APPENDIX I

SYMBOLS AND ACRONYMS

A Peak area
As Surface area of stationary phase in column
d Distance between maxima of two adjacent peaks
dc Column inside diameter
df Thickness of liquid phase
dp Particle diameter
D Minimum detectability of a detector
D Diffusion coefficient in general
DG Diffusion coefficient in the gas phase
DL Diffusion coefficient in liquid stationary phase
DM Diffusion coefficient in the mobile phase
DS Diffusion coefficient in the stationary phase
ECD Electron capture detector
ECN Effective carbon number
EPC Electronic pressure control
f Relative detector response factor
F Mobile-phase flow rate, measured at column outlet under ambient
conditions with a wet flow meter
Fc Mobile-phase flow rate corrected
FID Flame ionization detector
FTIR Fourier Transform infrared
GC Gas chromatography
GLC Gasliquid chromatography

Basic Gas Chromatography, Second Edition, by Harold M. McNair and James M. Miller
Copyright 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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216 SYMBOLS AND ACRONYMS

GLPC Gasliquid partition chromatography

GSC Gassolid chromatography
H Plate height (HETP)
H Enthalpy
HETP Height equivalent to one theoretical plate
I Retention index; Kovats
j Mobile phase compression (compressibility) correction factor
k Retention factor (capacity factor)
Kc Distribution constant in which the concentration in the stationary
phase is expressed as mass of substance per volume of the
phase
L Column length
LC Liquid chromatography
MDQ Minimum detectable quantity
MS Mass spectroscopy
N Noise of a detector
N Plate number (number of theoretical plates)
OT Open tubular (column)
p Pressure in general; partial pressure
Pi Inlet pressure
Po Outlet pressure
p0 Equilibrium vapor pressure
PLOT Porous-layer open tubular (column)
PTGC Programmed temperature GC
PTV Programmed temperature vaporizer
rc Inside column radius
R Retardation factor in column chromatography; fraction of a
sample component in a mobile phase
R Gas constant
Rs Peak resolution
S Detector sensitivity
SCOT Support-coated open tubular (column)
t Time in general
tM Mobile-phase hold-up time; it is also equal to the retention time
of an unretained compound
tR Peak elution time
tR Adjusted retention time
tR0 Corrected retention time
T Temperature in general (always in kelvin)
T Significant temperature (in PTGC)
Tc Column temperature
TCD Thermal conductivity detector
TF Tailing factor
TOF Time-of-flight MS
u Mobile-phase velocity
 SYMBOLS AND ACRONYMS 217

u Average linear carrier gas velocity

V Volume in general
Vg Specific retention volume at 0 C
VG Interparticle volume of column in GC
VL Liquid-phase volume
VM Mobile-phase hold-up volume; also equal to the retention volume
of an unretained compound
VM0 Corrected gas hold-up volume
VM Volume of mobile phase in column
VN Net retention volume
VR Total retention volume
VR Adjusted retention volume
VR0 Corrected retention volume
VS Volume of stationary phase in column
wb Peak width at base
wh Peak width at half height
WCOT Wall coated open tubular (column)
z Number of carbon atoms of an n-alkane eluted before the peak
of interest
(z + 1) Number of carbon atoms of an n-alkane eluted after the peak of
interest

GREEK SYMBOLS
Separation factor (relative retardation)
Phase ratio
Activity coefficient
Packing factor (Rate Equation)
Velocity of solute
Standard deviation of a Gaussian peak
2 Variance of a Gaussian peak
Time constant (Detector)
Packing factor (Rate Equation)