Restek Corporation, 1-800-356-1688 or 1-814-353-1300 www.restek.com

Petrochemical Applications

Molecular Sieve 5A and 13XPacked GC Columns for Permanent Gas Separations

Molecular sieves, synthetic forms of Zeolite packing, have been used since the 1950s for separating lightgases (oxygen, nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide) and inert gases (helium, argon, neon, krypton,and xenon), yet there have been few changes or improvements in their basic composition or performance.Restek has designed the two most common molecular sieves—5A and 13X, as high-performance pack-ings that feature batch-to-batch inertness and consistency. These packings are used in a wide range ofpacked and PLOT column analyses.

Molecular sieve 5A and 13X packings differ in pore size and composition, causing differences in retentionand selectivity for many gases. The 5A packing provides greater retention, which improves the separationof argon, oxygen, and nitrogen, and is a better choice for analyzing the trace impurities in inert gases typ-ically used in the semiconductor industry. The 13X packing often is preferred for analysis of carbonmonoxide, particularly at trace concentrations, because lower retention results in sharper chromato-graphic peaks and improved detection limits.

Molecular Sieve 5A or 13X Packing in Silcosteel® Treated Tubing Exhibits Excellent Chromatographyfor Permanent Gas AnalysisFigure 1 compares a gas mixture analyzed using a 1-meter high-performance Molecular Sieve 5A columnand a 2-meter high-performance Molecular Sieve 13X column. Notice the excellent peak symmetry forcarbon monoxide on each column, indicating that the packing and column tubing are extremely inert.Combining high-quality molecular sieves with Silcosteel® treated* tubing produces a packed columnoptimized for trace analysis of the difficult components oxygen and carbon monoxide.

Figure 1 Permanent gases on Molecular Sieve 5A and Molecular Sieve 13X packedcolumns.

Chromatography Products

Molecular Sieve 5A: excellent resolution of oxygen, nitrogen,

methane, and carbon monoxide.

1. oxygen2. nitrogen3. methane4. carbon monoxide

10µL helium, 5–10% each component

Oven temp.: 50°CInj./det. temp.: 150°C/200°CCarrier gas: hydrogenFlow: 30mL/min., heliumDetector: TCD

1 2

3 4

min.0 2 4

Molecular Sieve 13X: rapid analysis and excellent peak

symmetry for carbon monoxide.

GC_PC00166

1

2

3

4

min.0 2 4

Molecular Sieve 5A 80/100 mesh1m x 1/8" x 2mm ID (cat.# 80440)

Molecular Sieve 13X 80/100 mesh2m x 1/8" x 2mm (ID) (cat.# 80439)

*Silcosteel® treatment is a proprietary surface treatment for passivating steel and stainless steel. U.S. Patent 6,511,760.

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Bulk quantities are available.

Molecular Sieve Bulk PackingsDescription Max. Temp. (°C) Mesh g/btl. cat.#

10652g0508/06004A5 eveiS raluceloM50652g0508/06004X31 eveiS raluceloM

Molecular Sieve Packed Columns

*Please add configuration suffix number to cat.# when ordering.

Stainless Steel Tubing Silcosteel® Treated Stainless Steel TubingL OD ID L OD ID

Molecular Sieve Mesh (ft.) (in.) (mm) cat.#* (m) (in.) (mm) cat.#*Molesieve 5A 60/80 6 1/8 2.1 80473- 2 1/8 2 80428-Molesieve 5A 80/100 3 1/8 2.1 88015- 1 1/8 2 80440-Molesieve 5A 80/100 6 1/8 2.1 80474- 2 1/8 2 80429-Molesieve 5A 80/100 10 1/8 2.1 88014- 3.05 1/8 2 80430-Molesieve 13X 60/80 6 1/8 2.1 80475- 2 1/8 2 80480-Molesieve 13X 80/100 6 1/8 2.1 80476- 2 1/8 2 80439-

Micropacked Columns• Increased efficiency over traditional packed columns.• Higher capacity than PLOT columns.• Made from inert, flexible Silcosteel® treated stainless steel tubing.• Silcosteel® treated, braided wire end plug keeps packing intact, even under intense pressure surges

during valve switching.

Mesh ID OD Temp. Range 1-Meter 2-MeterMolesieve 5A 80/100 0.75mm 0.95mm up to 300°C 19002 19003Molesieve 5A 80/100 1.00mm 1/16" up to 300°C 19000 19001Molesieve 13X 80/100 0.75mm 0.95mm up to 350°C 19006 19007Molesieve 13X 80/100 1.00mm 1/16" up to 350°C 19004 19005

ColumnC rations

GeneralConfigurationSuffix -800

Agilent 5880, 5890,5987, 6890:Suffix -810

Varian 3700,Vista Series,FID:Suffix -820

PE 900-3920Sigma 1,2,3:Suffix -830

83/4"

PE Auto System8300, 8400,8700 (Not On-Column):Suffix -840

6 1/2"

See our general catalog forcustom configurations

Note: Initial 2" of column willbe empty, to accommodate aneedle. For a completely filledcolumn add suffix -901.

Quality Testing Ensures ReproducibilityEach lot of Zeolite packing is purified to remove metals and other trace contaminants that can adsorbtrace gases, such as carbon monoxide. Then, every batch is carefully classified to precise mesh ranges,ensuring lot-to-lot reproducibility. Our thermal conditioning process is critical for establishing the rela-tive retention of methane/carbon monoxide, and for producing excellent peak symmetry for active com-pounds like carbon monoxide. As a result, each lot of molecular sieve is precisely produced, conditioned,and quality assurance tested for reproducible efficiency, column back pressure, peak symmetry, and rela-tive retention time, using a permanent gas performance mixture.

Lit. Cat.# 59538A© 2007 Restek Corporation. All rights reserved.

Printed in the U.S.A.