| Method | EPA Method 8260A |
|---|---|
| Title | VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS BY GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY/MASS SPECTROMETRY(GC/MS): CAPILLARY COLUMN TECHNIOUE |
| Abstract | The volatile compounds are introduced into the gas chromatograph by the purge-and-trap method or by direct injection (in limited applications). Purged sample components are trapped in a tube containing suitable sorbent materials. When purging is complete, the sorbent tube is heated and backflushed with helium to desorb trapped sample components. The analytes are desorbed directly to a large bore capillary or cryofocussed on a capillary precolumn before being flash evaporated to a narrow bore capillary for analysis. The column is temperature programmed to separate the analytes which are then detected with a mass spectrometer (MS) interfaced to the gas chromatograph. Wide bore capillary columns require a jet separator, whereas narrow bore capillary columns can be directly interfaced to the ion source. |