WCOT Capillary Column GC/FT-IR and GC/MS for Identifying Toxic Organic Pollutants

The combined data of high-resolution chromatography GC/FT-IR and GC/MS is used to identify a standard solution of priority pollutants. Identifications made by the individual library search routines are compared and an improvement is demonstrated in the number of identifications with the combined GC/FT-IR and GC/MS data. Both GC/FT-IR and GC/MS separations are performed on WCOT capillary columns. This provides the best separation possible and also permits fast and efficient comparison of spectral data when separations are performed on the same type of column. GC/FT-IR shows more selectivity for polar compounds, whereas GC/MS selectivity favors nonpolar compounds. These selectivity differences emphasize the complementary nature of (and the need for) both GC/FT-IR and GC/MS information.