Peak Analytical, Inc.

GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY/FOURIER TRANSFORM INFRARED (GC/FTIR)

GC/FTIR utilizes a flow cell which is in the light path of the FTIR spectrometer to analyze intact molecular analytes as they elute off of the GC column.

One benefit of this technique over GC/MS is that molecules are freely rotating and isolated from each other in a low energy environment, which keeps all aspects of molecular geometry intact. Some of this spatial geometry is lost using GC/MS due to the ionization/fragmentation/rearrangement process of the MS.

Some of the specific chemical benefits are:

• Substituent placement on aromatic rings
• Cis-trans spatial geometry about the double bonds
• Ring junctions on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
• Aliphatic chain isomers
• Long chain aliphatic alcohols
• Functional group identification