gas chromatography n chromatography in which the sample mixture is vaporized and injected into a stream of carrier gas (as nitrogen or helium) moving through a column containing a stationary phase composed of a liquid or a particulate solid and is separated into its component compounds according to the affinity of the compounds for the stationary phase abbr. GC compare column chromatography, gas-liquid chromatography, thin-layer chromatography
gas chromatographic adj
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(GC) an automated type of chromatography in which the sample, dissolved in a solvent, is vaporized and carried by an inert gas through a column packed with a sorbent to any of several types of detector. Each component of the sample, separated from the others by passage through the column, produces a separate peak in the detector output, which is graphed by a chart recorder. The sorbent may be an inert porous solid (gas-solid c.) or a nonvolatile liquid coated on a solid support (gas-liquid c.).Medical dictionary. 2011.