: Measures the percentage of active therapeutic compounds (e.g., Linalool in Lavender).
: Different molecules move at different speeds based on their size and polarity. Identification of essential oil components by g...
Gas chromatography (GC) separates the complex mixture into individual chemical compounds. Mass spectrometry (MS) then identifies those compounds by breaking them into fragments and comparing their "fingerprints" to a known database. The Process : The oil is heated into a gas. : Measures the percentage of active therapeutic compounds (e
: The mass spectrometer measures the mass-to-charge ratio of these fragments. Critical Identification Tools Identification of essential oil components by g...
: A carrier gas pushes the sample through a long, thin tube (column).
: Helps determine the geographic origin of the plant.
: Each molecule is bombarded with electrons to break it into charged fragments.