Fused silica capillary column for gas chromatography, made by Scientific Glass Engineering Pty., Australia, 1982.

Separation columns for gas chromatography are made of glass of metal tubing packed with a liquid coated on a non-reactive powder. Capillary columns were introduced over 20 years ago. These gave far superior results but for many years commercial capillary columns could only be prepared from stainless steel. Fused silica (quartz) columns appeared in May 1979 and can be used for a much wider range of samples. Capillary columns are coated on the inside with a liquid similar to those used on packed columns. The column was manufactured by the Scientific Glass Engineering Pty, Melbourne.