In Situ Explosive Detection Using a Miniature Plasma Ion Source and a Portable Mass Spectrometer

A small low-temperature plasma (LTP) ionization probe was coupled to a portable mass spectrometer for the rapid detection of trace explosives on surfaces. Using only a small diaphragm pump to supply ambient air to the LTP source, 100 ng each of pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), 1,3,5-trinitroperhydro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), and 2,4,6-trinitrophenylmethylnitramine (Tetryl) were detectable on glass in under 1 minute. The main ion signal from these molecules (M) is the [M + NO₃]^? species. While much optimization remains, it is believed that this miniature LTP source will remove the need for external gas cylinders and additional heating for in situ explosives detection using portable mass spectrometers.     

台式大气压离子源飞行时间质谱仪的研制及性能表征

自制了一款台式大气压离子源飞行时间质谱仪。该仪器采用垂直引入式结构,主要由离子源、大气压接口、离子传输装置及质量分析器组成,其中分析器长度为550 mm。以电喷雾离子源对仪器性能进行表征:仪器在m/z 38.96、132.91、609.28、1 009.58处获得的分辨率分别为4 200、4 900、6 000、7 500;可明显测到甲醇的[CH3OH+H]+峰(m/z 33)和PEG1500的[HO(CH2CH2O)39H+Na]+峰(m/z 1 758);绘制了利血平离子在质荷比609处的峰面积与样品浓度间的标准曲线,其动态线性范围为1~200 pg/μL;信噪比为3时,方法的检出限为1 pg/μL。大气压接口的分子离子反应装置通过碰撞诱导解离效应获得了样品的碎片离子,可用于样品的分子结构分析。该仪器能与多种常压电离技术联用,有望用于药品、环境、食品等领域。     

Development and Characterization of A Linear Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometer

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is an important analytical technique for biological macromolecules, such as proteins, peptides and nucleic acid, especially in the field of microbial identification. On the basis of previous study, a linear MALDI-TOF MS was been designed and assembled for biological applications. The instrument comprised a vacuum system, a vacuum fast sample introduction system, an optical system, a time-of-flight mass analyzer, an ion source, a data acquisition system and an electronic control system. The ion source adopted two-stage source acceleration, delayed extraction and dynamic pulse focusing technique. The time-of-flight distance of field-free drift region was about 1 m. The optical system adopted a solid-state laser with adjustable frequency of 1–2000 Hz and spots of 20–100 μm. The angle of incidence laser was controlled at 5°. A series of experiments were carried out to further evaluate the instrument performances. It could not only analyze the samples more than 199 kDa, but also achieve isotope resolution at 1000–3000 Da and up to 900 (FWHM) at 5000–17000 Da. The minimum detectable concentration of gramicidin was 10 amol μL^?1, absolute sensitivity reached up to 2.56 amol. Independent detection of saliva samples from different targets showed that the instrument had higher producibility. We identified Escherichia coli and Shigella spp., which are two common bacteria but difficult to be differentiated by mass spectrometry, showing its potential identification for clinical microorganism. In summary, this instrument can play a role on clinical examination in the near future.     

In Situ Separation and Analysis of Lipids by Paper Spray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Paper spray ionization (PSI) is an extractive ambient ionization technique for mass spectrometry (MS), whereby a triangular paper tip serves as the sampling base and the electrospray tip. During PSI, analytes are extracted and transported to the edge of the paper tip by the applied spraying solvent. Analytes can be purified from a sample matrix and separated from each other by this transportation process. In this study, we investigated and utilized the analyte transportation process of PSI for the in situ separation and analysis of lipid mixtures. We found that differential transport of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and triacylglycerol (TAG), the two most abundant lipid classes in animals, occurred during PSI. We also found that the order in which these lipids moved strongly depended on how the spraying solvent was applied to the paper base. The more polar PC moved faster than the less polar TAG during PSI, when a polar solvent was slowly fed into a paper tip, whereas TAG was transported faster than PC when excess solvent was applied to the tip at once. In addition, we achieved a complete separation and detection of PC and TAG by slowly supplying a nonpolar solvent to a PSI tip.     

Analysis of Bulk and Powdered Samples Using a LAMAS-10M Laser Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer

The problem of the modernization of a LAMAS-10M laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer was considered, and the methodological fundamentals of the quantitative analysis of bulk and powdered samples by laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry were discussed. Basic modifications of certain spectrometer units were described, and the reproducibility and accuracy that can be attained using these modifications were estimated. The possibility of the quantitative analysis of bulk samples was demonstrated. These studies were performed using bulk and powdered standard reference materials. In determining precious metals in geological samples, the detection limit for powdered samples was (20–50) × 10^–9. The relative standard deviation for the repeatability of the results (RSD) of the bronze standard reference sample bronza 663 was in the limits RSD = 0.06–0.4% for the major component and 0.5–4.5% for the elements present in percent concentrations. It was shown that the majority of analytes can be determined at a semiquantitative level without using standard reference materials. The key problems of laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry were considered and methods were proposed to solve these problems. Ways to further improvement of the characteristics of the mass spectrometer were demonstrated.     

真空紫外灯单光子电离源飞行时间质谱仪的研制

研制了真空紫外灯单光子电离源飞行时间质谱仪(Vacuum ultraviolet single photon ionization time-offlight mass spectrometer,VUV-SPI-TOFMS),包括真空系统、毛细管进样系统、真空紫外灯电离源、垂直加速反射式飞行时间质量分析器和数据采集系统...     

Multiple Reaction Monitoring for Direct Quantitation of Intact Proteins Using a Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer

Methods that can efficiently and effectively quantify proteins are needed to support increasing demand in many bioanalytical fields. Triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (QQQ-MS) is sensitive and specific, and it is routinely used to quantify small molecules. However, low resolution fragmentation-dependent MS detection can pose inherent difficulties for intact proteins. In this research, we investigated variables that affect protein and fragment ion signals to enable protein quantitation using QQQ-MS. Collision induced dissociation gas pressure and collision energy were found to be the most crucial variables for optimization. Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) transitions for seven standard proteins, including lysozyme, ubiquitin, cytochrome c from both equine and bovine, lactalbumin, myoglobin, and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) were determined. Assuming the eventual goal of applying such methodology is to analyze protein in biological fluids, a liquid chromatography method was developed. Calibration curves of six standard proteins (excluding PSA) were obtained to show the feasibility of intact protein quantification using QQQ-MS. Linearity (2–3 orders), limits of detection (0.5–50 μg/mL), accuracy (<5% error), and precision (1%–12% CV) were determined for each model protein. Sensitivities for different proteins varied considerably. Biological fluids, including human urine, equine plasma, and bovine plasma were used to demonstrate the specificity of the approach. The purpose of this model study was to identify, study, and demonstrate the advantages and challenges for QQQ-MS-based intact protein quantitation, a largely underutilized approach to date.

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Characterization of Rhodamine Self-Assembled Films Using Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Growth process information and molecular structure identification are very important for characterization of self-assembled films. Here, we explore the possible application of desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) that provides the assembled information of rhodamine B (Rh B) and rhodamine 123 (Rh 123) films. With the help of lab-made DESI source, two characteristic ions [Rh B]⁺ and [Rh 123]⁺ are observed directly in the open environment. To evaluate the reliability of this technique, a comparative study of ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy and our method is carried out, and the result shows good correlation. According to the signal intensity of characteristic ions, the layer-by-layer adsorption process of dyes can be monitored, and the thicknesses of multilayer films can also be comparatively determined. Combining the high sensitivity, selectivity, and speed of mass spectrometry, the selective adsorption of similar structure molecules under different pH is recognized easily from extracted ion chronograms. The variation trend of dyes signalling intensity with concentration of polyelectrolyte is studied as well, which reflects the effect of surface charge on dyes deposition. Additionally, the desorption area, surface morphology, and thicknesses of multilayer films are investigated using fluorescence microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. Because the desorption area was approximately as small as 2 mm², the distribution situation of organic dyes in an arbitrary position could be gained rapidly, which means DESI-MS has advantages on in situ analysis.

大气采样辉光放电质谱仪的设计与应用

针对某些弱极性类物质难以通过大气压离子源直接电离的问题,提出基于大气采样辉光放电电离方式实现弱极性物质在大气压下直接进样、电离和质谱分析的方法.通过在大气压接口-四极质谱仪的第一级真空中的离子透镜上施加交流高压产生放电,简化了辉光放电离子源的设计,能直接离子化大气压接口吸人的物质,离子在离子透镜的传输下进入四极杆质量分析器实现质谱分析.实验表明,本方法能电离电喷雾电离离子源和大气压化学电离离子源未能电离的弱极性物质——艾试剂,并且负离子工作模式比正离子工作模式的信号至少强40倍.     

新化合物五氧化铀的电喷雾串联质谱法制备与表征

采用醋酸铀酰为原料在气相中制备了HOUO2OH负离子, 在一定条件下再与O2反应, 从而制备了UO5负离子, 并采用串联质谱法对UO5进行了表征, 考察了生成条件对制备UO5负离子的影响. 初步实验表明在不同能量作用下UO5负离子能释放出O2. 探讨了气相中负离子与分子反应生成UO5负离子的可能机理, 指出通过调控分子与离子的碰撞时间和碰撞能量可以控制离子的电子活动半径, 合适的能量可使电子云的半径落在rinert≤rReactiverreactive≤rdecomposition之间, 从而促进某些化学反应的进行, 以合成某些通常状况下难以生成的物质.     

Characterization of Polylactides with Different Stereoregularity Using Electrospray Ionization Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry

We investigated the effect of stereoregularity on the gas-phase conformations of linear and cyclic polylactides (PLA) using electrospray ionization ion mobility mass spectrometry (ESI-IM-MS) combined with molecular dynamics simulations. IM-MS analysis of PLA ions shows intriguing difference between the collision cross section (Ω_D) value of poly-L-lactide (PLLA) and poly-LD-lactide (PLDLA) ions with respect to their chain architecture and stereoregularity. In the singly sodiated linear PLA (l-PLA?Na⁺) case, both l-PLLA and l-PLDLA up to 11mer have very similar Ω_D values, but the Ω_D values of l-PLLA are greater than that of l-PLDLA ions for larger ions. In the case of cyclic PLA (c-PLA), c-PLLA?Na⁺ is more compact than c-PLDLA?Na⁺ for short PLA ions. However, c-PLLA exhibits larger Ω_D value than c-PLDLA for PLA ions longer than 13mer. The origin of difference in the Ω_D values was investigated using theoretical investigation of PLAs in the gas phase. The gas-phase conformation of PLA ions is influenced by Na⁺-oxygen coordination and the weak intramolecular hydrogen bond interaction, which are more effectively formed in more flexible chains. Therefore, the less flexible PLLA has a larger Ω_D value than PLDLA. However, for short c-PLA, concomitant maximization of both Na⁺-oxygen coordination and hydrogen bond interaction is difficult due to the constricted chain freedom, which makes the Ω_D value of PLAs in this range show a different trend compared with other PLA ions. Our study facilitates the understanding of correlation between stereoregularity of PLAs and their structure, providing potential utility of IM-MS to characterize stereoisomers of polymers. Figure

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电喷雾串联质谱快速分析人参皂甙混合物

电喷雾串联质谱快速分析人参皂甙混合物周雨莫文俊刘淑莹＊（中国科学院长春应用化学研究所１３００２２）在天然产物的化学成分研究中，混合物的分离和各组分的结构鉴定一直是困扰我们的难题。通常的化学成分分析，涉及到提取、分离等多个步骤，最后才能通过ＮＭＲ、ＭＳ...     

Surface Phenomena in the Ionization Chamber of the Mass Spectrometer Ion Source

High Energy Chemistry - The resonance interaction of ionizing electrons with 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) molecules was studied by negative-ion mass spectrometry. The installation of an...     

超声喷雾电离源的研制与表征

研制了超声喷雾电离源(SSI)。采用核糖核酸A、溶菌酶等样品和商品化的线性离子阱质谱仪对该电离源进行了表征。实验发现,对于生物大分子,超声喷雾电离质谱(SSI-MS)能够获得与电喷雾质谱(ESI-MS)类似的多电荷离子。但与同等条件下ESI-MS所获得的谱图相比,SSI主要获得低价态的多电荷离子。在此基础上,系统考察了SSI-MS各主要操作参数对不同价态蛋白质多电荷离子信号强度的影响,并提出了SSI离子化的可能机理。结果表明,在喷雾气压3.4~3.6 MPa、喷雾口到质谱入口的距离4~6 mm、离子传输管温度250~300℃、样液流速50~100μL/min、2%~5%甲酸酸性且不含甲醇的条件下,各价态蛋白质离子信号强度及信号分布均达到最优;而离子传输管温度越高,喷雾压力越大或溶剂中甲醇等挥发性成分越高,则越有利于低价态离子的形成。     

Development of Laser Ionization Mass Spectrometer for detection of unstable species in flames

Results are presented here on the detection of unstable species formed in flames using a novel Laser Ionization Mass Spectrometry (LIMS) system. The chemical species generated in atmospheric pressure flames were directly introduced into a mass spectrometer operated at high vacuum conditions using a newly developed interface, in which the ionization was induced by laser irradiation. Optimum conditions for the experimental conditions were investigated in order to obtain mass spectra with adequate signal to noise (S/N) ratios. In addition, the distribution profiles of various species in the flame was measured and visualized. The distribution of OH profiles was also measured under the same conditions using Planer Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) diagnostics. The results showed that the profiles of OH distribution by LIMS were in good agreement with those obtained using PLIF diagnostics.     

Multiplexed In Situ Protein Profiling with High-Performance Cleavable Fluorescent Tyramide

Understanding the composition, function and regulation of complex cellular systems requires tools that quantify the expression of multiple proteins at their native cellular context. Here, we report a highly sensitive and accurate protein in situ profiling approach using off-the-shelf antibodies and cleavable fluorescent tyramide (CFT). In each cycle of this method, protein targets are stained with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) conjugated antibodies and CFT. Subsequently, the fluorophores are efficiently cleaved by mild chemical reagents, which simultaneously deactivate HRP. Through reiterative cycles of protein staining, fluorescence imaging, fluorophore cleavage, and HRP deactivation, multiplexed protein quantification in single cells in situ can be achieved. We designed and synthesized the high-performance CFT, and demonstrated that over 95% of the staining signals can be erased by mild chemical reagents while preserving the integrity of the epitopes on protein targets. Applying this method, we explored the protein expression heterogeneity and correlation in a group of genetically identical cells. With the high signal removal efficiency, this approach also enables us to accurately profile proteins in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues in the order of low to high and also high to low expression levels.     

Study of Gaseous Sample Ionization by Excited Particles Formed in Glow Discharge Using High-Resolution Orthogonal Acceleration Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer

The experimental results of a mass spectral analysis of volatile organic compounds in a gaseous sample, obtained using an original design of an ion source based on the Penning ionization of a gas sample by excited metastable inert gas atoms, are presented. Using ANSYS software, a gas-dynamic simulation of reagent gas flow from discharge zone to ionization region was carried out to analyze the effect of gas flow profile on the transport of metastable atoms and ionization efficiency. The n-octane and toluene samples diluted with helium at 100 ppb mole concentrations were used for our experiments. The resulting mass spectra of n-octane and toluene samples containe far more intensive molecular ions in comparison to n-octane and toluene electron ionization mass spectra from the NIST database. The sensitivity of 5 ions per 1 pg and 130 ions per 1 pg was achieved for n-octane and toluene molecular ions using the developed ion source combined with our mass spectrometer. The corresponding detection limits are 2.3 pg s^–1 for n-octane molecular ions and 0.08 pg s^–1 for toluene molecular ions. The detection limit for the reported ion source was considered theoretically.     

平面双核酰亚胺酞菁铁的激光解吸电离飞行时间质谱分析

应用激光解吸电离飞行时间质谱法（LDI—TOF—MS）对平面双核酰亚胺酞菁铁相对分子量进行了测定．探讨了3种不同基质对其分析结果的影响,结果发现基质并不能完全解离样品,而不加任何基质的激光质谱得到了理想的结果．