Advances in non-discriminating pyrolysis

The technique of non-discriminating pyrolysis was introduced to the analytical practice in the recent years. The design of this system makes it possible to analyze high molecular weight fragments produced during pyrolysis of both natural and synthetic materials, which is usually difficult or impossible with commercial pyrolyzers. These fragments often carry the most significant structural information. In the design of the new system, an attempt was made to maintain the advantages of existing systems while eliminating or reducing the disadvantages. The design of the non-discriminating pyrolysis system has been continuously evolving since its introduction in 2000. The most recent changes include a redesigned septumless injector interface to eliminate the need for silicone septum, and as a result, the elimination of the most significant bleed source at high injector and oven temperatures. A new power supply was developed to eliminate the need for an external heater. In addition, fixed electrical connectors to reduce manual manipulations and to obtain more reproducible temperature for pyrolysis and post heating have been introduced. All these modifications made the system more user-friendly and closer to achieve the main goal, i.e. full automation. This paper presents a summary of recent changes and their effect on the performance of the system.