Determination of the natural abundance δ15N of taurine by gas chromatography-isotope ratio measurement mass spectrometry

The measurement of the nitrogen isotope ratio of taurine (2-aminoethanesulphonic acid) in biological samples has a large number of potential applications. Taurine is a small water-soluble molecule which is notoriously difficult to analyze due to its polarity and functionality. A method is described which allows the determination of the natural abundance δ(15)N values of taurine and structural analogues, such as 3-amino-1-propanesulphonic acid (APSA), by isotope ratio mass spectrometry interfaced to gas chromatography (GC-irm-MS). The one-step protocol exploits the simultaneous derivatization of both functionalities of these aminosulphonic acids by reaction with triethylorthoacetate (TEOA). Conditions have been established which ensure quantitative reaction thus avoiding any nitrogen isotope fractionation during derivatization and workup. The differences in the δ(15)N values of derivatized and non-derivatized taurine and APSA all fall within the working range of 0.4‰ (-0.02 to 0.39‰). When applied to four sources of taurine with various δ(15)N values, the method achieved excellent reproducibility and accuracy. The optimized method enables the determination of the natural abundance δ(15)N values of taurine over the concentration range 1.5-7.84 μmol.mL(-1) in samples of biological origin.     

Determination of petitgrain oils landmark parameters by using gas chromatography–combustion–isotope ratio mass spectrometry and enantioselective multidimensional gas chromatography

Gas chromatography–combustion–isotope mass spectrometry was employed for the assessment of the Carbon isotope ratios of volatiles in Italian mandarin and lemon petitgrain oils. In addition, the composition of the whole oil and the enantiomeric distribution of selected chiral compounds were determined for all the samples by using gas chromatography and by multidimensional and conventional enantioselective gas chromatography. The composition of the oils was compared with previous studies. The enantiomeric distribution of lemon petitgrain oils is here reported for the first time. On the composition of mandarin petitgrain oil, the information available in literature, to date, is relative only to one sample from Egypt. Carbon isotope ratio of several terpene hydrocarbons and of their oxygenated derivatives contained in petitgrains was compared with the δ ¹³C_VPDB values of the same compounds present in the corresponding genuine Italian Citrus peel oil. The results prove that the isotopic values obtained for lemon and mandarin petitgrain oils are very close to those relative to the corresponding peel oils determined in previous studies.     

Determination of diketopiperazines of Burkholderia cepacia CF-66 by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Bacteria communicate with each other by a process termed “quorum sensing” (QS), and diffusible, low-molecular-weight chemicals, called signal molecules, are used as the communication languages. In cell-free Burkholderia cepacia CF-66 culture supernatants, five compounds suspected of being signal molecules were identified. The gene (cepI) related with AHLs synthesis were not detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using specific primers. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) revealed that these compounds were not AHLs but the diketopiperazines (DKPs) cyclo(Pro–Phe), cyclo(Pro–Tyr), cyclo(Ala–Val), cyclo(Pro–Leu), and cyclo(Pro–Val), all of which were both d and l-type. Four kinds of DKPs had been isolated from other Gram-negative bacteria, but the other was a novel kind discovered in CF-66, and l-cyclo (Pro–Phe) was quantified by GC–MS. It was found that exogenous DKPs had a negative effect on the candidacidal activity of the culture supernatant extracts.     

Can gas chromatography combustion isotope ratio mass spectrometry be used to quantify organic compound abundance?

Quantifying the concentrations of organics such as phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) and n‐alkanes and measuring their corresponding ¹³ C/¹² C isotope ratios often involves two separate analyses; (1) quantification by gas chromatography flame ionisation detection (GC‐FID) or gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and (2) ¹³ C‐isotope abundance analysis by gas chromatography/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC‐C‐IRMS). This requirement for two separate analyses has obvious disadvantages in terms of cost and time. However, there is a history of using the data output of isotope ratio mass spectrometers to quantify various components; including the N and C concentrations of solid materials and CO₂ concentrations in gaseous samples. Here we explore the possibility of quantifying n‐alkanes extracted from sheeps' faeces and fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) derivatised from PLFAs extracted from grassland soil, using GC‐C‐IRMS. The results were compared with those from GC‐FID analysis of the same extracts. For GC‐C‐IRMS the combined area of the masses for all the ions (m/z 44, 45 and 46) was collected, referred to as 'area all', while for the GC‐FID analysis the peak area data were collected. Following normalisation to a common value for added internal standards, the GC‐C‐IRMS 'area all' values and the GC‐FID peak area data were directly compared. Strong linear relationships were found for both n‐alkanes and FAMEs. For the n‐alkanes the relationships were 1:1 while, for the FAMEs, GC‐C‐IRMS overestimated the areas relative to the GC‐FID results. However, with suitable reference material 1:1 relationships were established. The output of a GC‐C‐IRMS system can form the basis for the quantification of certain organics including FAMEs and n‐alkanes. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification of monoacylglycerol regio-isomers by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Monoacylglycerols (MAGs) are lipids found in trace amounts in plants and animal tissues. While they are widely used in various industrial applications, accurate determination of the regio-specific distribution is hindered by the lack of stable, commercially available standards. Indeed, unsaturated β-MAG (or Sn-2 MAG) readily undergoes isomerization into α-MAG (acyl chain is attached to the Sn-1 or the Sn-3 position). In the present study, we describe structural elucidation of α- and β-regio-isomers of monopalmitoyl-glycerol (MAG C16:0) as model compounds in their silylated forms using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) with electronic impact (EI) ionization. MS fragmentation of α-MAG C16:0 is characterized by the loss of methylene(trimethylsilyl)oxonium (103 amu) and the consecutive loss of acyl chain yielding a fragment ion at m/z 205. The fragmentation pattern of β-MAG C16:0 shows a series of diagnostic fragments at m/z 218, 203, 191 and 103 that are not formed from the α-isomer and hereby enable reliable distinction of these regio-isomers. Possible fragmentation scenarios are postulated to explain the formation of these marker ions, which were also applied to characterize the regio-isomer composition of a complex mixture of MAG sample containing n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids.     

δD and δ13C analyses of atmospheric volatile organic compounds by thermal desorption gas chromatography isotope ratio mass spectrometry

This paper describes the establishment of a robust method to determine compound specific δD and δ(13)C values of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a standard mixture ranging between C(6) and C(10) and was applied to various complex emission samples, e.g. from biomass combustion and car exhaust. A thermal desorption (TD) unit was linked to a gas chromatography isotope ratio mass spectrometer (GC-irMS) to enable compound specific isotope analysis (CSIA) of gaseous samples. TenaxTA was used as an adsorbent material in stainless steel TD tubes. We determined instrument settings to achieve a minimal water background level for reliable δD analysis and investigated the impact of storage time on δD and δ(13)C values of collected VOCs (176 days and 40 days of storage, respectively). Most of the standard compounds investigated showed standard deviations (SD)<6‰ (δD) when stored for 148 days at 4 °C. However, benzene revealed occasionally D depleted values (21‰ SD) for unknown reasons. δ(13)C analysis demonstrated that storage of 40 days had no effect on VOCs investigated. We also showed that breakthrough (benzene and toluene, 37% and 7%, respectively) had only a negligible effect (0.7‰ and 0.4‰, respectively) on δ(13)C values of VOCs on the sample tube. We established that the sample portion collected at the split flow effluent of the TD unit can be used as a replicate sample for isotope analysis saving valuable sampling time and resources. We also applied TD-GC-irMS to different emission samples (biomass combustion, petrol and diesel car engines exhaust) and for the first time δD values of atmospheric VOCs in the above range are reported. Significant differences in δD of up to 130‰ were observed between VOCs in emissions from petrol car engine exhaust and biomass combustion (Karri tree). However, diesel car emissions showed a high content of highly complex unresolved mixtures thus a baseline separation of VOCs was not achieved for stable hydrogen isotope analysis. The ability to analyse δD by TD-GC-irMS complements the characterisation of atmospheric VOCs and is maybe used for establishing further source(s).     

Determination of elemental sulfur in coal by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry

A method for the determination of S⁰ in coal based on the extraction with cyclohexane with subsequent quantitative analysis of elemental sulfur in the extract by GC/MS is described. The quantity of elemental sulfur was determined in four coal samples with different distribution of sulfur forms. The effect of solvent and extraction time on the efficiency of sulfur removal was studied. The elemental sulfur extracted from coal occurred in the form of S₆, S₇ and S₈. Calibration solutions were prepared from freshly recrystalized elemental sulfur. It was found that the injection temperature has a crucial influence on the m/z 64 ion chromatogram.     

Characterisation of permanent markers by pyrolysis gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Pyrolysis gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (PyGC-MS) was used as a rapid method for the characterization of permanent marker ink. Twenty-four samples of various colours purchased from different manufacturers were characterised. Four main typologies of polymer-binding medium could be distinguished on the basis of the pyrolysis products, and differentiation between permanent markers of different manufacturers could be accomplished. For some permanent marker samples, PyGC-MS analysis allowed pigment identification as well.     

Multiresidue analysis of pollutants as their trimethylsilyl derivatives,by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

This paper reports a multiresidue analysis procedure which permits the identification and quantification of sixty-three water-soluble pollutants. Subsequent to their solid-phase extraction (SPE) enrichment, analyses of species have been carried out from one solution, by a single injection, as their trimethylsilyl-oxime ether/ester derivatives, by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, within 31 min. Based on our optimized extraction, derivatization and mass fragmentation studies separation have been performed in the total ion current mode, identification and quantification of compounds have been carried out on the basis of their selective fragment ions. Including various pharmaceuticals, benzoic acid, its substituted species, different aromatic carboxylic acids, cholic acids, unsaturated and saturated fatty acids, aliphatic dicarboxylic acids, as well as synthetic pollutants of various origins (2,4-di-tert-butylphenol, different phthalates). Standard compounds were added to 500 mL effluent wastewater samples, at three concentrations (1–5 μg/L, 5–10 μg/L and 10–20 μg/L). Recoveries, using the Waters Oasis cartridges performing extractions at pH 2, pH 4 and pH 7 proved to be the optimum at pH 4 (average recoveries (94.5%), except for cholesterol (10%), paracetamol (18%) and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (25%). Carbamazepine could be recovered at pH 7, only. Responses, obtained with derivatized standards proved to be linear in the range of 4–80 μg/L levels. Limit of quantitation values varied between 0.92 ng/L (4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid) and 600 ng/L (dehydrocholic acid) concentrations. One of the most important messages of this work is the confirmation of the origin of blank values. It was shown that contaminants, mainly 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol, different phthalates and fatty acids, are sourced both from the reagents and mainly from the SPE procedure, independent on the cartridge applied. Reproducibilities, characterized with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of measurements, varied between 0.71% and 10%, with an average of 4.38% RSD. The practical utility of the method was shown by the identification and quantification of the pollutant contents of Hungarian influent and effluent wastewaters (for six consecutive months and that of the Danube River for 2 months).     

Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry in soils from Southeastern Romania

Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was used for the determination of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface soils from seventeen areas in Southeast Romania, including sites placed in the vicinity of Galati iron and steel plant and Lower Prut Meadow natural reserve in Galati County. The total concentration of PAHs (TPAHs) in the investigated soils ranges from 0.003 mg/kg to 38.524 mg/kg dry weight. According to Romanian legislation for trace organic compounds in soils of different uses, the amounts of PAHs in soils from the industrial zone exceed the normal values for the majority of individual PAHs. The lowest concentrations were found in soils sampled from the protected area of Lower Prut Meadow natural reserve and the highest near a zootechnique farm in the Prut River basin, where the alert levels exceeded for the less sensitive area in the case of TPAHs and benzo[b]fluoranthene and for the sensitive area in the case of chrysene, benz[a]anthracene, benzo[k]fluoranthene and benzo[g,h,i]perylene. The sources of PAH contaminating soils are complex, being of both pyrogenic and petrogenic origins.     

Determination of fecal sterols by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry with solid-phase extraction and injection-port derivatization

Injection-port derivatization combined with solid-phase extraction (SPE) was developed and applied for the first time to determine five types of fecal sterols (coprostanol, cholestanol, epicholestanol, epicoprostanol and cholesterol) with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). In this method, silylation of fecal sterols was performed with N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) at GC injection-port. The factors influential to this technique such as injection-port temperature, purge-off time, derivatization reagent (BSTFA) volume, and the type of organic solvent were investigated. In addition, the conditions of SPE (including the type of SPE cartridge, the type of elution organic solvent) were also studied. After SPE followed by injection-port silylation by GC–MS, good linearity of analytes was achieved in the range of 0.02–10 ng/mL with coefficients of determination, R² > 0.995. Good reproducibility was obtained with relative standard deviation less than 19.6%. The limits of detection ranged from 1.3 ng/mL to 15 ng/mL (S/N = 3) in environmental water samples. Compared with traditional off-line silylation of fecal sterols performed with water bath (60 °C, 30 min), this injection-port silylation method is much simpler and convenient. The developed method has been successfully applied for the analysis of fecal sterols from real environmental water samples.     

Determination of aliphatic amines by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry after in-syringe derivatization with pentafluorobenzoyl chloride

A simple and highly sensitive gas chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of low molecular weight short-chain aliphatic amines (SCAAs) after their simultaneous extraction and in-syringe derivatization with pentafluorobenzoyl chloride (PFBOC). Derivatization of the low molecular weight aliphatic amines in bicarbonate buffer of pH 10.5 with PFBOC was followed by immersed solvent microextraction. Derivatization conditions, including reagent concentration, reaction pH, ionic concentration of buffer, reaction time, stirring rate, reaction temperature and extraction solvent, have been investigated for method optimization. Linearity was studied within range of 0.15 pg ml⁻¹–50 ng ml⁻¹. The correlation coefficients were between 0.9934 and 0.9999. Detection limit of derivatized amines proved to be in the range of 0.117–1.527 pg ml⁻¹, and the intraday and interday relative standard deviation (RSD) values were less than 8% with respect to peak area. The method was applied for analysis of lake, river and industrial waste water. The recoveries of extraction from lake, river and industrial waste water samples, which have been spiked with different levels of aliphatic amines, were in the range of 68–99%, 63–102% and 62–105%, respectively.     

Study of the microbiodegradation of terpenoid resin-based varnishes from easel painting using pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

The alterations produced by microbiological attack on terpenoid resin-based varnishes from panel and canvas paintings have been evaluated using pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py–GC–MS) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The proposed methods include the on-line derivatisation of drying oils and diterpenoid resins using hexamethyldisilazane during pyrolysis and the application of methyl chloroformate as a derivatisation reagent for triterpenoid resins in GC–MS. Two types of specimens, consisting of model oil medium prepared from linseed oil and model spirit varnishes prepared from colophony and mastic resins dissolved in turpentine, have been used as reference materials. For a series of specimens upon which different genera of bacteria and fungi were inoculated and encouraged to grow, analyses indicated that no mechanisms that commonly occur during the attack of enzymes on drying oils and terpenoid biodegraders were observed to occur in the oil medium and varnishes studied. Thus, the degradation pathways observed in the performed trials usually occur as consequence of natural ageing. Specific trials consisting of the application of biocides to uninoculated colophony varnish resulted in the identification of processes that produce undesirable degradation of the varnish due to interactions between the biocide and the varnish components. Finally, the studied biocides—Biotin, New-Des and Nipagine—generally exhibited good inhibiting effects on the microorganisms studied, although some interesting differences were found between them regarding the application method and type of biocide.     

Identification of polyethanolamines by chromatography–mass spectrometry

Presumable structures of polyethanolamines, synthesized by the catalytic β-hydroxyethylation of ammonia with an excess of ethylene oxide are determined by gas chromatography–electron ionization mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry qualitatively, following fragmentation ways and also taking into account retention data. The preferable paths of consecutive reactions of the synthesis of polyethanolamines in a homologous series of isomers are found.     

Liquid chromatography/isotope ratio mass spectrometry measurement of δ13C of amino acids in plant proteins

In archaeological studies, the isotopic enrichment values of carbon and nitrogen in bone collagen give a degree of information on dietary composition. The isotopic enrichments of individual amino acids from bone collagen and dietary protein have the potential to provide more precise information about the components of diet. A limited amount of work has been done on this, although the reliability of these studies is potentially limited by fractionation arising through hydrolysis of whole plant tissue (where reaction between amino acids and carbohydrates may occur) and, for certain amino acids, the use of derivatives (particularly trifluoroacetyl derivatives) for gas chromatography/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/IRMS) analysis. The present study takes the approach of extracting the protein components of plant tissues before hydrolysis and using liquid chromatography/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (LC/IRMS), which does not require derivatisation, for measurement of the isotopic enrichment of the amino acids. The protocol developed offers a methodology for consistent measurement of the δ(13)C values of amino acids, allowing isotopic differences between the individual amino acids from different plant tissues to be identified. In particular, there are highly significant differences between leaf and seed protein amino acids (leaf minus grain) in the cases of threonine (-4.1‰), aspartic acid (+3.5‰) and serine (-3.2‰). In addition to its intended application in archaeology, the technique will be of value in the fields of plant sciences, nutrition and environmental food-web studies.     

Determination of amino acids in selenium-enriched yeast by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry after microwave assisted hydrolysis

A simple, rapid microwave digestion procedure for protein hydrolysis preceding the determination of amino acids in yeast using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) is described. Protein hydrolysis was performed in a focused microwave using 4 M methanesulfonic acid (MAS). Amino acids were derivatized with methyl chlorofomate (MCF) and extracted into chloroform prior to GC–MS analysis. The microwave parameters, including power, temperature and heating time, were optimized. It was found that temperature and heating time were the most influential factors. A total of 17 amino acids were determined in selenium-enriched yeast with use of standard addition calibration. Limits of detection and quantitation (LODs/LOQs) of the amino acids measured were in the sub-nmol range, suitable for monitoring of amino acids in yeast and other food products.     

Determination of synthetic musk compounds in indoor house dust by gas chromatography–ion trap mass spectrometry

A new method for the simultaneous determination of 11 synthetic musks and one fragrance compound in house dust was developed. The nitro musks included musk ketone (MK, 4-tert-butyl-3,5-dinitro-2,6-dimethylacetophenone), musk xylene (MX, 1-tert-butyl-3,5-dimethyl-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene), musk ambrette (1-tert-butyl-2-methoxy-4-methyl-3,5-dinitrobenzene) and musk moskene (1,1,3,3,5-pentamethyl-4,6-dinitroindane). The polycyclic musk compounds were 1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethylcyclopenta-(γ)-2-benzopyran (HHCB), 7-acetyl-1,1,3,4,4,6-hexamethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene (AHTN), 4-acetyl-1,1-dimethyl-6-tert-butylindane, 6-acetyl-1,1,2,3,3,5-hexamethylindane, 5-acetyl-1,1,2,6-tetramethyl-3-isopropylindane, 6,7-dihydro-1,1,2,3,3-pentamethyl-4(5H)-indanon. The one macrocyclic musk was 1,4-dioxacycloheptadecane-5,17-dione. The bicyclic hydrocarbon fragrance compound (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-octahydro-2,3,8,8-tetramethylnaphthalen-2yl)ethan-1-one (OTNE) and HHCB-lactone (4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethyl-1H,3H,4H,6H,7H, 8H-indeno[5,6-c]pyran-1-one), a degradation product of HHCB, were also analysed. NIST SRM 2781 (domestic sludge) and SRM 2585 (organic contaminants in house dust) were analysed for these target compounds. The method was applied for the analysis of 49 paired samples collected using two vacuum sampling methods: a sample of fresh or "active" dust (FD) collected using a Pullman-Holt vacuum sampler, and a household dust (HD) sample taken from the participants' vacuum cleaners. Method detection limits and recoveries ranged from 12 to 48?ng/g and 54 to 117?%, respectively. AHTN, HHCB, OTNE and HHCB-lactone were detected in all samples, with median concentrations of 552, 676, 252 and 453?ng/g for FD samples, respectively; and 405, 992, 212 and 492?ng/g for HD samples, respectively. MX and MK were detected with high frequencies but with much lower concentrations. The two sampling methods produced comparable results for the target analytes. Widely scattered concentration levels were observed for target analytes from this set of 49 house dust samples, suggesting a wide variability in Canadian household exposure to synthetic musks.