Problems of instrumental analysis of the composition of organic compounds in natural waters

Solid phase extraction (SPE) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) are a well-known tandem of highly sensitive methods for the determination of trace organic contaminants in natural waters. However, in their application, the researcher may encounter a number of problems that affect the final result. In this paper, the problems of using SPE and GC-MS for the analysis of organic matter (OM) in natural waters are discussed and solutions are proposed.