Thermogravimetric analysis-mass spectrometry (TGA-MS), also known as TG-MS or TGA evolved gas analysis, is a hyphenated thermal analysis technique used to connect sample mass change with the chemical identity of gases released during heating, cooling, or isothermal exposure. TGA-MS identifies the chemical identities of volatile and decomposition products in real time while simultaneously measuring sample mass changes. BOC Sciences provides customized TGA-MS testing services for pharmaceutical solids, excipients, intermediates, polymers, catalysts, coatings, battery materials, biomaterials, composites, and specialty chemicals. Through an integrated analytical platform, our scientists help clients transform thermal weight-loss events and ion-current traces into decision-ready information for formulation screening, material selection, process optimization, failure analysis, and mechanism investigation.
BOC Sciences provides TGA-MS full-scan analysis for exploratory evolved gas profiling when the volatile or decomposition products are unknown. By continuously acquiring mass spectral signals across a defined m/z range during sample heating, this mode helps reveal major gas-release events, unexpected fragments, and temperature-dependent decomposition patterns that cannot be explained by TGA weight-loss data alone.
For projects with known or suspected volatile species, BOC Sciences applies TGA-MS selected ion monitoring to track specific m/z channels with improved focus and clearer time-temperature correlation. This mode is especially useful for confirming whether targeted gases or fragments appear during desolvation, dehydration, additive release, ligand removal, oxidation, or staged decomposition.
BOC Sciences offers TGA-MS multiple reaction monitoring for projects requiring higher selectivity toward predefined volatile or decomposition markers, where applicable instrument configuration and sample behavior support transition-based detection. This mode is suitable when clients need to distinguish closely related fragments, reduce background interference, or follow diagnostic precursor-to-product ion transitions during thermal release.
BOC Sciences designs TGA-MS ramp-isothermal cycling analysis for samples with overlapping mass-loss steps, slow diffusion-controlled volatile release, or temperature-sensitive decomposition pathways. By combining controlled heating ramps with programmed isothermal holds, this mode helps separate evaporation, desorption, desolvation, decomposition, oxidation, and residue-forming events more clearly.
BOC Sciences helps clients connect TGA weight-loss events with evolved gas information, making thermal degradation, moisture release, solvent retention, outgassing, and decomposition pathways easier to interpret.
We combine TG curves, derivative weight-loss profiles, and ion-current traces to assign mass-loss stages and clarify thermal behavior using advanced thermal analysis workflows.
Our TGA-MS workflow supports real-time coupling between thermal mass change and mass spectral detection, helping clients investigate volatile release through hyphenated spectroscopic techniques.
We interpret characteristic ions and fragmentation patterns for common evolved species such as H2O, CO2, CO, NH3, SO2, low-mass hydrocarbons, solvent fragments, and decomposition-related ions.
When infrared-active gases or functional group evidence is important, TGA-MS findings can be compared with spectroscopy testing data to strengthen thermal decomposition interpretation.
BOC Sciences supports analytical method optimization for sample loading, heating rate, gas flow, atmosphere selection, ion monitoring, and thermal event separation.
TGA-MS data can be integrated with broader analytical technologies, including chromatography, spectroscopy, elemental analysis, particle characterization, and solid-state testing.
BOC Sciences adapts TGA-MS workflows according to sample chemistry, expected volatile species, temperature range, matrix behavior, and the client's development question.
Share your sample type, expected volatile species, temperature range, atmosphere preference, heating program, and decision objective. Our specialists will design a project-specific method development plan for reliable TGA-MS acquisition, signal assignment, and interpretation.
We review the sample type, known composition, expected thermal behavior, target temperature range, atmosphere needs, suspected volatile species, and comparison groups.
We select sample mass, pan type, atmosphere, flow rate, ramp rate, isothermal holds, transfer conditions, scan range, and selected m/z channels. For challenging samples, preliminary runs may be used to separate overlapping thermal events and improve the evolved gas signal window.
We acquire TG, DTG, and MS ion-current data under defined conditions, monitor instrument response, inspect signal timing, and review potential artifacts such as moisture background, transfer delay, ion overlap, incomplete gas transfer, sample foaming, pan overflow, or atmosphere-driven secondary reactions.
Our team summarizes mass-loss stages, DTG peaks, onset temperatures, residue levels, selected m/z traces, suspected evolved species, and thermal event assignments. Results are interpreted according to formulation development, material screening, processing history, outgassing behavior, failure analysis, or route optimization objectives.
Many pharmaceutical solids, polymers, and composites show several weight-loss steps that overlap in temperature. BOC Sciences uses DTG peak separation, selected m/z monitoring, controlled heating programs, and atmosphere comparison to distinguish moisture release, solvent loss, additive volatilization, decarboxylation, ligand removal, and true backbone degradation.
Evolved gases may be released rapidly, diluted by carrier gas, or masked by background fragments. We optimize sample loading, heating rate, transfer conditions, ion selection, scan strategy, and baseline review so that low-level gas evolution can be interpreted with stronger confidence and clearer thermal-event correlation.
Some materials behave differently under nitrogen, air, oxygen-containing environments, or application-specific gas conditions. BOC Sciences compares thermal profiles across selected atmospheres to identify oxidative acceleration, residue changes, gas-product shifts, and decomposition pathways that may affect material processing, storage, or use-temperature selection.
Clients often need to decide whether a drying condition is sufficient, whether a polymer additive causes outgassing, whether a coating releases unwanted fragments, or whether a precursor decomposes cleanly. BOC Sciences translates TGA-MS curves into actionable comparisons, mechanism explanations, and next-step analytical recommendations.
Collaborate with BOC Sciences to design TGA-MS experiments that reveal volatile release, degradation pathways, outgassing profiles, retained solvent behavior, residue formation, and material differences with clear, decision-ready interpretation.
BOC Sciences does not rely on a single heating program or generic ion list. We design TGA-MS conditions according to sample chemistry, expected volatile species, target temperature range, atmosphere sensitivity, gas-transfer behavior, and the client's analytical question.
Our team supports solid-state investigation, excipient compatibility review, polymer outgassing studies, catalyst precursor evaluation, and structure characterization projects where thermal events must be linked to chemical evidence.
BOC Sciences provides not only TG and DTG curves but also selected ion-current plots, event assignments, signal-overlap discussion, atmosphere comparisons, and practical interpretation that helps clients prioritize formulations, materials, processing conditions, or additional analyses.
TGA-MS results can be connected with stability studies, formulation screening, particle behavior, spectroscopy, chromatography, thermal analysis, and material compatibility investigations when a broader analytical picture is needed.
Client Needs: A pharmaceutical solid-state team working on a spray-dried intermediate needed to determine whether a 3.8% early mass loss came from water, retained solvent, or partial degradation during thermal exposure.
Challenges: The sample showed overlapping DTG peaks below 160°C, and the expected solvent fragment shared several low-mass ions with water and decomposition fragments, making a conventional TGA curve insufficient for interpretation.
Solution: We designed a two-ramp TGA-MS method with a low-temperature isothermal hold, nitrogen atmosphere, and selected monitoring of m/z 18, 28, 31, 43, and 44. Across 18 replicate runs, we compared ion timing with DTG peaks, separated moisture release from solvent evolution, and checked whether high-temperature fragments appeared during the early event.
Outcome: The study showed that most early weight loss was solvent-associated, while later CO2 evolution reflected thermal decomposition, helping the client refine drying and storage-condition studies.
Client Needs: A materials development group needed to compare outgassing behavior from three silicone-modified polymer encapsulants intended for high-temperature electronic component contact.
Challenges: The polymers released weak volatile signals over a broad temperature range. The client needed to know whether formulation changes reduced low-mass organic fragments without increasing char-forming degradation.
Solution: We evaluated three encapsulant formulations using matched sample mass, controlled heating rates, and inert/oxidative atmosphere comparison. TGA-MS traces were collected for 12 selected m/z channels, including water, carbon oxides, and siloxane-related fragments. More than 40 thermal runs were reviewed to rank low-temperature outgassing, main-chain degradation, and final residue behavior.
Outcome: One formulation showed lower organic-fragment release below 220°C and a more stable residue profile, supporting the client's selection of a preferred encapsulant chemistry.
Client Needs: A catalyst research team needed to understand whether a metal-organic precursor decomposed cleanly during calcination or released sulfur- and nitrogen-containing fragments that could affect final catalyst performance.
Challenges: Conventional TGA showed three major mass-loss stages, but the team could not determine which step corresponded to ligand removal, inorganic transformation, or secondary decomposition.
Solution: We used staged TGA-MS with temperature holds around each DTG maximum and monitored m/z channels associated with H2O, CO2, NH3, SO2, and organic fragments. Parallel inert and oxidative runs were performed on precursor and partially calcined material. The resulting ion-current profiles were aligned with residue change and heating history to map decomposition sequence.
Outcome: The analysis revealed that sulfur-containing gas release occurred mainly in the second stage, enabling the client to adjust the pre-calcination program and reduce unwanted residue variability.
TGA-MS Testing, or thermogravimetric analysis–mass spectrometry, is a thermal analysis technique that combines TGA with MS. Its core principle is that a sample is heated under a controlled temperature program or held at a defined temperature, during which dehydration, evaporation, oxidation, pyrolysis, or decomposition may occur. TGA continuously records the mass change of the sample, while the released gases are transferred through an interface or capillary into the mass spectrometer. MS detects these evolved gases according to their mass-to-charge ratios (m/z), allowing researchers to correlate “at what temperature the sample loses weight” with “what gases are released during that weight loss.” This technique is commonly used to analyze small evolved molecules such as H2O, CO2, and HCl, and it can also support studies related to residual solvents in pharmaceutical samples.
Conventional TGA mainly shows the mass change of a sample during heating, such as the weight loss temperature, weight loss percentage, and thermal stability range. However, it cannot directly confirm whether the observed weight loss is caused by water evaporation, solvent release, decarboxylation, hydrogen chloride elimination, or organic decomposition products. The advantage of TGA-MS is that it simultaneously monitors evolved gases and correlates the mass loss curve with characteristic m/z signals. This helps clarify the chemical cause behind different thermal events, making it especially useful for complex materials, pharmaceutical solids, polymers, salts, solvates, and multi-stage thermal decomposition systems.
In drug development, TGA-MS can be used to analyze the thermal behavior of APIs, pharmaceutical intermediates, excipients, salts, co-crystals, amorphous solid dispersions, and formulation samples. It helps distinguish whether sample weight loss comes from adsorbed water, crystal water, residual solvents, decarboxylation, decomposition gases, or volatile excipient components. For example, when an API shows weight loss within a specific temperature range, TGA-MS can further determine whether this event is accompanied by the release of H2O, CO2, HCl, or characteristic organic fragment ions. This provides clearer evidence for solid-form screening, formulation compatibility studies, and optimization of thermal processing conditions.
TGA-MS is suitable for samples that may undergo volatilization, dehydration, desolvation, decarboxylation, oxidation, or thermal cracking during heating. Typical samples include APIs, excipients, salts, polymers, resins, coatings, catalysts, inorganic salts, hydrates, solvates, nanomaterials, composites, and functional materials. For simple samples where only the weight loss percentage is needed, conventional TGA may be sufficient. However, when clients need to understand “what gas corresponds to the observed mass loss” or distinguish overlapping thermal events, TGA-MS provides much greater analytical value.
TGA-MS results typically provide the mass loss curve, temperature range of weight loss, major thermal events, target m/z ion trends as a function of temperature, possible assignments of evolved gases, and the relationship between mass change and gas release. For R&D clients, the key value is not simply obtaining a thermogravimetric curve, but understanding what physical or chemical changes occur at different temperature stages. These changes may include water release, solvent evaporation, salt decomposition, polymer degradation, or removal of inorganic components, helping support formulation screening, material selection, and process condition comparison.
We had several overlapping mass-loss events in an API intermediate and needed more than a standard TGA curve. BOC Sciences connected the DTG peaks with m/z signals and gave us a practical explanation of the solvent and degradation behavior.
— Garnier, Solid-State Development Scientist
Our polymer samples released weak signals over a wide temperature range. Their team optimized the heating program and monitored the right ion channels, which helped us compare formulations with much better confidence.
— Renard, Materials Project Lead
The final report did not simply list weight losses. It explained which gases appeared at each stage, how the atmosphere changed the profile, and what the data meant for our catalyst precursor treatment.
— Greco, Senior Research Chemist
BOC Sciences helped us turn complex TGA-MS curves into clear formulation decisions. Their comparison of water, carbon oxide, and organic-fragment signals was especially useful for our internal development discussion.
— Chen, Analytical Development Manager
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