</span>First we have a cylinder containing the
carrier gas. From there, the carrier gas goes to the flow controller, which determines
how much carrier gas we are entering into the column (it doesn’t let more gas
pass through). Then, the carrier gas enters the column, which is the most
important part of the device. The sample enters the column from another place:
the injector. Then, the sample and the carrier gas go together across the
column. The interactions between the sample and the column will determine how
fast each sample component goes through the column, and so: which component
gets out earlier. So, at the end, you will have isolated each substance. Then,
each one passes (alone) through the detector, which measures something about
the sample – this information will let you know which substance it is. Finally,
the recorder provides you with the information the detector has found.
Nowadays, the recorder is a computer. In the “stone age” they just used a rudimentary
printer.
