Gas Chormatograhpy

[popjinx]

Does anyone know if gas chromatography could be implemented to measure alcohol levels in blood? Or used as a type of breathalyzer? If not, what yould be another method I could use to measure the amount of ethanol in a solution??

[jdurg]

Gas Chromatography is used to determine the alcohol level in the blood. Breathalyzers are just a small little portable test that the cops use, but if an actual blood sample is obtained, they would use a GC in conjunction with an MS for the test. It's just that a GC machine isn't exactly what you'd call "portable". heh.

[Tetrahedrite]

Portable breathalysers use uv-visable spectroscopy. Dichromate is used to oxidise the alcohol to acetic acid and the change in the colour of the dichromate can be quantitatively measured via the UV-vis spectrophotometer.

[popjinx]

Thanks! That helps a lot.

Would using MS be the next best thing to using GC to measure alcohol concentrations? Or, is there a better way??

[jdurg]

MS is generally used in conjunction with GC in nearly all occurances. (Hence GC/MS). The MS is used to give a confirmation of what is discovered in the GC.

[Gilded]

"It's just that a GC machine isn't exactly what you'd call "portable". heh."

 

You can say that again. MS machines aren't really that portable either. Although someday they might be (which would be quite helpful actually ).

[jdurg]

Well, the machines are portable if you have fifty inch biceps and leg muscles. heh.