Abstract
A gas chromatographic (GC) system for the sensitive, rapid, and precise analysis of nitrous oxide (N2O) was developed. The system employs a two‐part GC column that can be separated and the first section back‐flushed to remove contaminants while sample analysis continues. Nitrous oxide was detected by an electron capture detector. The GC system was suitable for analyzing small volumes of gas samples for ambient levels of N2O at the rate of 10 samples per hour with a precision of about 1 ppb.