Software improvements for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-calculator system used in the analysis of trace organic compounds from environmenta samples

Computer programs are described which have significantly increased the capabilities of a low-cost gas chromatogaphy-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)-calculator system. These programs allow storage on floppy disk of ion abundance and retention time data for the total ion current and as many as six mass chromatograms in addition to mass spectra taken at the top of eluting GC peaks. Manufacturer-supplied software was only capable of storing the mass spectra. Ion abundance data may be displayed by means of a flexible, interactive program which uses an x–y plotter. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses may be performed for selected compounds in a single GC-MS run. Examples of the use of this software in the analysis of benzene extracts of incinerator fly-ash samples are presented.