Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with flame ionization and time-of-flight mass spectrometry detection: qualitative and quantitative analysis of West Australian sandalwood oil

The use of gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry (MS), GC-time-of-flight MS (TOFMS), comprehensive two-dimensional GC (GC×GC)-flame ionization detection (FID), and GC×GC-TOFMS is discussed for the characterization of the eight important representative components, including Z-α-santalol, epi-α-bisabolol, Z-α-trans-bergamotol, epi-β-santalol, Z-β-santalol, E,E-farnesol, Z-nuciferol, and Z-lanceol, in the oil of west Australian sandalwood (Santalum spicatum). Single-column GC-MS lacks the resolving power to separate all of the listed components as pure peaks and allow precise analytical measurement of individual component abundances. With enhanced peak resolution capabilities in GC×GC, these components are sufficiently well resolved to be quantitated using flame ionization detection, following initial characterization of components by using GC×GC-TOFMS.