Gas‐liquid chromatography of lipids, carbohydrates and amino acids

Gas‐liquid chromatography is primarily a powerful separating tool. Compounds can be trapped as they emerge from the GLC apparatus for analysis by mass spectrometry and infrared or ultraviolet spectrophotometry, or the emerging separated components may flow directly into one of these instruments making positive identification of the components possible. Quantitative analyses of fats and oils are possible when certain requirements are observed. A combination of fatty acid, triglyceride and sterol analyses offers promise of a rapid means for the identification of fats and oils and their admixture or adulteration. Progress has been made on the preparation of derivatives of carbohydrates and amino acids such that these compounds may soon be analyzed as readily by GLC as lipids are today.