During the past two decades, the use of retention times in gas chromatography has been augmented by mass spectrometric data. By providing both the retention indices and spectrometric data, this technique has greatly improved gas chromatographic identification analysis. However, although gas chromatography-mass spectrometry has become pre-eminent, several drawbacks still remain. The mass spectral library often gives erroneous identifications when concentrations near the detection limit are analysed, when gas chromatographically interfering substances are present, or when structural isomers or compounds exhibiting identical retention behaviour are analysed. Linked with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy can be a powerful complementary technique in peak identification analysis. Some spectral data to illustrate this point are presented.