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Updated: Aug 20, 2026

Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Paired with Total Vaporization Solid-Phase Microextraction as a Forensic Tool
Published on: May 25, 2021
Gel permeation chromatography followed by pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry via a solvent-evaporative
William W Zhu1, James R Allaway
1Johnson Polymer, Sturtevant, WI 53177-0902, USA. william.zhu@jwp.com
Abstract:
The measurement of chemical composition as a function of molecular weight has always been a challenge for analytical chemists. In this paper, we present a unique way to combine gel permeation chromatography (GPC) with pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) for this purpose. A commercially available solvent-evaporative interface, originally designed for GPC-IR measurements, was used to deposit the eluent of GPC onto aluminum foil. Small strips of aluminum foil were cut and subjected to Py-GC-MS analysis. Compared with the GPC-IR measurements, the proposed technique offers the advantage of being able to distinguish between structurally similar monomers in a complex copolymer. As an example, a copolymer composed of four monomers was analyzed. The results clearly demonstrate that this technique can be applied to complex polymeric systems to yield information regarding chemical heterogeneity versus molecular weight.
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