New GC Columns Deliver Improved Separation of Blood Alcohols for Forensics and Toxicology

Phenomenex Inc., a global leader in the manufacture of separation science consumables, introduces blood alcohol columns for GC-FID analysis in forensic and toxicology applications. The new Zebron™ ZB-BAC-1 and -2 column pair is optimized for ethanol separation with a run time of less than two minutes.

The Phenomenex columns resolve both t-butanol and n-propanol from other volatile solvents, enabling the use of either compound as the internal standard. This is advantageous because n-propanol, which may be present in blood samples as a result of bacterial growth, is not a reliable standard for many post mortem cases.

The dual-column solution provides a confirmatory test, which is required in more and more states. Confirmation is achieved by demonstrating elution order changes for two pairs of compounds when columns are run in parallel. Zebron ZB-BAC-1 and -2 columns separate all common blood alcohol volatiles including methanol, acetaldehyde, ethanol, isopropanol and acetone.

“The demand for better blood alcohol testing is on the rise, as more laws are created and existing ones are strengthened,” commented Sky Countryman, product manager for Phenomenex. “The Zebron column pair has competitive advantages that deliver superior separations in less time, helping forensic labs increase their throughput.”