Rapid Analysis of Trace Gases in Complex Mixtures Using Selected Ion Flow Tube–Mass Spectrometry

Although the human nose is an extremely sensitive olfactory organ, detecting some odoriferous compounds at concentrations as low as a few ppt (parts per trillion by volume) it is not quantitative. Furthermore, it cannot identify some volatile species at quite high concentrations, and neither can it recognize the individual components of many mixtures of trace volatile organic compounds (VOCs). For some considerable time the scientific community has experimented with a number of different types of olfactory devices with varying degrees of success. The advent of selected ion flow tube–mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS) has revolutionized thinking in trace gas monitoring due to the simplicity of operation together with the rapidity and sensitivity of detection that this technique provides.