Recent advances in gas chromatography injection port derivatization in analytical method development

Gas chromatography is a widely used analytical technique found in many laboratories around the world. However, not all analytes of interest can be directly analysed by gas chromatography, e.g., low volatility, asymmetric peaks, or thermolabile nature. In such situations, analytical derivatization, despite being a time-consuming and cumbersome extra step in sample preparation, is required to make analytes more suitable for gas chromatographic analysis by improving their volatility, thermal stability, and detectability. Injector port derivatization takes place in a heated gas chromatography injection port; the technique has broad applications in food, biomedical, and environmental analysis. It is easy to apply in analytical development processes, has a high efficiency of derivatization, and requires fewer hazardous chemical reagents in less quantity. This review aims to cover recent applications of injector port derivatization techniques published within the last ten years to facilitate injector port derivatization in analytical method development applications.