The article I chose to write about is Analysis of Smoking Pipe Fragment Residues from from the archaeological site of Feltus. In this article, an archaeologist conducted research and testing on the remains of six pipes found at the Feltus site, located in the Lower Mississippi Valley. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The method they used to identify the different compounds in the residue is called gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). They used this method to determine whether Paleoindians used tobacco at that time by looking for traces of nicotine. This testing method can be used to identify various compounds found at archaeological sites that contain more than one item such as pipe residue. This testing method is also applied to several other areas such as airport drug detection, environmental analysis and fire investigations. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry is a highly advanced machine that can analyze trace amounts of chemicals to identify their constituent elements. in this complex. GC/MS can be applied to a wide variety of situations. For example, in this article it was used to identify the compounds that make up the residues present in pipes. This method combines two different components, the gas chromatograph and the mass spectrometer. The gas chromatograph includes a capillary column which can be of different sizes and widths and contain different types of phase properties. The gas chromatograph stimulates the separation of molecules as they move through the column, after which the molecules are released from the column to the mass spectrometer, which then breaks them down into ionized particles which can then be identified using their mass ratios /charge. The joint use of these two methods allows a better degree of identification than if they are used separately. This method has made great contributions to archeology as well as other fields of study. GC/MS has even been called the “Gold Standard” in forensic testing. This method is the best method available today regarding the substances tested. One of the reasons this method is so revered is that it can test for traces with one hundred percent ability to identify certain substances. This method is important to archeology because it can be used to identify mixtures of things like clay pots, smoke residue from pipes, and food residue from kitchen items. Although GC/MS does not require perfect weather conditions or a large sample, it does. require a machine and a laboratory. The cost of this machine can run into the thousands of dollars, but to test a sample the cost is about $150 on eBay through a company called Millis Scientific (eBay). So, based on the number of samples and the information it would provide, the cost seems reasonable by today's standards, considering that a DNA test costs about the same. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.Get a custom essayEven though GC/MS is considered the “Gold Standard”, it still has its limitations. For example, it can only identify certain substances, it cannot date them or explain how they got there...