To determine the composition of the volatile components in a mixture of gasoline using gas chromatography, you would follow these steps:1. Sample preparation: First, you need to obtain a representative sample of the gasoline mixture. This can be done by taking a small volume e.g., 1 mL of the gasoline and diluting it with a suitable solvent, such as hexane or isooctane, to minimize matrix effects and ensure that the sample is within the linear range of the gas chromatograph.2. Instrument setup: Set up the gas chromatograph with an appropriate column and detector. For gasoline analysis, a non-polar capillary column e.g., polydimethylsiloxane is typically used. The column should have a suitable length and film thickness to provide good separation of the volatile components. The detector can be a flame ionization detector FID or a mass spectrometer MS for more detailed analysis.3. Method development: Develop a suitable temperature program for the gas chromatograph oven. The initial temperature should be low enough to allow the volatile components to be retained on the column, and the final temperature should be high enough to elute all components of interest. A typical temperature program might start at 40C, ramp up at 10C/min to 200C, and hold for a few minutes.4. Sample injection: Inject a known volume of the prepared sample e.g., 1 L into the gas chromatograph using a suitable injection technique, such as split or splitless injection.5. Data analysis: As the volatile components are separated by the column and detected by the detector, they will produce peaks in the chromatogram. Identify and quantify these peaks by comparing their retention times and peak areas to those of known standards. This can be done using calibration curves or internal standard methods.The composition of the volatile components in gasoline typically includes various hydrocarbons, such as alkanes, alkenes, and aromatics. Some common components found in gasoline are:- Alkanes: pentane, hexane, heptane, octane, nonane, decane, etc.- Alkenes: 1-pentene, 1-hexene, 1-heptene, etc.- Aromatics: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, etc.By analyzing the gas chromatography data, you can determine the relative concentrations of these volatile components in the gasoline mixture.