GC–MS Sampling Strategies for VOCs in Air

Air quality monitoring presents several challenges, from capturing highly volatile compounds without loss, to ensuring representative sampling across complex ambient, indoor, industrial, and emissions environments. Variability in concentration levels, humidity effects and matrix interferences all place pressure on laboratories to choose the right sampling technique to secure accurate, trace‑level data.

In this webinar, Markes experts will address these challenges, exploring proven strategies to tackle complexity and achieve reliable VOC sampling using canister, sorbent tube, and online monitoring approaches. The speakers will demonstrate how the right sampling strategy is essential to high quality results for GC and GC–MS workflows, highlighting the importance of selecting appropriate sorbents, flow conditions, and sampling durations to ensure trace-level sensitivity, method robustness and data integrity.

What you will learn

• Learn how thermal desorption works to enhance trace sensitivity and enables robust, high-performance analysis for VOCs in air.
• See how to comply with standard methodology such as US EPA TO-15, TO-17, and PAMS, in addition to new methods for emerging contaminants.
• Understand the considerations for the sampling environment, the differences between sample collection techniques, and how to choose the right approach for each application.
• Gain practical guidance for selecting sorbents and fine-tuning parameters such as flows and sampling durations, to ensure method reliability.
• Discover how Markes’ technologies support regulatory requirements and maximize data quality across ambient, indoor, industrial, and emissions monitoring.

Presenters

Caroline Widdowson
Director of Scientific Affairs

Dr Caroline Widdowson is a specialist in the sampling and analysis of trace-level volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds in solids, liquids and gases. She holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry and an MBA. 

Caroline works closely with international standards organisations, regulators and scientific groups, supporting countries in the development of practical and reliable sampling and analytical methods. She is Chair of the UK national standards committee (BSI) for Indoor Air Quality and Convenor of ISO committee working groups which develop international standards for the measurement of VOCs in ambient, indoor and in-vehicle air.

Rachael Szafnauer
Group Product Marketing Manager – GC Sample Introduction Technologies Markes

Rachael Szafnauer holds an M.Sci in Forensic Science from the University of South Wales, UK, where her final-year research focused on fingerprinting emerging psychoactive substances using advanced analytical techniques, including GC×GC–TOF MS, in collaboration with Markes International. She began her career at Markes as a Thermal Desorption Product Specialist, providing technical and application support to the commercial team. Rachael now serves as Group Product Marketing Manager, overseeing portfolio management for GC sample introduction technologies, including thermal desorption (TD) and extraction and enrichment techniques.