Astromat

This study applies gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GCMS) to analyze volatile and pyrolysis-derived organic compounds released from activated-carbon filter sample OREX-103001-7. These samples represent processed filter materials collected for assessment of organic contamination backgrounds. Each sample was analyzed using thermal desorption at 200 C and pyrolysis at 600 C to characterize the distribution of weakly bound volatiles and thermally generated decomposition products. Sample preparation involved isolating activated-carbon fragments, weighing approximately 6 mg, and loading them into prebaked quartz tubes packed with combusted quartz wool. A Frontier Lab microfurnace pyrolyzer interfaced to an Agilent GCMS system was used for all analyses. The thermal desorption runs primarily released low-molecular-weight hydrocarbons and oxygenated volatiles, while pyrolysis generated a broader suite of decomposition products, including small hydrocarbons, aromatics, and nitrogen, sulfur, and oxygenbearing compounds. Blank tube and wool controls were included to distinguish sample derived peaks from background contributions. No additional sample splits were created during the study; OREX-103001-77 sample was treated as an independent analytical unit. The results demonstrate that activated-carbon filters contain measurable organic residues and generate characteristic pyrolysis products upon heating. These findings support evaluation of contamination sources and provide a baseline for interpreting organic signatures released from filter-based collection materials under thermal processing conditions.