Corrosion problem in headspace gas chromatography with phase reaction conversion technique

This paper reports a corrosion problem in the headspace sampling needle when using a phase reaction conversion headspace gas chromatographic method in Agilent headspace auto-sampler. The examination by microscopy shows that corrosion mainly takes place on the surface of the outer wall of the needle that is exposed to the air during each headspace sampling. Since it was proven that the helium flushing is effective in minimizing the pit type of corrosion on the stainless needle material, a custom-made surface flushing device was proposed for corrosion inhibition.