensional gas chromatography

Single-dimensional—i.e., single-column—gas chromatography (GC) has been a mainstay technique for GC analysis of volatile compounds for many years. It operates according to well-established separation principles; methods for injection and detection are reliable, and we can refer to it as a mature technique. However, this does not mean that it is without its shortcomings. In this chapter, the focus is on the separation provided by GC, especially the measures that can be taken to improve compound resolution and total peak capacity, by use of multiple GC columns. This defines the multidimensional (MDGC), or its more recent counterpart, comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC), experiment. Consideration of the chromatographic details of how method is setup, the nomenclature that allows clear definition of experimental parameters, comments on quantification, enantioselective analysis, and higher separation dimensionality are discussed. If it is accepted that improved analysis arises for better resolved compounds, then the analytical quality that derives from MDGC and GC×GC should make these techniques a necessary addition to the analyst's toolbox.