Gas Chromatography-Mass Selective Detector (GC-MS)

Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) is a technique that combines the separation capacity of gas chromatography with the sensitivity and selective capacity of the Mass detector. This combination allows analyzing and quantifying trace compounds in complex mixtures with a high degree of effectiveness. This technique is indicated for the separation of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds. The technique consists of volatilizing the sample and injecting it into a capillary chromatographic column. Elution is produced by the flow of a mobile phase of an inert gas that transports the analytes through the column. The analytes are reversibly retained as a result of a physical adsorption process. The separated components are eluted from the column and recorded by an MS detector, obtaining a mass spectrum that represents the abundance of different types of ions and mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) of each of them. The use of GC-MS is restricted to the separation of compounds of molecular weight lower than 1000 and a maximum working temperature of about 400ºC.