Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry

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Definition - What does Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry mean?

Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) is a common scientific analytical method for determining individual substances within a sample. Within the context of drug testing, GS/MS is utilized to verify what substances are found within an employee's sample (blood or urine). Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS), is considered the gold standard in determining what drug and at what concentration is within a donor’s sample. GC/MS is commonly used as a confirmatory test of other, less expensive, types of drug testing methods, such as immunoassay testing, because GC/MS is highly reliable and capable of being upheld in a court of law.

SureHire explains Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry

GC/MS is performed by the use of two machines; a Gas Chromatograph, that is able to separate different substances within a test sample, and a Mass spectrometry, which is used to determine what the specific substances are by plotting them into a spectral plot display and comparing them to know substances. GC/MS is commonly used in drug testing, manufacturing quality control, environmental testing, and even in fire investigations. GC-MS is often implemented after standard drug testing yields positive results of a drug metabolite and further testing necessitates cellular identification of the chemical compound using comparative measurements to support the initial screen results.


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