Applied GC and GC-MS troubleshooting
- Duration: 3.50 hours for on-demand
- Experience level: Intermediate
- Delivery methods: Offsite training & consultancy | On-Demand | Online | Onsite training & consultancy | Tailored training |
- Type of course: Universal
- Applicable to manufacturer(s): Agilent | Bruker | CDS Analytical | CTC analytics | Frontier | GERSTEL | GL Sciences | Leco | OI Analytical | PerkinElmer | Scion | Shimadzu | SRI | Thermo | Varian | Waters |
- CPD Approved: Approved
- Scheduled course price: £227.50 + TAX per delegate
- Course discounts: RSC CAMS HEaTED Cambridge Network members receive a discount on this course
Your applied guide to diagnosing and solving gas chromatography (GC) and GC- mass spectrometry (GC-MS) problems
Module 12 of the Complete GC and GC-MS and module 4 of The GC and GC-MS Clinic course.
Applied GC and GC-MS troubleshooting module is approved by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) for the purposes of Continuing Professional Development (CPD). This course designed for professionals, students and chemists, provides a structured approach to troubleshooting GC and GC-MS instruments, helping you systematically diagnose faults, identify root causes, and implement effective corrective actions. This module covers troubleshooting across the GC and GC-MS system, including samples, gases, autosamplers, inlets, columns, detectors, mass spectrometers, vacuum systems, contamination issues, sensitivity problems, peak shape abnormalities, and retention time shifts.
This module can be combined with any of the other twelve modules in the Complete GC and GC-MS to tailor your training needs.
Why should I join?
On completion of this course, you will have an overview of how to diagnose analytical problems logically and efficiently, giving you:
- A systematic approach to diagnosing GC and GC-MS problems
- Understanding of how instrument components interact and influence analytical performance
- Insight into common faults affecting sensitivity, reproducibility, peak shape, and retention times
- Practical guidance on identifying contamination, leaks, blockages, and vacuum-related issues
- A detailed understanding of how to use tune reports, air and water checks, chromatograms, and system suitability data during investigations [
- A valuable refresher for analysts seeking to minimise instrument downtime and improve productivity.
What would I learn?
This module focuses on investigation and resolution of common GC and GC-MS issues, you will learn:
- A structured troubleshooting workflow including problem identification, symptom evaluation, fault isolation, corrective action, verification, and prevention
- How to distinguish between instrument problems, sample-related, and method-related issues
- How sample composition, concentration, stability, contamination, and storage conditions influence analytical results
- Common gas supply and plumbing issues including contamination, leaks, and pressure issues
- Troubleshooting techniques for liquid autosamplers, thermal desorption and other sample introduction systems
- The causes of column damage, column bleed, activity, and chromatographic performance loss
- How detector issues affect baseline stability, noise, sensitivity, and signal quality in GC and GC-MS systems
- The interpretation of air and water reports, tune results, contamination patterns, and vacuum system performance indicators in GC-MS systems
- How to diagnose contamination sources using chromatograms and mass spectral information
What knowledge will I gain?
By the end of the module, you will:
- Understand how to apply a logical troubleshooting process that reduces unnecessary maintenance and component replacement
- Be able to identify whether a problem originates from the sample, method, instrument, or data system
- Understand common causes of contamination and methods for isolating contamination sources
- Learn how to identify and resolve carrier gas, plumbing, pressure, and leak-related issues
- Understand how inlet activity, discrimination, dead volumes, and improper installation affect chromatographic performance
- Be able to recognise and interpret peak shape problems including tailing, fronting, distortion, broadening, and ghost peaks
- Learn how to interpret retention time shifts and determine whether they are caused by leaks, blockages, column ageing, temperature control issues, or matrix effects
- Gain insight into mass spectral contamination patterns and the identification of common contaminants such as solvents, column bleed products, pump oil, and atmospheric gases
Is this course for me?
This course is designed for anyone who would like an understanding of troubleshooting for both techniques.
- Laboratory analysts & technicians using GC and GC-MS
- Laboratory or line managers overseeing GC and GC-MS instruments and analysis
- Data analysts and report writers who work with GC and GC-MS
- Service engineers who want chemistry focused introduction to GC and GC-MS
- Sales, commercial or marketing teams who work with GC and GC-MS components, instruments, or services in anyway and would like more in-depth knowledge
If GC and GC-MS touches your work in any way, this well-planned course delivered by experts in the field equips you to understand the science behind these techniques.
Select the courses you are interested in:
Feedback from previous attendees
“Great insight for things to look out for. Problem examples at the end were great as using real examples to build on knowledge from courses.” May 2022.
“[I enjoyed] the interactive chromatogram review at the end to see real life examples and how to diagnose problems. [Most useful topic:] Issues that come from the GC itself, due to gas, plumbing, column installation, etc. The most common problems.” May 2022.
“It was good to be able to have an outline of how to deal with problems when they first appear. Lots of useful tips were included alongside the more basic information. [Most useful topic:] Chromatogram Troubleshooting. It was really useful to be able to apply the knowledge given in the training and see some real examples.” Hollie Gillespie, QC Lab Analyst, NextGEN360 (May 2020).
“A lot of practical information providing good starting points. [Instructor] very knowledgeable about all aspects. Very helpful, upbeat, and friendly.”
“The practical examples (including chromatograms), were extremely beneficial to help retain the info for the class.”
“Wide range of details, excellent tips and tricks, very useful information.”
