- GC-MS
GC-MS
Gas
chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is a method that combines the
features of gas-liquid chromatography and mass
spectrometry to identify different substances within a test sample.
Applications of GC-MS
include drug detection, fire investigation, environmental
analysis, explosives investigation, and identification of unknown
samples. GC-MS can also be used in airport security to detect substances in
luggage or on human beings. Additionally, it can identify trace
elements in materials that were previously thought to have disintegrated
beyond identification.
GC-MS has been widely heralded as a "gold standard"
for forensic substance identification because it is used to perform
a specific test. A specific test positively identifies the actual presence
of a particular substance in a given sample. A non-specific test merely
indicates that a substance falls into a category of substances. Although a
non-specific test could statistically suggest the identity of the substance,
this could lead to false positive identification
