Question

Why are carboxylic acids, ketones and esters suitable compounds for analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS)

Answer 1

Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy is an analytical method that combines the features of gas-chromatography mass spectroscopy to identify different compounds with a test sample. Carboxylic acids ,ketones and esters are good to identified by this method because GC-MS has been regarded as a "GOLD STANDARD" for forensic substance identification because it used to perform 100% specific test , which positively identifies the presence of a particular substance . As in the present case all the three compounds contain CO bonded group and IR SPECTROSCOPY will give almost same result for the similar functional group. So we can not better differentiate three compounds from each other. only mass spectroscopy along with gas chromatography will tell us specifically about specific nature of three compounds.A non specific test merely indicates that any of the several category of substance is present .Although a non specific test could statistically sugest the identityof the substance,this could lead to false positive identification.