ABSTRACT
The use of a mass spectrometer as the detector in gas chromatography was developed in the 1950s by Gohlke and McLafferty [5,6]. This is a chemical analysis instrument for separating gaseous species in a complex sample. The system uses a «ow-through narrow tube, known as the column, through which different gaseous species of a test gas pass in a stream at different rates depending on their various chemical and physical properties. As the gaseous species exit at the end of the column, they are detected and identi-™ed electronically. The stationary phase in the column is to separate different species by causing each one to exit the column at different time intervals. Since each type of molecule has a different rate of progression, the various components of the analyte mixture are separated as they progress along the column and reach the end of the column at different times (retention time). A detector is used to monitor the outlet stream from the column; thus, the time at which each component reaches the outlet and the amount of that component can be determined.
