Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy – GCMS

Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) Analysis Services

GCMS is a chemical analysis technique widely used to identify chemical components, contaminants, and trace elements within a specimen. It combines two powerful techniques to separate and analyze constituents of, typically, volatile compounds. In the Gas Chromatography (GC) process, the sample is vaporized and carried over a packed capillary column, where they are separated. Sample constituents are identified by comparing them against reference standards. The components leaving GC are ionized and fragmented as they enter the Mass Spectrometer (MS). A mass analyzer (e.g., a quadrupole detector) separates and analyzes the ionized molecules based on their mass to charge ratio (m/z). Peaks appear as a function of m/z, and these reproducible mass spectra are used to identify the molecules and perform quantitative analysis.

Running GC tandem with multiple, variant MS detector units adds additional fragmentation steps for the sample components. Tandem MS is beneficial for identifying and analyzing targeted molecules, where low detection limits are required. Examples of such variants include GC-MS/MS or GC/MS-TOF (Time of Flight). Options like Selected Ion Monitoring (SIM) in MS are also available for quantitative analysis of trace components in a laboratory.

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Video 01: Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)

Common Uses of Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)

• Drug detection –  To identify drugs and/or poisons in biological samples from suspects, victims, or the deceased, forensic toxicologists frequently utilize GC-MS. Target chemicals are extracted from blood plasma as part of the sample preparation process in GC-MS techniques used for drug screening.
• Forensic investigations – As it is utilized to conduct a 100% specific test that positively detects the presence of a specific chemical, GC-MS has come to be known as the “gold standard” for forensic substance identification.
• Environmental analysis – The preferred tool for monitoring organic contaminants in the environment is now GC-MS. The dependability of GC-MS equipment has improved while the price has reduced dramatically, which has led to a rise in its use in environmental investigations.
• Analysis of food, beverages, and perfumes – Numerous aromatic compounds are found in foods and beverages, some of which are naturally present in the raw materials and others of which are formed during processing. These chemicals are extensively analyzed by GC-MS. Additionally, it is used to test and detect impurities from adulteration or spoilage that may be harmful and are frequently under the authority of governmental organizations, such as pesticides.

GCMS Advantages:

• Low detection limits (~pico grams)
• Broad m/z range up to 1050
• High efficiency and multi-stage separation of components
• Higher specificity and reproducibility compared to LC-MS
• Tiny sample required: µL for gasses and liquids and 0.5-1g for solids

Limitations:

• Solid and liquid samples need to be able to degas for analysis
• Slow analysis time
• Additional sample preparation steps required for non-volatile samples

 Industries using GCMS tests:

• Semiconductors
• Food and Beverage Industry
• Chemicals
• Plastics and Packaging
• Pharmaceuticals
• Drug Testing
• Environmental Science
• Clinical and biological testing
• Cosmetics
• Compliance and Regulatory Testing
• Forensic Science
• Geology
• Oil and Gas

More Details:

Fundamentals of GC-MS and its applications
GC-MS Instrumentation
GC-MS Variants and their applications
GC-MS in regulatory compliance