Solvents

Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS)

A gas chromatograph is a device capable of separating solvents. A liquid or mixture is injected into the device, and the sample begins a long journey of dozens of meters through a column within the apparatus. At the end of the column, the solvents emerge one by one, with those having the lowest boiling point appearing first and those with the highest boiling point last. The affinity with the coating on the inside of the column plays a role here.

The substances then enter the mass spectrometer, which is capable of identifying all the different substances (or fragments thereof) as a qualitative analysis. A quantitative analysis of the solvents is possible using a calibration curve, obtained by injecting known concentrations of the substance in question.

The method is widely used for determining VOC content according to ISO 11890-2 or EPA 24, or for distinguishing between solvents that do and do not fall under the VOC definition. The method is also suitable for, for example, PAH (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, often present in old coal-tar-containing paint layers). For this purpose, the 16 PAHs according to EPA can be determined, among others.