Comprehensive GCxGCMS

Description

Shimadzu's Comprehensive GCxGCMS is an analytical configuration that integrates two-dimensional gas chromatography (GCxGC) with mass spectrometric detection. The system typically pairs a fast-scanning quadrupole mass spectrometer, like the GCMS-QP2010Ultra, with an external thermal modulator such as the Zoex ZX-1 or ZX-2. This quadrupole MS is specifically designed with a rapid scan rate to adequately capture the narrow peak profiles, often between 100 and 600 milliseconds wide, generated by the comprehensive 2D-GC modulation process. This setup provides a cost-effective alternative to time-of-flight (TOF) MS systems for GCxGC and includes capabilities for Chemical Ionization (CI) and Negative Chemical Ionization (NCI), which are beneficial for obtaining molecular ion data and analyzing specific compound classes. Acquired mass spectra are compatible with common commercial libraries. The system can be configured with independent ovens for the first and second dimension columns and may utilize capillary flow technology for applications like flow splitting or backflushing. Dedicated software is used for data processing and generating two-dimensional chromatographic contour plots.