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Protocols for GC-Based Methods for Generic and Environmental Hydrocarbon Analysis

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Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology Protocols

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Abstract

Gas chromatography (GC) is the most widely used analysis for determining the structural distribution and quantification of hydrocarbons in complex mixtures. A sample dissolved in a solvent is vaporized and carried by a gas phase, usually helium or hydrogen, allowing individual components to separate as they interact with a thin-film coating of stationary phase, typically a chemically bonded polymer attached to the inner walls of a capillary column. Identification and quantification of the eluting components are made using universal and/or selective detectors (e.g., flame ionization, mass spectrometer). Several standard industry and government-issued environmental methods are listed, and specific protocols for various hydrocarbon analyses are discussed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company, 1545 Route 22 East, Annandale, NJ, 08801, USA

    Clifford C. Walters

Authors
  1. Clifford C. Walters
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Correspondence to Clifford C. Walters .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, Essex, United Kingdom

    Terry J. McGenity

  2. Institute of Microbiology, Technical University Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany

    Kenneth N. Timmis

  3. Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands and Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (IMEDEA, UIB-CSIC), Palma de Mallorca, Spain

    Balbina Nogales

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© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Walters, C.C. (2015). Protocols for GC-Based Methods for Generic and Environmental Hydrocarbon Analysis. In: McGenity, T., Timmis, K., Nogales, B. (eds) Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology Protocols. Springer Protocols Handbooks. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/8623_2015_190

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/8623_2015_190

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-52791-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-52793-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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