Optimization and performance evaluation of a portable GC for the detection of volatile organic compounds and its...

Conventional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) systems are often bulky and unsuitable for on-site analysis. In this study, we evaluate the performance and field applicability of a newly developed portable GC instrument. Method optimization and reproducibility tests were conducted for the detection of 20 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and both their retention times and corresponding Kovats retention indices were determined. Furthermore, the instrument's compatibility with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (APCI-MS) was investigated to enable confident identification of VOCs by systematically optimizing ionization parameters-such as sheath gas-based sample injection, minimal auxiliary gas flow, and controlled discharge current-in order to determine the optimal interface configuration and enhance both sensitivity and stability. This optimized configuration significantly improved the ability to verify chromatographic peaks by providing molecular ion information and structural specificity, thereby enhancing compound identification accuracy. The results demonstrate the potential of portable GC-MS systems for effective field analysis of VOCs in environmental and forensic applications.