What is the cause of extra peaks in my blanks/samples?

There are two main sources of ‘extra’ or ‘new’ peaks in your chromatograms:

Artefacts:In the same way as GC columns generate artefacts, artefacts can be generated by the sorbents used in TD. The levels and number of these generally depends on the age of the sorbents, but can also vary according to factors such as high levels of solvent or humidity (for example, particularly humid samples will cause higher levels of siloxanes to arise from Tenax). Generally these artefacts are nothing to worry about, but if you have any concerns over the nature or levels of artefacts you are observing from your sorbents, please contact support@markes.com.

Carryover or contamination: Application Note 006 gives a detailed description of how to identify sources of contamination in your TD system. Alternatively, contact support@markes.com, and we will help you to locate the source of contamination and how to resolve it.