GC/MS Technology
Mass Spectrometry for On-Site Applications
Mass spectrometry is the standard laboratory technology for detecting, differentiating and identifying trace levels of chemical compounds in complex environments. The mass of a chemical is a definitive and measurable quantity. A mass spectrometer measures a physio-chemical characteristic: the mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) of an ion. Thus, it provides more information about the chemical make-up of a sample than most other sensor technologies can detect. Mass spectrometry is also a very selective technology. Within one complex sample, multiple chemicals can be separated out and identified, even those that are very similar in chemical structure. Mass spectrometers use library matching algorithms to identify the various chemical components within a sample. The NIST mass spectral library, for example, contains over 225,000 different chemical spectra that can be identified via mass spectrometry. As new chemicals are identified, they can be added to the library of detectable chemicals. These attributes make mass spectrometry the most trusted technology for chemical identification and confirmation. The GRIFFIN mass spectrometry line offers this same lab-quality capability in a compact, robust package for field-based applications. Where chemical analysis was formerly a lengthy process that required bringing samples to the lab, FLIR has shifted the logistics paradigm from "sample-to-lab analysis" to "lab-to-sample analysis."