GC-MS

The figure below provides a block diagram of a typical gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC–MS) instrument. As illustrated here, a three component mixture enters the GC. When component A elutes from the column, it enters the MS ion source and ionizes to form the parent ion, A⁺, and several fragment ions, x⁺, y⁺, and z⁺. The ions enter the mass analyzer, which separates them by their mass-to-charge ratio, providing the mass spectrum shown at the detector.