NAME : ALYSSA FIKRIYAH

CLASS : ME
NIM : 225100900111002
WORKING PRINCIPLE OF EACH DETECTOR
IN GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY

1. Flame Photometric Detector (GC FPD)

Flame Photometric Detector (FPD) is a detector used in gas chromatography for the
detection of compounds containing sulfur, phosphorus or nitrogen. This detector is based
on the principle of measuring the emission of light produced when the compound is
burned in a flame. The working principle of FPD involves two main stages. First, the gas
mixture leaving the separation column enters the flame in the detector. There,
compounds containing sulfur, phosphorus, or nitrogen will burn to produce atomic
species (such as atomic sulfur, atomic phosphorus, or atomic nitrogen) which are in an
excited state. Then, this excited state will return to its ground state, and in this process, a
characteristic emission light will be released. This light is then detected by a photodiode
or photomultiplier and converted into an electrical signal. The electrical signal generated
by the detector is then processed and analyzed to determine the amount and type of
compound detected in the sample. FPD can be used for the highly sensitive detection of
compounds such as sulfur, phosphorus, and nitrogen in gas mixtures. These detectors
are often used in environmental applications, oil and gas analysis, and in the chemical
industry (Trihadi et al., 2020).

2. Nitrogen Phosporus Detector (GC NPD)

The nitrogen phosphorus detector has destructive properties, is selective for organic
nitrogen and phosphorus compounds and has a linearity limit of 104 g. The minimum limit
that can still be detected by NPD is 10 -12 g. The Nitrogen-Phosphorus Detector (NPD) is
a detector used in gas chromatography to detect compounds containing nitrogen or
phosphorus. This detector works on the principle of thermal ionization, in which the
compounds ionize when heated in the detector.
The working principle of NPD involves two main stages. First, a carrier gas (usually
helium) flows through the detector and is heated in a catalytic zone containing filaments
made of phosphorus-containing material. This heating results in electronic ionization
producing free electrons. Then, the gas mixture leaving the separation column
(containing nitrogen or phosphorus compounds) is introduced into the catalytic zone.
There, these compounds interact with the previously generated free electrons, resulting
in additional ionization. The ions formed during this process are collected by the
electrodes in the detector. When an electric current is applied to the electrodes, the
detected current will change according to the amount of ionized nitrogen or phosphorus
compounds. Thus, the NPD can detect compounds containing nitrogen or phosphorus in
gas mixtures with high sensitivity. These detectors are commonly used in chemical
analysis, environmental and forensic applications (Nugraha, 2018).

3. Flame Ionization Detector/Thermal Conductivity Detector (GC FID/TCD)

Gas chromatography method with detector flame ionization is an appropriate method
in determining the ethanol content because it is used in the separation of organic matter
or inorganic having easy properties evaporate. GC-FID is used in the analysis of ethanol
content in wine because the content in wine is volatile compounds. this method very
possible in determining 30 content of volatile compounds in wine. The content of volatile
compounds analyzed namely acetaldehyde, 2,3-butanedione, acetone, alcohol, acetic
acid, fatty acid and 3-ethyl ester. FID (Flame Ionization Detector) is one such detector
that measures the electrical conductivity of gases. This detector is in common use
because it is insensitive to air, water, carbon dioxide, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur
dioxide and most GC bearing gases. However, this detector is very sensitive to
compounds containing carbon and hydrogen. Its principle of operation is to detect ionized
components during combustion. FID is often used in gas chromatography. The gas and
vapor leaving the separation column are mixed with hydrogen and burned in air to
NAME : ALYSSA FIKRIYAH
CLASS : ME
NIM : 225100900111002
produce a flame which ionizes the component molecules in the carrier gas. The resulting
ions are collected and produce a current that is proportional to the number of ionized
component molecules. Only the carrier gas with hydrogen produces a constant signal,
but when the components of the mixture under analysis appear, ionization occurs and
higher currents are detected (Astuti et al., 2016).

4. Electron Capture Detector (GC ECD)

The ECD is a selective detector, highly sensitive to all electron-reacting compounds
containing halogens, nitro groups or carbonyl groups (i.e. benzodiazepines, pesticides,
halogenated solvents, anesthetic gases). The detector consists of a small chamber with
two electrodes parallel to each other and a radioactive source, usually 63 Ni, placed near
the cathode to ionize the carrier gas. The potential applied to the electrodes produces a
stable background current. Compounds with a strong electron affinity, such as
halogenated compounds capture electrons and reduce the background current. The ECD
has extraordinary sensitivity and is able to detect compounds in femtogram quantities
such as carbon tetrachloride. Because the ECD's response arises from signal loss rather
than signal gain, it can easily become overloaded (signal cannot drop below zero).
Typically, the dynamic range of an ECD is on the order of about 10 4 (Shellie et al., 2023)
Electron capture detectors work based on the ability of certain compounds to capture
free electrons. This detector uses a 3 beam source to generates slow electrons by
ionizing the carrier gas, which is usually using nitrogen. These electrons flow towards the
anode which has a potential fixed, thus producing a steady current. When the molecular
components of the mixture are being analyzed coming out of the separation column and
passing through the detector, these electrons captured by these molecules. Thus, the
electron capture detector utilize the interaction between the component being analyzed
and the free electrons to detect the presence and concentration of these components in a
carrier gas sample.

5. Mass Spectromatry/ Negative Chemical Ionization (GC MS/NCI)

Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical method that measures the mass-to-charge
ratio of charged particles. This method is used to determine the mass of particles, identify
the elemental or molecular composition of a sample, and reveal the chemical structure of
molecules such as peptides and other chemical compounds. The working principle of MS
involves the process of ionizing chemical compounds to produce charged molecules or
molecular fragments, which then measure the mass-to-charge ratio. In general, in the MS
procedure, the sample is introduced into the MS instrument and subjected to
evaporation. The components in the sample are ionized by various available methods,
such as by using electron attack, to form charged ions. The ions are then separated
according to their mass-charge ratio using an electromagnetic field in the analysis device.
These ions are detected, usually by quantitative methods. The signals from these ions
are processed to produce a mass spectrum that provides information about the
composition and structure of the molecule (Sudakhar et al., 2016).
NAME : ALYSSA FIKRIYAH
CLASS : ME
NIM : 225100900111002

REFERENCES

Astuti NPW, Suaniti NM, Mustika IG. 2016. Validasi Metode dalam Penentuan Kadar
Etanol pada Arak Menggunakan Kromatofradi Gas Detektor Ionisasi Nyala. Jurnal
Kimia 12(2) : 128-133.
Nugraha I. 2018. Analisis Daging Anjing pada Bakso Sapi dengan Metode Kromatografi
Gas Spektrometri Massa. Skripsi. Program Studi Farmasi, Fakultas Farmasi,
Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto.
Shellie RA, Wan SH. 2023. Encyclopedia of Forensic Sciences (3). Infobase Publishing,
New York.
Sudakhar P, Latha P, dan Reddy PV. 2016. Phenotyping Crop Plants for Physiological
and Biochemical Traits. Penerbit Buku Academic Press, India.
Trihadi B, Mariza SMC, Riza M. 2020. Analisa Konsentrasi Natrium pada Air Tanah
Untuk Mengetahui Terjadinya Intrusi Air Laut di Kota Bengkulu dengan Metode
Fotometri Nyala. Rafflesia Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences 1(1) : 1-10.