compoundspecific

Compound-specific is an adjective used in chemistry and analytics to describe methods, measurements, or findings that pertain to an individual chemical compound rather than a class or mixture. It is used across disciplines such as environmental science, forensic analysis, pharmacology, and food science to enable precise attribution to a single compound.

A prominent example is compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA), where the isotopic ratios of a single compound (for example, a chlorinated solvent or an amino acid) are measured, typically by combining chromatographic separation with isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-IRMS or LC-IRMS). This enables source discrimination, reaction pathway tracing, and estimation of degradation processes.

Other uses include compound-specific mass spectrometric detection, where selective monitoring of a target compound improves sensitivity and specificity, and compound-specific calibration and quantification in analytical methods. The term also appears in discussions of compound-specific rate constants and kinetics in reaction networks.

Challenges include the need for complete separation from similar compounds, accurate calibration, and high-quality reference standards. The approach can be resource-intensive, requiring specialized instrumentation and expertise.