7. Conclusion

Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry has many applications in the analysis of polymers, from the study of their macromolecular structure to the understanding of polymerization and degradation mechanisms.

The use of thermal degradation coupling, either in a flash or in a controlled manner in an oven, with GC/MS is a reproducible technique that enables us to obtain mass spectra characteristic of polymer structure. It is the technique of choice for polymer analysis. Interpretation of the data obtained, in conjunction with that gathered by other physico-chemical analysis methods such as infrared spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, ultraviolet spectrometry and physical methods, provides a good characterization of polymer structure.

In Table 1 , we have summarized the...