多反应离子的质子转移反应质谱

在无放射性辉光放电离子源内, 采用不同试剂气体进行放电, 为质子转移反应质谱(PTR-MS)新增了强度在10⁵ cps量级的3种反应离子NH₄⁺, NO⁺和O₂⁺, 纯度大于95%; 测试了这3种反应离子的离子-分子反应特征. 采用H₃O⁺, NH₄⁺, NO⁺和O₂⁺等4种反应离子对同分异构体丙醛/丙酮进行检测发现, H₃O⁺和NH₄⁺均不能区分的丙醛/丙酮可采用NO⁺或O₂⁺进行区分. 结果表明, 增加反应离子不仅使PTR-MS的可检测有机物范围不再局限于质子亲和势(PA)大于H₂O的有机物, 还提高了PTR-MS区分同分异构体的能力.     

Development of proton-transfer ion trap-mass spectrometry: on-line detection and identification of volatile organic compounds in air

We present a newly developed instrument that uses proton-transfer ion trap-mass spectrometry (PIT-MS) for on-line trace gas analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The instrument is based on the principle of proton-transfer reaction-mass spectrometry (PTR-MS): VOCs are ionized using PTRs and detected with a mass spectrometer. As opposed to a quadrupole mass filter in a PTR-MS, the PIT-MS instrument uses an IT-MS, which has the following advantages: (1) the ability to acquire a full mass spectrum in the same time as one mass with a quadrupole and (2) extended analytical capabilities of identifying VOCs by performing collision-induced dissociation (CID) and ion molecule reactions in the IT. The instrument described has, at its current status, limits of detection between 0.05 and 0.5 pbbv for 1-min measurements for all tested VOCs. The PIT-MS was tested in an ambient air measurement in the urban area of Boulder, Colorado, and intercompared with PTR-MS. For all measured compounds the degree of correlation between the two measurements was high (r ² > 0.85), except for acetonitrile (CH₃CN), which was close to the limit of detection of the PIT-MS instrument. The two measurements agreed within less than 25%, which was within the combined measurement uncertainties. Automated CID measurements on m/z 59 during the intercomparison were used to determine the contributions of acetone and propanal to the measured signal; both are detected at m/z 59 and thus are indistinguishable in PTR-MS. It was determined that m/z 59 was mainly composed of acetone. An influence of propanal was detected only during a high pollution event. The advantages and future developments of PIT-MS are discussed.     

Proton transfer reaction ion trap mass spectrometer

Proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry is a relatively new field that has attracted a great deal of interest in the last few years. This technique uses H(3)O(+) as a chemical ionization (CI) reagent to measure volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the parts per billion by volume (ppbv) to parts per trillion by volume (pptv) range. Mass spectra acquired with a proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer (PTR-MS) are simple because proton transfer chemical ionization is "soft" and results in little or no fragmentation. Unfortunately, peak identification can still be difficult due to isobaric interferences. A possible solution to this problem is to couple the PTR drift tube to an ion trap mass spectrometer (ITMS). The use of an ITMS is appealing because of its ability to perform MS/MS and possibly distinguish between isomers and other isobars. Additionally, the ITMS duty cycle is much higher than that of a linear quadrupole so faster data acquisition rates are possible that will allow for detection of multiple compounds. Here we present the first results from a proton transfer reaction ion trap mass spectrometer (PTR-ITMS). The aim of this study was to investigate ion injection and storage efficiency of a simple prototype instrument in order to estimate possible detection limits of a second-generation instrument. Using this prototype a detection limit of 100 ppbv was demonstrated. Modifications are suggested that will enable further reduction in detection limits to the low-ppbv to high-pptv range. Furthermore, the applicability of MS/MS in differentiating between isobaric species was determined. MS/MS spectra of the isobaric compounds methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) and methacrolein (MACR) are presented and show fragments of different mass making differentiation possible, even when a mixture of both species is present in the same sample. However, MS/MS spectra of acetone and propanal produce fragments with the same molecular masses but with different intensity ratios. This allows quantitative distinction only if one species is predominant. Fragmentation mechanisms are proposed to explain the results.     

Real-Time Distinguishing of the Xylene Isomers Using Photoionization and Dissociation Mass Spectra Obtained by Femtosecond Laser Mass Spectrometry (FLMS)

Abstract

Distinguishing chemicals and improvement on analytical methods has a direct impact on modern chemical analysis. In this work, the dissociative ionization of xylene isomers was investigated using a femtosecond laser mass spectrometry (FLMS) method with a custom-built linear time-of-flight (TOF) instrument. Laser beams at 800?nm and 400?nm were used and intensity-dependent analysis of the obtained mass spectra was performed using principal component analysis (PCA) to distinguish the xylene isomers, which give identical mass spectra in appearance that cannot be distinguished using normal mass spectrometry methods. The results show that there is a statistically highly significant difference between the xylene isomers for two principal components (1 ? α?>?99.99%) and minimal information loss (<5%) took place during the PCA procedure. Also, the use of the k-medoid clustering method showed that the isomers may be distinguished in real-time for a wide range of ionization laser pulse powers with approximately 99% accuracy. The results suggest that real-time isomer analysis by the FLMS method is suitable for mass spectral identification applications. The FLMS method has been shown to be an important alternative to other mass spectrometric methods that use different ionization mechanisms.     

异戊二烯与OH自由基光化学反应的二次有机气溶胶的生成

利用烟雾箱模拟装置,研究了异戊二烯与OH自由基反应的二次有机气溶胶(SOA)的生成.反应中生成的气相产物通过质子转移反应质谱仪(PTR-MS)测定,SOA的浓度及粒径谱分布通过高分辨率粒径谱仪(EEPS3090)测定.研究表明:甲基丙烯醛(MAC)/甲基乙烯基酮(MVK)、乙醛、甲醛、甲醇、甲酸/乙醇、乙醇醛、甲基乙二醛、丙酮/丙醛等为主要气相产物,各组实验中MAC/MVK和乙醛浓度达到最大时,其产率分别介于13.78%～37.72%和5.38%～9.34%(以C计)范围内;SOA生成量及其中值粒径随异戊二烯反应量的增加而增加,气相物质稳定后,SOA产率在5.6%～11.7%范围内,粒径在22～165nm范围内.     

Simultaneous quantitative analysis of isobars by tandem mass spectrometry from unresolved chromatographic peaks

A method was developed for the simultaneous quantitation of isobars from unresolved chromatographic peaks. The method is based on differences in branching ratios of ion abundances in their tandem mass spectra and an assumption that the product ion mass spectra of a mixture can be considered as a linear combination of the spectra of individual constituents. We present analytical equations and a matrix-based approach for deconvoluting the concentration of individual components from the total peak intensity for two and three isobars and also a matrix-based generalization to any number of compounds. The feasibility of the simultaneous analysis of mixtures containing two compounds was assessed. The approach was evaluated for the analysis of structural isomers of methylmalonic and succinic acids in human plasma and urine samples for a group of 270 samples. The linear regression equation, standard error and correlation coefficient for the agreement with a traditional method utilizing chromatographic separation of the isomers were y = 0.999x - 0.005, 0.024 micro mol l(-1), and 0.985, respectively. The utility of a spectral contrast angle as a predictor of analysis feasibility was evaluated.     

Detailed molecular characterization of castor oil ethoxylates by liquid chromatography multistage mass spectrometry

The molecular characterization of castor oil ethoxylates (CASEOs) was studied by reverse-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) mass spectrometry (MS) and multistage mass spectrometry (MS(n)). The developed RPLC method allowed the separation of the various CASEO components, and especially, the baseline separation of multiple nominal isobars (same nominal mass) and isomers (same exact mass). MS and MS(n) were used for the determination and structure elucidation of various structures and for the discrimination of the isobars and isomers. Different ionization techniques and adduct ions were also tested for optimization of the MS detection and the MS(n) fragmentation. A unique fragmentation pathway of ricinoleic acid is proposed, which can be used as a marker of the polymerization process and the topology of ethoxylation in the CASEO. In addition, characteristic neutral losses of ricinoleic acid reveal its (terminal or internal) position in the molecule.     

Structure and fragmentation of [C3H7O]+ ions formed by chemical ionization

The unimolecular metastable and collision-induced fragmentation reactions of [C₃H₇O]⁺ ions produced by gas-phase protonation of acetone, propanal, propylene oxide, oxetan and allyl alcohol have been studied. The CID studies show that protonation of acetone and allyl alcohol yield different stable ions with distinct structures while protonation of propanal or propylene oxide yield [C₃H₇O]⁺ ions of the same structure. Protonated oxetan rearranges less readily to give the same structure(s) as protonated propanal and propylene oxide. The [C₃H₇O]⁺ ions fragmenting as metastable ions after formation by CI have a higher internal energy than the same ions fragmenting after formation by EI. Deuteronation of the C₃H₆O isomers using CD₄ reagent gas shows that loss of C₂H₃D proceeds by a different mechanism than loss of C₂H₄. The results are discussed in terms of potential energy profile for the [C₃H₇O]⁺˙ system proposed earlier.     

Application of a Self-developed Proton Transfer Reaction-Mass Spectrometer to On-line Monitoring Trace Volatile Organic Compounds in Ambient Air

Real-time and on-line monitoring volatile organic compounds(VOCs) are valuable for real-time evalua- ting air quality and monitoring the key source of pollution. A self-developed proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometer(PTR-MS) was constructed and applied to on-line monitoring trace VOCs in ambient air in Hefei, China. With the help of a self-developed catalytic converter, the background signal of the instrument was detected and the stability of the instrument was evaluated. The relative standard deviation of signal at m/z 21 was only 0.74% and the detection limit of PTR-MS was 97 part per trillion(97×10^-12, volume ratio). As a case of the air monitoring in Hefei, the ambient air at Dongpu reservoir spot was on-line monitored for 13 d with our self-developed PTR-MS. Meanwhile, a solid-phase micro-extraction(SPME) technique coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) was also used for the off-line detection of the air. The results show that our self-developed PTR-MS can be used for the on-line and long-term monitoring of VOCs in air at part per trillion level, and the change trend of VOCs concentration monitored with PTR-MS was consistent with that detected with the conventional SPME-GC-MS. This self-developed PTR-MS can fully satisfy the requirements of air quality monitoring and real-time monitoring of the key pollution sources.     

Quantification of oxygenated volatile organic compounds in seawater by membrane inlet-proton transfer reaction/mass spectrometry

The role of the ocean in the cycling of oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) remains largely unanswered due to a paucity of datasets. We describe the method development of a membrane inlet-proton transfer reaction/mass spectrometer (MI-PTR/MS) as an efficient method of analysing methanol, acetaldehyde and acetone in seawater. Validation of the technique with water standards shows that the optimised responses are linear and reproducible. Limits of detection are 27 nM for methanol, 0.7 nM for acetaldehyde and 0.3 nM for acetone. Acetone and acetaldehyde concentrations generated by MI-PTR/MS are compared to a second, independent method based on purge and trap-gas chromatography/flame ionisation detection (P&T-GC/FID) and show excellent agreement. Chromatographic separation of isomeric species acetone and propanal permits correction to mass 59 signal generated by the PTR/MS and overcomes a known uncertainty in reporting acetone concentrations via mass spectrometry. A third bioassay technique using radiolabelled acetone further supported the result generated by this method. We present the development and optimisation of the MI-PTR/MS technique as a reliable and convenient tool for analysing seawater samples for these trace gases. We compare this method with other analytical techniques and discuss its potential use in improving the current understanding of the cycling of oceanic OVOCs.     

质子转移反应质谱在线检测痕量挥发性有机物

质子转移反应质谱是近年来兴起的一种痕量挥发性有机物在线检测技术,它可以在秒量级的时间内获得ppt量级的探测灵敏度,已经广泛的应用在环境污染监测、医学诊断、食品成分和质量检验等领域。本文介绍了它的工作原理和装置结构,给出了一些痕量挥发性有机物检测的例子,以及作者实验室使用该技术检测挥发性有机物的初步研究结果,并对该在线检测技术的发展方向进行了展望。     

Direct-injection mass spectrometry adds the time dimension to (B)VOC analysis

In the past decade, we have witnessed rapid development of direct-injection mass spectrometric (DIMS) technologies that combine ever-improving mass and time resolution with high sensitivity and robustness. Here, we review some of the most significant DIMS technologies, which have been applied to rapid monitoring and quantification of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and biogenic VOCS (BVOCs). They include MS-e-noses, atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization (APCI), proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS), and selected ion-flow-tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS). DIMS-based MS-e-noses provide the possibility to screen large sample sets and may yield rich analytical information. APCI is a widespread ionization method and pioneered DIMS in environmental and flavor-release applications. SIFT-MS and PTR-MS allow better control of precursor-ion generation and hence of the ionization process. SIFT-MS puts the focus on control of the ionization process, while PTR-MS does so on sensitivity. Most (B)VOCs of interest can be efficiently detected and often identified by DIMS, thanks also to the possibility of switching between different precursor ions and the recent realization of time-of-flight-based equipments. Finally, we give selected examples of applications for each of the key technologies, including research in food-quality control (MS-e-nose), flavor release (APCI), environmental sciences (PTR-MS) and health sciences (SIFT-MS).     

在线二维集束毛细管柱-高气压光电离-飞行时间质谱用于单萜类化合物的快速测量

单萜类化合物是大气中生物源挥发性有机物（BVOCs）的一个主要组分，具有同分异构体种类多、寿命短、浓度低、时空变化快等特点。将集束毛细管柱（MCC）和高气压光电离-飞行时间质谱仪（HPPI-TOF MS）相结合，搭建MCC-HPPI-TOF MS联用装置，并开发一种二维GC-MS快速在线检测方法，用于单萜同分异构体的快速定性和定量分析。实验结果表明，在无任何样品预富集的前提下，该方法可在180 s内实现α-蒎烯、β-蒎烯、α-萜烯、γ-萜烯、3-蒈烯及柠檬烯等6种单萜同分异构体的在线检测，检出限（LODs）低至μg/m³量级。该方法已经用于松树和柏树枝叶释放出的单萜化合物的快速在线分析，展示了其在环境监测、过程分析等领域复杂混合物样品在线检测的能力和应用前景。     

界面聚合法制备聚α-氰基丙烯酸正丁酯毫微囊

采用界面聚合法制备了粒径约 2 0 0nm的聚α 氰基丙烯酸正丁酯毫微囊 ,运用动态激光光散射和透射电镜测定了毫微囊的粒径及其分布 ,系统研究了高分子稳定剂类型、表面活性剂的用量、辅助添加剂的用量、以及后处理条件等因素对毫微囊粒径及其分布的影响 .结果说明 ,在高分子稳定剂中 ,葡聚糖的稳定作用优于Poloxamer 188,而葡聚糖的用量越大 ,毫微囊的粒径越小 ,采用葡聚糖 70比葡聚糖 40更能得到窄分布的毫微囊 .增加表面活性剂吐温 2 0的用量 ,同样减小毫微囊的粒径 .与三油酸甘油酯相比 ,在有机相中加入苯甲醇能够增大毫微囊粒径 ,并改善毫微囊的规整性 .乙醇和丙酮均可作为溶剂添加在有机相中 ,但含乙醇的体系分散较好 ,界面聚合得到聚α 氰基丙烯酸正丁酯毫微囊粒径分布较窄 .此外 ,通过考察浓缩温度发现 ,在2 0℃下真空浓缩时毫微囊粒径基本保持不变 ,而在 30℃下则发生一定程度的毫微囊聚集     

Block copolymer preparation by atom transfer radical polymerization under emulsion conditions using a nanoprecipitation technique

Living‐radical polymerization of acrylates were performed under emulsion atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) conditions using latexes prepared by a nanoprecipitation technique previously employed and optimized for the polymerization of styrene. A macroinitiator of poly(n‐butyl acrylate) prepared under bulk ATRP was dissolved in acetone and precipitated in an aqueous solution of Brij 98 to preform latex particles, which were then swollen with monomer and heated. Various monomers (i.e. n‐butyl acrylate, styrene, and tert‐butyl acrylate) were used to swell the particles to prepare homo‐ and block copolymers from the poly(n‐butyl acrylate) macroinitiator. Under these conditions latexes with a relatively good colloidal stability were obtained. Furthermore, amphiphilic block copolymers were prepared by hydrolysis of the tert‐butyl groups and the resulting block copolymers were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The bulk morphologies of the polystyrene‐b‐poly(n‐butyl acrylate) and poly(n‐butyl acrylate)‐b‐poly(acrylic acid) copolymers were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS). © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 625–635, 2008     

Phase-resolved real-time breath analysis during exercise by means of smart processing of PTR-MS data

Separation of inspiratory, mixed expired and alveolar air is indispensable for reliable analysis of VOC breath biomarkers. Time resolution of direct mass spectrometers often is not sufficient to reliably resolve the phases of a breathing cycle. To realise fast on-line breath monitoring by means of direct MS utilising low-fragmentation soft ionisation, a data processing algorithm was developed to identify inspiratory and alveolar phases from MS data without any additional equipment. To test the algorithm selected breath biomarkers (acetone, isoprene, acetaldehyde and hexanal) were determined by means of quadrupole proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) in seven healthy volunteers during exercise on a stationary bicycle. The results were compared to an off-line reference method consisting of controlled alveolar breath sampling in Tedlar® bags, preconcentration by solid-phase micro extraction (SPME), separation and identification by GC-MS. Based on the data processing method, quantitative attribution of biomarkers to inspiratory, alveolar and mixed expiratory phases was possible at any time during the experiment, even under respiratory rates up to 60/min. Alveolar concentrations of the breath markers, measured by PTR-MS ranged from 130 to 2,600 ppb (acetone), 10 to 540 ppb (isoprene), 2 to 31 ppb (acetaldehyde), whereas the concentrations of hexanal were always below the limit of detection (LOD) of 3 ppb. There was good correlation between on-line PTR-MS and SPME-GC-MS measurements during phases with stable physiological parameters but results diverged during rapid changes of heart rate and minute ventilation. This clearly demonstrates the benefits of breath-resolved MS for fast on-line monitoring of exhaled VOCs.

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Figure Experimental setup showing bicycle ergometer and analytical pathways: Right side PTR-MS: identification of respiratory phases by means of the new algorithm. Left side: confirmation of PTR-MS data for exhaled isoprene by means of GC-MS analysis

     

Ion mobility-mass spectrometry analysis of isomeric carbohydrate precursor ions

The rapid separation of isomeric precursor ions of oligosaccharides prior to their analysis by mass spectrometry to the nth power (MS ⁿ ) was demonstrated using an ambient pressure ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) interfaced with a quadrupole ion trap. Separations were not limited to specific types of isomers; representative isomers differing solely in the stereochemistry of sugars, in their anomeric configurations, and in their overall branching patterns and linkage positions could be resolved in the millisecond time frame. Physical separation of precursor ions permitted independent mass spectra of individual oligosaccharide isomers to be acquired to at least MS³, the number of stages of dissociation limited only practically by the abundance of specific product ions. IMS–MS ⁿ analysis was particularly valuable in the evaluation of isomeric oligosaccharides that yielded identical sets of product ions in tandem mass spectrometry experiments, revealing pairs of isomers that would otherwise not be known to be present in a mixture if evaluated solely by MS dissociation methods alone. A practical example of IMS–MSⁿ analysis of a set of isomers included within a single high-performance liquid chromatography fraction of oligosaccharides released from bovine submaxillary mucin is described.     

Effect of the ionic strength on the redox reaction of dicyanobis(bipyridine)iron(III)‐iodide in binary and ternary solvent systems

The redox reaction between dicyanobis(bipyridine)iron(III) and iodide ion follows first‐order kinetics in 10% (v/v) tertiary butyl alcohol‐water. The reaction was found first and zero order in iodide and dicyanobis(bipyridine)iron(III), respectively, at 0.06 M ionic strength and 293 ± 1 K. The thermodynamic parameters of activation such as E_A (16.07 kJ mol^?1), A (1 × 10^?4 M s^?1), ΔH^# (13.6 kJ mol^?1), ΔS^# (?329.81 J K^?1 mol^?1), and ΔG^# (90.1 kJ mol^?1) were determined. The effect of the ionic strength on the rate constant leads to recognizing the stabilization or destabilization of the transition state complex that forms during the rate‐determining step of the reaction. The value of the zero‐order rate constant was decreased with increasing ionic strength that yielded a negative value of the slope in each binary and ternary solvent systems. This negative sign refers to the electron transfer between opposite charge carriers such as [Fe^III(bpy)₂(CN)₂]⁺ and I^? during the rate‐determining step. The destabilization of the transition state complex is surfaced by the increasing slope, that is, 5 < 10 < 15% (v/v) tertiary butyl alcohol‐water with a gradual decrease in the rate constant. However, its stability emerges by relatively small values of the slope in 17.5 < 25 ≤ 30% (v/v) tertiary butyl alcohol‐water and 8:2:90 < 6:4:90% (v/v) dioxane: tertiary butyl alcohol: water with reasonably fast rate of reaction.     

Synthesis,Characterization and Application of Amphiphilic Copolymer Poly(vinyl alcohol)-g-Poly(butyl acrylate)

An amphiphilic graft copolymer poly(vinyl alcohol)-g-poly(butyl acrylate) (PVA-g-PBA) was synthesized by grafting butyl acrylate (BA) onto poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with potassium persulfate (KPS) as free radical initiator in N₂ atmosphere and aqueous medium. The formation of graft copolymer was confirmed by means of infrared spectroscopy (IR). The influences of initiator, monomer concentration and reaction time on the percentage of monomer conversion(C _M), graft degree(Gd) and graft efficiency(Ge) have been discussed in detail. PVA-g-PBA was used as compatibilizer in blends of chlorinated polyethylene (CPE)/ poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide)[P(AA-AM)], and the compatibility between CPE and P(AA-AM) was also investigated.     

Breath acetone monitoring by portable Si:WO3 gas sensors

Breath analysis has the potential for early stage detection and monitoring of illnesses to drastically reduce the corresponding medical diagnostic costs and improve the quality of life of patients suffering from chronic illnesses. In particular, the detection of acetone in the human breath is promising for non-invasive diagnosis and painless monitoring of diabetes (no finger pricking). Here, a portable acetone sensor consisting of flame-deposited and in situ annealed, Si-doped epsilon-WO₃ nanostructured films was developed. The chamber volume was miniaturized while reaction-limited and transport-limited gas flow rates were identified and sensing temperatures were optimized resulting in a low detection limit of acetone (∼20 ppb) with short response (10–15 s) and recovery times (35–70 s). Furthermore, the sensor signal (response) was robust against variations of the exhaled breath flow rate facilitating application of these sensors at realistic relative humidities (80–90%) as in the human breath. The acetone content in the breath of test persons was monitored continuously and compared to that of state-of-the-art proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS). Such portable devices can accurately track breath acetone concentration to become an alternative to more elaborate breath analysis techniques.