Section L6.01, Overview of Instrumental Analysis, refers to an understanding of where GC falls in the overall scheme of instrumental analysis, which includes molecular spectroscopy, atomic spectroscopy, chromatography, and X-ray diffraction and microscopy. The technician should be able to describe the theory of operation, the terms associated with the technique, how each technique is applied to solving problems, and the limitations of each technique. They should also be able to use textual material, computer software and libraries to obtain relevant information and demonstrate problem-solving ability using the applicable technique.

A description of the principles of separation in GC should include both micro- and macro-scale descriptions. On a microscopic scale, the technician should have a rudimentary understanding of how the separation takes place including chemical bonding (attraction between the analyte in the gas phase and the stationary phase), the thermodynamics (temperature effect on separation) and the kinetics (time influence on the shape of GC peaks) underlying the GC separation process. On a macroscopic scale, the technician should understand the kinds of samples that can be separated using GC.