Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is a hyphenated analytical technique. As the name implies, it is actually two instrumental techniques, a combination of instrumentation that allows for the analysis of complex mixtures of chemicals.
GC-MS is considered as one of the primary methods available for qualitatively identifying the molecular makeup of a sample The technique employs gas chromatography to separate the components of a mixture based upon analyte boiling point and affinity for a column stationary phase. As each analyte elutes off the column, it enters the mass spectrometer where it is ionized, fragmented and separated by the fragments mass-to charge ratios, thus allowing the mass spectrometry to characterize each of the components individually. By combining the two techniques, an analytical chemist can both qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate complex mixtures.
