Introduction
A variety of methods in analytical chemistry can be used to detect and quantify chemicals in environmental and biological media. This tutorial focuses upon gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Mixtures of chemicals can be analyzed directly by GC/MS or HPLC, but measuring chemical analytes of interest in environmental or biological media involves additional steps of sample collection and preparation that impact overall data quality. Procedures that take place prior to analysis by GC/MS or HPLC will be described briefly, but the focus this tutorial will be upon quality control procedures to ensure that measurements from the instruments are accurate.
Note:
Published studies rarely report any quality control procedures or data, thus it is recommended that prior to using published data, the original authors be contacted if an assessment of data quality is needed.