Analysis of Complex Phthalate Mixtures by GC–TOF MS with Select‑Ev Soft Ionization

This study shows how the acquisition of ‘soft’ electron ionisation spectra offers significant advantages for the GC–MS analysis of phthalates. In particular, it has been shown that the increased intensity of high-m/z ions allows discrimination between symmetrically-substituted phthalates and those with two different alkyl chains, for improved understanding of the constitution of complex phthalate mixtures used in consumer goods and industrial products.