Gas chromatography with Fourier transform infrared spectrometry for biomedical applications.

The basic concepts relating to Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) have been set out to enable chromatographers to make use of gas chromatography (GC)-FTIR coupling. To describe the current position regarding applications, studies are briefly presented that are representative of the field of industrial products, natural vegetable extracts and pesticides. Biomedical applications are described in detail. The analyses of medicaments, metabolism studies and toxicological investigations are reviewed. Given the limited amount of published work in this field, it is possible to survey the limitations of GC-FTIR. The solutions provided by technological developments currently in progress are described.