What could most likely cause broad trailing peaks in a GC chromatogram for blood alcohol?

The presence of broad trailing peaks in a GC chromatogram often indicates issues with the column packing or the stationary phase. In this context, water contamination of the column packing can significantly affect the interaction between the analytes and the stationary phase, leading to distorted peak shapes, including broadening and tailing. This effect occurs because the water can cause irregularities in the separation process by altering the retention time and efficiency of the stationary phase.

When the column packing is contaminated with water, it creates an environment where certain compounds do not interact with the stationary phase as they normally would. Consequently, this results in poor separation and the appearance of broad trailing peaks in the chromatogram. These peaks are characterized by their elongated shape, which can complicate quantification and identification of the analytes.

Other potential causes for broad peaks, such as a contaminated injection syringe, would more likely lead to issues like baseline noise or unspecific peaks rather than consistent peak broadening and trailing. Similarly, an excessively high oven temperature could lead to different problems, such as loss of analyte or reduced resolution. A carrier gas flow rate that is too fast could result in poor separation, which is typically indicated by symmetrically broad peaks rather than the trailing peaks noted. Hence, the most