What is gas chromatography/mass spectrometry?

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) is an analytical technique that combines the separation capabilities of gas chromatography with the identification power of mass spectrometry. GC separates volatile compounds based on their boiling points and interactions with a stationary phase, while MS identifies the separated compounds by fragmenting them into ions and measuring their mass-to-charge ratios. GC/MS is widely used for identifying and quantifying different substances within a test sample, particularly organic compounds. Common applications include environmental monitoring, food safety analysis, drug detection, and forensic science.