Peak-bridges due to in-column analyte transformations as a new tool for establishing molecular connectivities by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC×GC-MS) has been shown to permit for the unprecedented chromatographic resolution of volatile analytes encompassing various families of organic compounds. However, peak identification based on retention time, two-dimensional mapping, and mass spectrometric fragmentation only, is not a straightforward task yet. The possibility to establish molecular links between constituents is of crucial importance to understand the overall chemistry of any sample, especially in natural extracts where biogenetically related isomeric structures are often abundant.