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Vernier Debuts Expanded Gas Chromatograph for School Science Labs
Vernier has released the Mini GC Plus, a portable gas chromatograph designed for high school science labs, which expands upon the number of detectable compounds over the company’s original Mini GC. The device helps separate, analyze, and identify substances contained in a volatile liquid or gaseous sample.
Offering an increased maximum column temperature of 160ºC, it features a MEMS chip sensor that can be set at either standard or high sensitivity mode. The standard sensitivity mode works well for polar compounds such as ketones, alcohols, and esters, while the high sensitivity mode works well for compounds such as halogenated alkanes and substituted aromatics, as well as mixtures with one or more compounds of low concentration.
A software-controlled internal pump system allows the device to use room air as the carrier gas.
Students and educators can also use the company’s Logger Pro software and LabQuest App (sold separately) for column control and data collection, with peak integration analysis and retention-time determination built into the software. It retails for $1,799.
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Stephen Noonoo is a reporter, contributing editor and consultant specializing in education technology. He is on Twitter @stephenoonoo.