The application of an integrated multifunctional field-portable GC/MS system†

Use of GC/MS instrumentation outside of the traditional laboratory setting has grown significantly over the past several years. Considerable progress has also been achieved in developing GC/MS instrumentation and operating systems. Recent advances in this area will be illustrated with the use of results obtained with Viking SpectraTrak™ GC/MS systems. The multidisciplinary nature of GC/MS lends itself to a variety of sample introduction techniques while providing consistent, defensible, reliable results. Instrumentation and applications are inextricably linked, and the demands made on the sampling interface need to be met, particularly for field applications in which the advantages of having a GC/MS system at the point of sampling cannot be compromised. With its versatile sampling capabilities, the fieldable GC/MS instrument can be a very powerful and cost-effective tool for on-site, in-plant, and other out-of-laboratory analysis situations. This report focuses primarily on the deployment and application issues confronted in the field GC/MS instrumentation industry, and specifically on trends toward integrated miniaturization. The uses of field-portable GC/MS systems are expanding; however, because many of the uses are client- proprietary, some very interesting real-world applications could not be included here. This report attempts to present an overview of field-portable GC/MS system uses that hopefully will provide insights into the possibilities and growing applications of this relatively new analytical capability. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Field Analyt Chem Technol 2: 3–20, 1998