This work describes the development of a new analytical technique for the analysis of the organic fraction of airborne particulate matter (PM). The system is the combination of a thermal/optical carbon analyzer for the determination of bulk parameters, such as the total carbon content of aerosol filter samples and a photo ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometric system for the analysis of the evolving organic species. The versatility of the system was shown by the analysis of a great variety of different filter based samples, among others, samples from emission sources, such as wood combustion and combustion engine exhausts, airborne PM from different seasons and locations and pure substances, such as cellulose and lignin, and samples from smog chamber experiments with different biogenic and anthropogenic precursors. Besides the aerosol related samples the applicability of the assembling to other samples was shown by the analysis of cocoa roasting gases.