Tentatively Identified Compounds (TIC)
Tentatively Identified Compounds (TIC) analysis is an GC-MS analytical technique in which an unknown mixture is separated into its components and then identified.
This technique has wide applicability and usefulness as a way of taking an unknown mixture and determining what is in it.
Who Uses this Technique?
This technique has wide applicability. Anyone with a mixture that they need to characterize can use TIC analysis to determine what it contains. Examples include:
- Waste stream analysis – analysis of and characterization of what is in a waste stream before disposal
- Characterizing solutions or mixtures (of solids) with unusual odor
- Solutions with unusual color
- Evaluation of gasses emitted after a process or reaction
Scope
This technique can be applied to pretty much any sample type: solids, liquids and even gases. The library compound contains 220,460 peer reviewed spectra, making the chances that we identify the components of your mixture high.
Preparation
Solids will need to be dissolved (or extracted) before analysis. Liquids also need to be dissolved in a solvent or extracted into an organic solvent before analysis. Gases, especially those in the headspace of a headspace vial, can be analyzed by this technique with no further preparation.
Analysis
The analysis is conducted by separating the mixture on a gas chromatograph (GC). This analysis separates the mixture into its components.