Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)

GC-MS is a powerful analytical technique that separates and identifies compounds with high sensitivity and specificity. With its broad potential in several fields, it continues to inform critical decisions in product development, forensic investigations, and understanding our world.

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is lauded as a unique scientific method, combining the gas chromatographic ability of separating volatile and semi-volatile compounds along with mass spectrometry ability of quantitative and qualitative analysis of a specimen. Gas chromatography separates the compounds based on their interactions with a stationary phase, while the mass spectrometry identifies the compounds based on their mass-to-charge ratio. This potent combination lends GC-MS to analyze chemical samples, ascertain their composition, and pinpoint specific compound concentrations, and a stellar reputation for its precision, accuracy, and broad application across many scientific fields.

Fig. 1. Image of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry instrument.

Characteristics of GC-MS

High sensitivity: GC-MS can detect and quantify trace levels of analytes in complex mixtures.
High selectivity: The combination of GC and MS allows for the separation and identification of individual components in a mixture, providing high selectivity.
Wide applicability: GC-MS can be applied to almost all organic compounds.
Structural elucidation: MS provides information on the molecular weight and structure of analytes, allowing for the identification of unknown compounds.
Quantitative analysis: GC-MS can measure the concentration of analytes in a sample based on their peak intensities or areas.
Fast analysis: GC-MS can provide rapid analysis of samples, making it suitable for high-throughput applications.
Sample compatibility: GC-MS is compatible with a wide range of sample matrices, including liquids, gases, and solids.

What is GC-MS Used For?

Fundamentally, GC-MS helps in the accurate qualitative and quantitative analysis of chemical samples, allowing clear identification of component parts. Analyzing unknown, complex, volatile, and semi-volatile compounds in a sample is a primary application of GC-MS. Additionally, it can be used to detect residual solvent and residual monomer content, identify contaminants and impurities, analyze additives, and so on. This strength and versatility make it a common instrument in analytical laboratories, widely used in medical and forensic fields, environmental analysis, food & beverage, cosmetics and fragrance industries, polymers and material analysis, and even in outer space exploration.

Application of GC-MS in Deformulation

GC-MS is crucial to the deformulation process. It's importance in deformulation stems from the its ability to separate, identify, and quantify all ingredients (including unknown compounds) in a product formulation such as drugs, dyes, pigments, polymers, resins, adhesives, coatings, sealants, personal care products, food & beverage and others. This information can help chemists and researchers understand the composition and proportional makeup of each ingredient of a product. It also can compare it to other similar products, and potentially identify any impurities or contaminants, thus further helping in discovering formulation secrets, supporting the development of similar products, investigating potential patent infringements, etc.

How We Can Help You?

With our expertise in GC-MS analysis and deformulation service, we endeavor to serve a comprehensive range of your analytical needs. Whether you are verifying the quality of raw materials, ensuring regulatory compliance, investigating patent infringements, or identifying unknown substances in a sample, our deformulation analysis can assist you. Based on GC-MS, products we deformulate include:

Adhesives
Sealants
Food & beverage

Drugs
Dyes
...

Furthermore, our consultants can guide you in interpreting GC-MS results, turning complex data into meaningful information for your operations.

Regardless of your industry or application, we are here, bolstered by our capabilities in GC-MS, to serve you with the utmost precision and reliability.

Please kindly note that our products and services are for research use only.