Characterisation of oxazepam degradation products by high‐performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry and electrospray ionisation quadrupole time‐of‐flight tandem mass spectrometry

Oxazepam has been subjected to controlled degradation at 100°C for 3 h in 0.5 M HCl and 0.5 M NaOH. Following neutralisation of the degradation mixture and removal of salts by solid‐phase extraction (SPE), isocratic high‐performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS) using water/methanol (25:75 v/v) as the mobile phase was carried out using a flow diverter to collect fractions prior to their characterisation by electrospray ionisation multi‐stage mass spectrometry (ESI‐MSⁿ) and proposal of the corresponding fragmentation patterns. The elemental compositions of the degradation products and their MS fragments were evaluated using electrospray ionisation quadrupole time‐of‐flight tandem mass spectrometry (ESI‐QTOF‐MS/MS) which was then used to support the proposed fragmentation patterns. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of estrogens in river sediments by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry. Comparison of tandem mass spectrometry and time-of-flight mass spectrometry

A method has been developed and optimised for the determination of two natural estrogens, estrone (E1) and 17beta-estradiol (E2), and one synthetic estrogen, 17alpha-ethynylestradiol (EE2), in river sediments at the sub-ng/g level. This procedure includes microwave-assisted solvent extraction (MASE), solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with electrospray ionisation. Using sediments spiked with the three estrogens at 10 ng/g wet weight, efficient extraction (>92%) of all the three analytes was achieved by MASE, and whole-procedure recoveries ranged from 82 to 98%. Optimisation of the LC separation allowed for substantial reduction of ionisation suppression in the electrospray source to a final level of <18% suppression. Time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) and MS/MS were compared for the analysis of sediment extracts, with the latter technique proving to be the most selective. The method detection limits achieved by LC-MS/MS were 15, 30 and 40 pg/g for E1, E2 and EE2, respectively, which were 13-fold lower than those obtained by LC-TOF-MS. Analysis of river sediments collected from the River Ouse, UK, showed the presence of the natural estrogens at sub-ng/g level. E1 levels ranged from 0.40 ng/g (dry weight) to 3.30 ng/g while E2 levels ranged from <0.03 to 1.20 ng/g and EE2 was never detected (<0.04 ng/g).     

Determination of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Coastal and River Sediments by Pressurized Liquid Extraction Coupled with Gas Chromatography‐Mass Spectrometry

This study presents a time‐ and solvent‐saving method, pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), to extract polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in sediment samples. The effects of various operating parameters (i.e., extraction solution, temperature, pressure, static/dynamic extraction times) for the quantitative extraction of PBDEs by home‐made PLE were systematically investigated and optimized. The analytes were then identified and quantitated by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The 16 PBDE congeners (from tri‐ to deca‐BDE) can be completely extracted by dichloromethane: n‐hexane (3/2, v/v) at 100 °C and 100 atm combined with 15 min static and then 15 min dynamic extraction steps. Recovery of PBDEs in spiked sediment samples ranged from 52 to 104% with 2‐16% RSD, except for BDE‐206. Limits of quantitation (LOQ) were established between 4 and 400 pg/g (dry weight) in 10 g of sediment sample. The extraction efficiency of the PLE was also compared with the traditional Soxhlet extraction method. The total contents of PBDEs ranged from 8.0 to 37.9 ng/g (dry weight) in various river and coastal sediment samples in Taiwan. Deca‐BDE (BDE‐209) was the major PBDE detected in these sediment samples.     

Optimisation and comparison of microwave-assisted extraction and Soxhlet extraction for the determination of polychlorinated biphenyls in soil samples using an experimental design approach

Optimisation of microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) for the extraction of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from soil samples has been accomplished using an experimental design approach. Variables studied have been: percentage of acetone (v/v) in an acetone:n-hexane mixture, solvent volume, extraction time, microwave power and pressure inside the extraction vessel. Five samples of a certified soil (CRM 481) have been extracted under the optimum conditions of the developed method and the results have been compared to those obtained by Soxhlet extraction. Good recoveries (>95%) have been obtained for all the PCBs studied. All extracts have been analysed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and an optimum determination method for the electron impact mass spectrometric (EIMS) has also been developed.     

Development of a qualitative liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric method for the detection of narcotics in urine relevant to doping analysis

A new screening procedure for 18 narcotics in urine for anti-doping purposes has been developed using liquid chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Electrospray ionization (ESI) was used as interface. Infusion experiments were performed for all substances to investigate their mass spectrometric behaviour in terms of selecting product specific ions. These product ions were then used to develop a tandem mass spectrometric method using selected reaction monitoring (SRM). For the LC/MS analysis, chromatography was performed on an octadecylsilane column. The total run time of the chromatographic method was 5.5 min. For the sample preparation prior to LC/MS analysis, the urine samples were liquid-liquid extracted at pH 9.5 after overnight enzymatic hydrolysis. Two extraction solvents were evaluated: dichloromethane/methanol 9/1 (v/v), which is currently used for the extraction of narcotics, and diethyl ether, used for the extraction of steroids. With diethyl ether the detection limits for all compounds ranged between 0.5 and 20 ng/mL and with the mixture containing dichloromethane the detection limits ranged between 0.5 and 10 ng/mL. Taking into account the minimum required performance limits of the World Anti-Doping Agency of 200 ng/mL for narcotics, diethyl ether can also be considered as extraction solvent for narcotics. Finally, the described method was applied to the analysis of urine samples previously found to contain narcotics by our routine gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) method.     

Individual determination of ortho and non-ortho substituted polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) in sediments by high performance liquid chromatographic pre-separation and gas chromatography/ECD detection

Summary An analytical procedure for the individual determination of ortho and non-ortho PCB congeners in sediments, using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) preseparation and gas chromatography/ECD detection, is described. Gas chromatography/FTIR spectrometry (GC/FTIR) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) were employed for individual congener identification and determination. Sample extraction, clean-up of extract and selective elution procedures were optimized by using reference certified marine sediment samples. Recovery and precision were typically 83% and 16% respectively at 2 ng/g of total PCB content. The proposed procedure, tested by analyzing real sediment samples, showed a reproducibility better than 20% at 13 ng/g PCB level.     

Evaluation of three ionisation modes for the analysis of chlorinated paraffins by gas chromatography/ion-trap mass spectrometry

The applicability of three ionisation modes to the analysis of short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was evaluated. MS conditions for electron ionisation (EI), positive chemical ionisation (PCI) and electron-capture negative ionisation (ECNI) were optimised using commercially available individual tetra-, penta- and hexachlorodecanes. In addition, mass spectra were studied and fragmentation pathways were proposed for each individual congener. Different fragment ions were evaluated for quantification, and ECNI-MS using [HCl2](-) and [Cl2](-*) ions was selected for the determination of SCCPs. Quality parameters (repeatability, limits of detection and calibration range) were established for the proposed method, which was then applied to the analysis of SCCPs in river sediments.     

傅里叶变换红外光谱和气相色谱-质谱法快速检测鼠药

用傅里叶变换红外光谱(FT-IR)差谱技术和气相色谱．质谱(GC/MS)全扫描法及特征离子监测技术，建立了毒鼠强和氟乙酰胺的标准质谱图库。利用有机溶剂直接萃取与FT-IR和GC/MS的结合，建立了混合组分原形物中毒鼠强和氟乙酰胺的快速检测方法。对7份实际样品的鉴定获得满意的结果。建立的方法为侦破案件提供了快速、灵敏、准确、有效的分析手段。     

固相萃取-气相色谱/质谱法分析水果和蔬菜中残留的嘧菌酯

建立了多种水果和蔬菜中嘧菌酯残留的气相色谱/质谱分析方法。首先用乙酸乙酯-环己烷(体积比为1∶1)对样品中的嘧菌酯进行超声波提取,经硅胶固相萃取小柱对样品提取液进行净化、富集,采用气相色谱/质谱法以选择离子监测模式(m/z 344,372,388,403定性,m/z 344定量)进行检测。实验结果表明,嘧菌酯在0.01～1.0 mg/kg浓度范围内呈线性,其相关系数r>0.99。在低、中、高3个添加水平,嘧菌酯的回收率为85.2%～98.2%,相对标准偏差为5.8%～21.5%。方法的检测限不大于0.01 mg/kg,定量限不大于0.05 mg/kg。     

An Improved Method for Determination of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Sediment by Ultrasonic Solvent Extraction Followed by Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction Coupled to TD–GC–MS

An improved simple, fast and miniaturized method for the determination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in freshwater sediment using ultrasonic solvent extraction followed by stir bar sorptive extraction–thermal desorption–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (USE-SBSE/TD–GC–MS) is presented. The sediment sample (0.2 g) is extracted with methanol (1:1.2, 2:1.0 mL) in an ultrasonic bath (two 5-min extraction cycles). The combined extracts are made up to 5 mL with water, and from the resulting solution, the analytes are preconcentrated on a stir bar coated with polydimethylsiloxane during 1 h of stirring. The loaded sorptive stir bar is then thermally desorbed and online analysed by GC–MS. For the analytes in river sediment, a linear dynamic range of 0.5–50 ng g^?1 was established and limits of detection in sub nanogram-per-gram level were achieved. Recoveries and repeatability were obtained in the ranges 62.8–91.5 % and 3.6–15.0 %, respectively. The method accuracy was confirmed by the analysis of PCBs and PBDEs in a certified reference material. The main improvement in comparison with similar published methods is in shortening the sample handling time and the method miniaturization.     

Novel approaches to the analysis of steroid estrogens in river sediments

A wide range of estrogenic contaminants has been detected in the aquatic environment. Among these, natural and synthetic steroid estrogens, typically present in municipal sewage-treatment plant (STP) effluents, are the most potent. In this study a new GC–MS method has been developed for direct analysis of five major steroid estrogens (estrone, 17β-estradiol, 17α-ethinylestradiol, dienestrol, and diethylstilbestrol) in river sediments. Four GC–MS systems used for analysis of underivatized analytes in purified extracts were compared. Relatively low detection limits (1.5–5 ng g⁻¹ dried sediment) and good repeatability of GC splitless injection (RSD 1–2%) were achieved by use of a system combining low-pressure gas chromatography with a single-quadrupole mass analyzer (LP-GC–MS). Use of orthogonal gas chromatography (GC×GC) hyphenated with high-speed time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HSTOF-MS) enabled not only significantly better resolution of target analytes, and their unequivocal identification, but also further improvement (decrease) of their detection limits. In addition to these outcomes, use of this unique GC×GC–TOF-MS system enabled identification of several other non-target chemicals, including pharmaceutical steroids, present in purified sediment extracts.     

Identification and quantitation of phenolic compounds in faecal matrix by capillary gas chromatography and nano-electrospray mass spectrometry

Very few relevant methods have been described for the detection and quantitation of phenolic compounds in faecal matrix. Extraction with conventional organic solvents such as chloroform/methanol (2:1, Folch reagent), methanol and ethanol (72%) showed high extraction efficiency for lipids and also gave good recovery of the major phenolic compounds present in the matrix. However, in comparison with a newly developed phosphate buffer method, the yield of minor phenolics was negligible when detected by these conventional methods. Conventional methods also lead to contamination of the ion source of the mass spectrometer and rapid deterioration of column performance mostly due to the high concentration of lipids. However, if the faecal matrix is initially extracted with phosphate buffer, and the extract acidified and re-extracted with diethyl ether, the range and yield of phenolic compounds are enhanced and the problem of lipid contamination is substantially alleviated. Following pilot studies and optimisation of the procedure, individual phenolic compounds (n = 29) were identified by nano-electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (nano-ESI-MS), nano-ESI-tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/EI-MS) and quantitated (n = 27) by GC/MS in subsets (n = 5) of faecal samples, collected during the European Agency for Cancer Prevention calcium/fibre intervention study from four European countries (Italy, Germany, Spain and Denmark). A range of phenolic compounds (mainly acids) was detected, dominated by phenylacetic, benzoic, phenylpropionic and m-hydroxyphenylpropionic acids, representing on average 9.91 (93%), 8.25 (92%), 9.45 (95%) and 11.05 (98%) mM in the Italian, German, Spanish and Danish samples, respectively. The new method should enable large epidemiologic, case-control and intervention studies on the relevance of phenolic antioxidants in the aetiology of colorectal cancer to be conducted in the future.     

Supersonic molecular beam-hyperthermal surface ionisation coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry applied to trace level detection of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in drinking water for reduced sample preparation and analysis time

Analysis of sub-ppb levels of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in drinking water by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fluorescence detection typically requires large water samples and lengthy extraction procedures. The detection itself, although selective, does not give compound identity confirmation. Benchtop gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) systems operating in the more sensitive selected ion monitoring (SIM) acquisition mode discard spectral information and, when operating in scanning mode, are less sensitive and scan too slowly. The selectivity of hyperthermal surface ionisation (HSI), the high column flow rate capacity of the supersonic molecular beam (SMB) GC/MS interface, and the high acquisition rate of time-of-flight (TOF) mass analysis, are combined here to facilitate a rapid, specific and sensitive technique for the analysis of trace levels of PAHs in water. This work reports the advantages gained by using the GC/HSI-TOF system over the HPLC fluorescence method, and discusses in some detail the nature of the instrumentation used.     

Direct quantification of 11‐nor‐Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol‐9‐carboxylic acid in urine by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry in relation to doping control analysis

An accurate and precise method for the quantification of 11‐nor‐Δ⁹‐tetrahydrocannabinol‐9‐carboxylic acid (THCA) in urine by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) for doping analysis purposes has been developed. The method involves the use of only 200 µL of urine and the use of D₉‐THCA as internal standard. No extraction procedure is used. The urine samples are hydrolysed using sodium hydroxide and diluted with a mixture of methanol/glacial acetic acid (1:1). Chromatographic separation is achieved using a C8 column with gradient elution. All MS and MS/MS parameters were optimised in both positive and negative electrospray ionisation modes. For the identification and the quantification of THCA three product ions are monitored in both ionisation modes. The method is linear over the studied range (5–40 ng/mL), with satisfactory intra‐and inter‐assay precision, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) are lower than 15%. Good accuracy is achieved with bias less than 10% at all levels tested. No significant matrix effects are observed. The selectivity and specificity are satisfactory, and no interferences are detected. The LC/MS/MS method was applied for the analysis of 48 real urine samples previously analysed with a routine gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) method. A good correlation between the two methods was obtained (r² > 0.98) with a slope close to 1. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

GC/MS, HPLC and FAB mass spectrometric analysis of organic micropollutants in Barcelona's water supply

Water samples from Llobregat river entering two water work plants, Barcelona tap water and waste dumping samples taken along the river course were analyzed for trace organic contaminants by different procedures, liquid-liquid extraction, adsorption on granular activated carbon followed by GC/MS/DS. Ether insoluble organic fractions were analyzed and fractionated by HPLC with diode-array detection, followed by FAB and FAB-CID-MIKE characterisation. Results, after two years monitoring, proved that surfactants, plasticizers, ethyleneglycol derivatives, phosphates, hydrocarbons and other miscellaneous compounds can be considered as chronic pollutants of Llobregat river. Some of the identified compounds by GC/MS and FAB mass spectrometry have not been previously reported to occur in water.     

Pressurized Liquid Extraction Combined with Dispersive Liquid‐liquid Micro‐extraction as an Efficient Sample Preparation Method for Determination of Volatile Components in Tobacco

The pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) followed by dispersive liquid–liquid micro‐extraction (DLLME) has been developed for extraction of volatile components in tobacco. 35 volatile components were detected by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). Methanol–methyl tert‐butyl ether (MTBE) (8:2, v/v) was selected as PLE extraction solvent. The optimized DLLME procedure, 3 mL of pure water and 1.0 mL tobacco extract solution, 40 μL of chloroform as extraction solvent, 0.5 mL of acetonitrile as disperser solvent, was validated. Under the optimum conditions, the enrichment factors were in the range of 96‐159. The limits of detection were between 0.14 and 0.33 μg/kg. The repeatability of the proposed method, expressed as relative standard deviation, varied between 4.3 and 7.5% (n = 6). The recoveries of the analytes evaluated by fortification of tobacco samples were in the range of 84.7‐96.4%. Compared with the conventional sample preparation method for determination of volatile components in tobacco, the proposed method was quick and easy to operate, and had high‐enrichment factors and low consumption of organic solvent.     

快速溶剂萃取-气相色谱-三重四极杆质谱法测定沉积物中的酞酸酯

建立了快速溶剂萃取(ASE)-气相色谱-三重四极杆质谱(GC-MS/MS)测定沉积物中酞酸酯的方法。样品用二氯甲烷-丙酮(体积比为1:1)混合溶剂在100 ℃、103.4 MPa (1500 psi)条件下经快速溶剂萃取、以5 mL/min的速率经凝胶渗透色谱(GPC)净化去除大分子干扰物后,采用GC-MS/MS分析测定。采用内标法定量,17种酞酸酯的检出限为0.05～0.40 μg/kg;回收率为50.5%～107.9%,相对标准偏差为3.5%～13.9%。采用替代物基体加入法对方法的性能进行了验证,3种替代物的回收率为65.3%～95.8%。该方法快速、灵敏度高,能同时准确定性定量测定17种酞酸酯。     

Simple and sensitive method for determination of nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in diesel exhaust particles by gas chromatography-negative ion chemical ionisation tandem mass spectrometry

An extremely simple and sensitive method was developed for determination of nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs; mono-nitro-PAHs and dinitropyrenes) in diesel exhaust particles (DEPs) by gas chromatography-negative ion chemical ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (GC/NCI/MS/MS). We used two types of column in GC/NCI/MS/MS analysis. A polar column was used for determination of mono-nitro-PAHs, and a non-polar column was used for determination of dinitropyrenes and mono-nitro-PAHs except nitrofluoranthenes. The proposed method requires no clean-up procedure. The limits of detection ranged from 0.01 to 0.09 pg for all compounds tested. The applicability of the method to DEP samples was validated using diesel particulate standard reference materials (SRMs). Although DEPs contain complex matrices, all compounds could be detected easily in SRM2975 (diesel particulate matter) and SRM1975 (diesel particulate extract) without a clean-up procedure. The RSDs were less than 5% for all compounds examined. The quantitative results for SRMs exhibited good agreement with the available data in the literature. These results indicate that the proposed GC/NCI/MS/MS method is useful for determination of nitro-PAHs in DEP samples.     

Validated method for determination of ultra-trace closantel residues in bovine tissues and milk by solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry

A liquid chromatographic-electrospray ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry method (LC-ESI-MS/MS) with solid extraction was developed and validated for the detection and determination of closantel residues in bovine tissues and milk. An acetonitrile-acetone mixture (80:20, v/v) was used for one-stage extraction of closantel residues in bovine tissues and milk samples, and the extract was cleaned by solid phase extraction with Oasis MAX cartridges. The mass spectrometer was operated in multiple reactions monitoring mode with negative electrospray interface. The limits of detection in different matrices were in the range of 0.008-0.009 microg/kg. The overall recoveries for bovine muscle, liver, kidney and milk samples spiked at four levels including MRL were in the range of 76.0-94.3%. The overall relative standard deviations were in the range of 3.57-8.61%. The linearity is satisfactory with a correlation coefficient (r(2)) of 0.9913-0.9987 at both concentration ranges of 0.02-100 microg/kg and 200-5000 microg/kg. The method is capable of identifying closantel residues at > or =0.02 microg/kg levels and was applied in the determination of closantel residues in animal origin foods.     

液相色谱/四极杆-飞行时间质谱法筛查奶酪中29种禁用和限用合成色素

建立了奶酪样品中29种禁用和限用合成色素的液相色谱/四极杆-飞行时间质谱(LC/Q-TOF MS)筛查方法。样品经正己烷-水(3:1, v/v)振荡提取,得到正己烷层、水层和残渣3部分。正己烷层经旋转蒸发浓缩后,用乙酸乙酯-环己烷(1:1, v/v)溶解,经过凝胶渗透色谱(GPC)净化去除油脂。水层经乙腈振荡提取,得到乙腈-水提取液。残渣经氨水-甲醇(1:99, v/v)溶液振荡提取,得到氨水-甲醇提取液。乙腈-水提取液和氨水-甲醇提取液不需净化直接分析。结果表明: 29种不同极性范围的合成色素化合物分别得到了有效的提取,提取回收率为70%～95%。而Q-TOF MS提供的精确质量数定性功能可以将不同种类的合成色素化合物筛查出来,各化合物与精确质量质谱库中化合物的匹配度为59.66～99.47。通过Target MS/MS扫描方式进行定量,得到8种苏丹类化合物的方法检出限为0.4～2.5 μg/kg, 21种水溶性合成色素及染料化合物的检出限为20～80 μg/kg。该方法对禁用和限用合成色素的筛查范围广泛,对含有蛋白质、脂肪等基质的食品具有较好的适用性。