Analysis of Chlormequat residues in grain using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)

A fast, sensitive and specific method for routine determination of residues from Chlormequat (CAS no. 7003-89-6) is described. The method is based on a simple clean-up using an SPE-C₁₈ cartridge, high-performance liquid chromatography on a standard C₁₈ column (Spherisorb S5 ODS1) and specific detection and quantification by electrospray mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). ¹³C-Chlormequat was synthesised for use as internal standard. Samples were extracted with methanol – water – acetic acid. Internal standard and ammonium acetate were added before C₁₈-cartridge clean up and residues eluted with methanol – water – acetic acid, containing 50 mM ammonium acetate. Chromatographic separation was achieved using a solvent composed of acetonitrile – methanol – water – acetic acid (53:21:25:1 by volume), containing 50 mM ammonium acetate. Electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry was employed using m/z 58 (daughter ion of the Chlormequat quaternary ammonium ion, m/z 122) and m/z 61 (daughter ion of the ¹³C-Chlormequat quaternary ammonium ion, m/z 125) for quantification. The LC analysis time was 15 min and the limit of detection of the analytical method was 9 μg/kg. The performance of the method was demonstrated analysing grain material from an inter-comparison study. In Denmark the primary use of Chlormequat chloride (CCC, cycocel, or chlorocholin chloride, CAS no. 999-81-5) is for winter cereals and 11 such winter wheat samples from the Danish National Pesticide Survey were analysed. Residue contents were from below 0.01 up to 0.45 mg/kg, and thus below the EU maximum residue level of 2.0 mg/kg for wheat.     

LC-ESI-MS Method for the Determination of Mizolastine in Human Plasma

A sensitive and rapid liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) method has been developed and validated for the determination of mizolastine in human plasma using dipyridamole as the internal standard (I.S.). Plasma samples were simply pretreated with methanol for deproteinization. Chromatographic separation was performed on an Agilent Zorbax C₁₈ column with a mobile phase of 10 mM ammonium acetate buffer containing 0.1% formic acid–methanol (20:80, v/v) at a flow rate of 1 mL min⁻¹. The electrospray ionization (ESI) interface was employed in a single quadrupole mass spectrometer. The analytes were protonated in the positive ESI interface and detected in single ion monitoring (SIM) mode. Chromatographic separation was achieved in less than 3.5 min. The linearity was established over the range of 0.5–600 ng mL⁻¹. The lower limited of quantification (LLOQ) of the method was 0.5 ng mL⁻¹. The intra- and inter-run standard deviations were both less than 11.2%. The method was applied to study the pharmacokinetics of the mizolastine sustained-release tablets in healthy volunteers.     

Determination of 6-Benzyladenine in Bean Sprout by LC–ESI-IT-MS–MS

A rapid and sensitive method has been developed and validated to determine 6-benzyladenine (6-BA) residues in bean sprout using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization ion trap tandem mass spectrometry. Liquid–liquid extraction, using acidified methanol, was used to isolate 6-BA from the sample matrix. The separation was carried out on a Zorbax SB C₁₈ column (150 mm × 4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm) with 0.1% acetic acid/methanol (25:75 v/v) as mobile phase in isocratic mode. The quantitation of 6-BA was based on fragmentation of the molecular ion at m/z 226.1 to a product ion at m/z 91.1. In addition, the recoveries of three extraction solvents by ultrasound extraction and conventional extraction method were compared, and it was found that acidified methanol as the extraction solvent was the best. The calibration curve was linear (r ² > 0.997) in the concentration range of 0.04–10.0 ng mL⁻¹ with a lower limit of quantification of 0.5 ng g⁻¹ for 6-BA in bean sprout. Intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 7.1 and 9.8%. Recoveries of 6-BA were between 85.0 and 88.5%. This assay has been successfully applied to the determination of trace 6-BA residues in bean sprout and monitoring the market in Ningbo, China.     

Development and Validation of LC–MS Method for the Determination of Hydroxyzine Hydrochloride in Human Plasma and Subsequent Application in a Bioequivalence Study

A rapid, simple and specific liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry method has been developed and validated for the determination of hydroxyzine hydrochloride in human plasma. Samples were separated using a Thermo Hypersil-HyPURITYC18 reversed-phase column (150 mm × 2.1 mm i.d., 5 μm). The mobile phase consisted of 50 mM ammonium acetate (pH 4.0)–methanol–acetonitrile (45:36:19, v/v). Hydroxyzine and its internal standard were measured by electrospray ion source in positive selective ion monitoring mode. The method was validated with a linear range of 1.56–200.0 ng mL⁻¹ and the lowest limit of quantification was 1.56 ng mL⁻¹ for hydroxyzine hydrochloride (r ²= 0.9991). The extraction efficiencies were about 70% and recoveries of the method were in the range of 93.5–104.4%. The intra-day relative standard deviation (RSD) was less than 8.0% and inter-day RSD was within 7.4%. QC samples were stable when kept at ambient temperature for 12 h at −20 °C for 30 days and after four freeze–thaw cycles. The method has been successfully applied to the evaluation of pharmacokinetics and bioequivalence of two hydroxyzine hydrochloride formulations in 12 healthy Chinese volunteers after an oral dose of 25 mg.     

Formation of cation–radical anion pairs derived from carboxybenzophenone–tetrabutylammonium salts. Pulse radiolysis studies

Pulse radiolysis of acetonitrile solutions of tetra-n-butyl ammonium salts of 2- and 4-carboxybenzophenones [BP-COO⁻···N⁺(C₄H₉)₄] were performed in order to generate directly the reduced forms of the benzophenone moieties within pre-formed ion pairs. In earlier studies on photochemical electron transfer reactions, ion pairs containing a tetraalkyl ammonium cation and a benzophenone radical anion were formed in an electron transfer to the triplet BP from a quencher consisting of a tetraalkyl ammonium salt of (phenylthio)acetic acid. In the current work, the [BP^•−COO⁻···N⁺(C₄H₉)₄] ion pairs were formed by direct reduction of the salts without the complication of a third moiety, i.e., the (phenylthio)acetic anion. The spectra and kinetic parameters of the radiolytically-reduced salts were compared to the behavior of reduced forms of the 2- and 4-COOH substituted benzophenones. The results from the pulse radiolysis and photochemistry were compared and explained in terms of the different structures of the ion pairs.     

Determinations of geniposide using LC/MS/MS methods via forming ammonium and acetate adducts

In this paper, we report method development work to determine geniposide using LC/MS/MS via the formation of positive and negative ion adducts. Geniposide, which has been recognized to have choleretic effects, is the major iridoid glycoside component of Gardenia herbs. To enhance the sensitivity of LC/MS detection of geniposide, a small amount of volatile additives such as ammonium acetate and acetic acid are added into mobile phase solvents to form positive and negative adducts, which can then ionize via electrospray processes. The formation of positive adducts is due to the complexation between geniposide and ammonium ions ([M + NH₄]⁺). The formation of anionic adducts [M + CH₃COO]⁻ is believed to occur via hydrogen bonds bridging acetate ions and glucose groups on the geniposide molecule. Mobile phase solvents containing acetonitrile and aqueous solution (0.2 mM ammonium acetate or 0.1% acetic acid) at the ratio 15: 85 are employed to elute geniposide using C8 reverse phase liquid chromatography columns with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry determinations. Using geniposide standards, the methods are validated at the concentration ranges of 5 to 1000 ng/mL and 20 to 5000 ng/mL using ammonium and acetate adducts respectively. The correlation coefficients of the standard curves are 0.9999 using both ammonium and acetate adducts. The detection limits of using ammonium and acetate adducts are 1 and 5 ng/mL respectively. The measurement accuracy and precision of using ammonium adducts are within 12% and 3% respectively, whereas the accuracy and precision are within 6 and 11% respectively using acetate adducts. When the validated calibration curves of the ammonium adduct of geniposide are used to determine spiked control samples in rat blood dialysates, the determination errors of accuracy and precision are within 12% and 10% respectively.     

In-line solid-phase extraction–capillary electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry for determination of drugs of abuse in human urine

In-line solid-phase extraction–capillary electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometric detection (SPE–CE–MS) has been used for determination of 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine (EDDP), codeine (COD), hydrocodeine (HCOD), and 6-acetylmorphine (6AM) in urine. The preconcentration system consists of a small capillary filled with Oasis HLB sorbent and inserted into the inlet section of the electrophoresis capillary. The SPE–CE–MS experimental conditions were optimized as follows: the sample (adjusted to pH 6.0) was loaded at 930 mbar for 60 min, elution was performed with methanol at 50 mbar for 35 s, 60 mmol L⁻¹ ammonium acetate at pH 3.8 was used as running buffer, the separation voltage was 30 kV, and the sheath liquid at a flow rate of 5.0 μL min⁻¹ was isopropanol–water 50:50 (v/v) containing 0.5% acetic acid. Analysis of urine samples spiked with the four drugs and diluted 1:1 (v/v) was studied in the linear range 0.08–10 ng mL⁻¹. Detection limits (LODs) (S/N = 3) were between 0.013 and 0.210 ng mL⁻¹. Repeatability (expressed as relative standard deviation) was below 7.2%. The method developed enables simple and effective determination of these drugs of abuse in urine samples at the levels encountered in toxicology and doping.     

A study of HPLC separation and spectrophotometric and voltammetric detection of 4′-substituted derivatives of 3-carboxy-4-hydroxy-6-acetylaminoazobenzene

 Optimised conditions have been found for the separation of 3-carboxy-4-hydroxy-6-acetylaminoazo-benzene derivatives substituted in the position 4′ (4′-R-CHAAB, where R=–H, –CH₃, –OCH₃, –Cl, –COCH₃, –NO₂ and –NHCOCH₃) using reversed phase HPLC with a C18 chemically bonded stationary phase. Suitable mobile phases are mixtures of 0.01 mol/L NaH₂PO₄ at pH 4 with methanol (1+1), 0.01 mol/L NaH₂PO₄ at pH 2 with acetonitrile (1+1) or 1% aqueous acetic acid with methanol (4+6). UV photometry is the most universal detection technique and yields limits of detection around 10^-6 mol/L. Direct anodic voltammetry on a glassy carbon fibre array detector yields lower limits of detection for –COCH₃ derivatives and higher limits of detection for –NO₂ and –NHCOCH₃ derivatives. When the analytes are chemically reduced using zinc powder in acetic acid, the voltammetric detection has limits of detection one order of magnitude lower than those obtained UV photometrically. Received: 27 June 1996/Revised: 25 October 1996/Accepted: 3 November 1996     

Quantification of total and free concentrations of R- and S-warfarin in human plasma by ultrafiltration and LC-MS/MS

A sensitive LC-MS/MS assay for quantification of total and free concentrations of R- and S-warfarin in plasma was required to support clinical studies on warfarin enantiomers. Several ultrafiltration devices were evaluated for separation of free warfarin from plasma proteins. The highest precision and lowest non-specific binding was obtained for Centrifree ultrafiltration devices. R- and S-warfarin were extracted from plasma (total) and ultrafiltrate (free) by liquid–liquid extraction with methyl tert-butyl ether using d₆-warfarin as internal standard. Mean extraction recovery was 68 ± 4%. The enantiomers were separated on a Chirobiotic V column with isocratic elution using 40% methanol and 0.03% acetic acid in water. Negative mode electrospray ionisation was used for MS/MS detection, monitoring the ion transition m/z 307/161. Calibration curves (quadratic, weighted 1/x) were fitted over the range of 20–2,000 ng/ml (r ² ≥ 0.995) in plasma and 0.5–20 ng/ml (r ² ≥ 0.998) in ultrafiltrate. The lower limit of quantification for R- and S-warfarin was 0.5 ng/ml in ultrafiltrate. Intra- and interday precision (% RSD) and bias were within 10% in all cases, and matrix effects were negligible. The assay was applied successfully to analysis of samples from clinical studies.     

An LC–MS/MS assay for the quantitative determination of 2‐pyridyl acetic acid,a major metabolite and key surrogate for betahistine,using low‐volume human K2EDTA plasma

Betahistine is widely used for the treatment of vertigo. Owing to first‐pass metabolism, 2‐pyridyl acetic acid (2PAA, major metabolite of betahistine) was considered as surrogate for quantitation. A specific and sensitive LC–MS/MS method was developed and validated for quantitation of 2PAA using turbo‐ion spray in a positive ion mode. A solid‐phase extraction was employed for the extraction of 2PAA and 2PAA d₆ (IS) from human plasma. Chromatographic separation of analytes was achieved using an ACE CN, 5 μm (50 × 4.6 mm) column with a gradient mobile phase comprising acetonitrile–methanol (90:10% v /v) and 0.7% v/v formic acid in 0.5 mm ammonium trifluoroacetate in purified water (100% v/v). The retention times of 1.15 and 1.17 min for 2PAA and internal standard, respectively, were achieved. Quantitation of 2PAA and internal standard was achieved by monitoring multiple reaction monitoring transition pairs (m /z 138.1 to m /z 92.0 and m /z 142.1 to m /z 96.1, respectively). The developed method was validated for various parameters. The calibration curves of 2PAA showed linearity from 5.0 to 1500 ng/mL, with a lower limit of quantitation of 5.0 ng/mL. The bias and precision for inter‐ and intra‐batch assays were <10%. The developed method was used to support clinical sample analysis.     

Analysis of O-glucuronide conjugates in urine by electrospray ion trap mass spectrometry

The application of electrospray ionization (ESI) ion trap mass spectrometry in the characterization of O-glucuronide conjugates of some drugs in urine is described. The conjugated metabolites formed in rabbit and human were separated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and characterized by multi-stage mass spectrometry (MSⁿ) experiments in negative ion mode. The ESI mass spectra showed a deprotonated molecule [M–H]^–, which was chosen as precursor ion. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) of [M–H]^– in MSⁿ experiments resulted in the appearance of glucuronate ‘fingerprint’ ions at m/z 175 and 113 as well as prominent aglycone ions which were the same as those produced from authentic specimens. This information can be used to identify this type of compound directly without the need for derivatization or hydrolysis of enzymes, providing a rapid and specific method for guiding the isolation and characterization of similar compounds in complex matrices with LC/MS. Received: 25 January 1999 / Revised: 19 April 1999 / Accepted: 13 May 1999     

Rapid Liquid Chromatographic – Tandem Mass Spectrometric Method for the Quantification of Pentoxifylline in Human Plasma

A simple, rapid, sensitive and selective liquid chromatography / tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the quantification of pentoxifylline, a haemorheological agent. The analyte and internal standard, tamsulosin were extracted by liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate and were separated using an isocratic mobile phase on a reverse phase C₁₈ column. The analytes were analyzed by mass spectrometry in the multiple reaction monitoring mode using the respective [M+H]⁺ ions, m/z 279/138 for pentoxifylline and m/z 409/228 for the IS. The assay exhibited a linear dynamic range of 2–1000 ng mL⁻¹ for pentoxifylline in human plasma. The lower limit of quantification was 2 ng mL⁻¹ with a relative standard deviation of less than 10%. Acceptable precision and accuracy were obtained for concentrations over the standard curve range. A run time of 1.5 min for each sample made it possible to analyze more than 400 human plasma samples per day. The validated method has been successfully used to analyze human plasma samples for application in pharmacokinetic, bioavailability or bioequivalence studies. Revised: 4 and 20 October 2005     

Über Chrom(II)-carboxylate und Halogenochromate(II)

Highly pure chromium(II) acetate, was obtained from chromium powder and anhydrous acetic acid in the presence of a small amount of acetylhalide. Cr^II acetate reacts with acetyl halide in anhydrous acetic acid to sesquisolvates like CrCl₂ · 3/2 CH₃COOH. If one equivalent of alkali acetate or an organic nitrogen base is added to solutions of Cr^II acetate in acetyl halide/acetic acid mixtures, trihalochromates(II) are precipitated which are hexagonal in structure, except the ammonium and the potassium salt. With two equivalents of alkali or ammonium acetate tetrachlorochromates(II) of cesium, rubidium and ammonium are precipitated. They are tetragonal in structure (K₂NiF₄ type). Using pyridinium acetate with various mixtures of acetyl bromide and acetic acid, only the solvates (PyH)₃(CrBr₅) · 2CH₃COOH is formed.     

Stability Indicating HPTLC and LC Determination of Dasatinib in Pharmaceutical Dosage Form

Two sensitive and reproducible methods are described for the quantitative determination of dasatinib in the presence of its degradation products. The first method was based on high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) followed by densitometric measurements of their spots at 280 nm. The separation was on HPTLC aluminium sheets of silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ using toluene:chloroform (7.0:3.0, v/v). This system was found to give compact spots for dasatinib after development (R _F value of 0.23 ± 0.02). The second method was based on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of the drug from its degradation products on reversed phase, PerfectSil column [C₁₈ (5 μm, 25 cm × 4.6 mm, i.d.)] at ambient temperature using mobile phase consisting of methanol:20 mM ammonium acetate with acetic acid (45:55, v/v) pH 3.0 and retention time (t _R = 8.23 ± 0.02 min). Both separation methods were validated as per the ICH guidelines. No chromatographic interference from the tablet excipients was found. Dasatinib was subjected to acid–alkali hydrolysis, oxidation, dry heat, wet heat and photo-degradation. The drug was susceptible to acid–alkali hydrolysis and oxidation. The drug was found to be stable in neutral, wet heat, dry heat and photo-degradation conditions. As the proposed analytical methods could effectively separate the drug from its degradation products, they can be employed as stability indicating.     

Simultaneous LC–MS Quantification of 15 Lignans in Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. Fruit

For the first time a simple, rapid, and specific liquid chromatographic–mass spectrometric (LC–MS) method for simultaneous quantification of 15 lignans from Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. fruit has been developed and fully validated. Samples were ultrasonically extracted with methanol. Chromatographic separation was performed on a C₁₈ column with methanol–0.1% aqueous acetic acid 72:28 (v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.8 mL min⁻¹; the run time was 40 min. The analytes were monitored by selected ion monitoring (SIM) with electrospray ionization (ESI). Fifteen regression equations revealed good linear relationships (r ² > 0.99) between peak area and concentration. Within-batch and between-batch precision of the method for the 15 lignans was <9.5% and accuracy was 93.1–107.5%. The validated method was successfully used to determine the 15 compounds in the fruits of Schisandra chinensis procured from different regions of China. The results indicated the method could be used for quality control of Schisandra chinensis fruit and might also useful for further studies of lignans.     

Comparison of enantioseparation of amino acid derivatives in aqueous and mixed aqueous-organic media by capillary zone electrophoresis

The chiral separation of dansyl-amino acids has been performed by capillary zone electrophoresis using ?β-cyclodextrin as a chiral selector, urea as an additive and 2-propanol and methanol as organic modifiers. The enantiomeric separations of dansyl-amino acids were investigated in aqueous medium and compared with the separation in mixed aqueous-organic medium as background electrolytes. The separation conditions, (concentration of buffer, β-cyclodextrin, methanol, urea and the pH value of buffer) were optimized. In the absence of organic modifier, only five pairs of 8 separated dansyl-amino acids were resolved when run separately. A mixture of up to eight chiral amino acids can be baseline resolved in less than 19 min by β-cyclodextrin-modified capillary zone electrophoresis with a buffer of 60 mmol L^–1 H₃BO₃-KCl/40 mmol L^–1 NaOH (pH 9.0), 4 mol L^–1 urea, 100 mmol L^–1β-cyclodextrin and 10% (v/v) methanol. Received: 15 March 1999 / Revised: 10 May 1999 / Accepted: 12 May 1999     

Effects of buffer loading for electrospray ionization mass spectrometry of a noncovalent protein complex that requires high concentrations of essential salts

Electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry (MS) is a powerful method for analyzing the active forms of macromolecular complexes of biomolecules. However, these solutions often contain high concentrations of salts and/or detergents that adversely effect ESI performance by making ion formation less reproducible, causing severe adduction or ion suppression. Many methods for separating complexes from nonvolatile additives are routinely used with ESI-MS, but these methods may not be appropriate for complexes that require such stabilizers for activity. Here, the effects of buffer loading using concentrations of ammonium acetate ranging from 0.22 to 1.41 M on the ESI mass spectra of a solution containing a domain truncation mutant of a σ⁵⁴ activator from Aquifex aeolicus were studied. This 44.9 kDa protein requires the presence of millimolar concentrations of Mg₂₊, BeF₃⁻, and ADP, (at ∼60 °C) to assemble into an active homo-hexamer. Addition of ammonium acetate can improve signal stability and reproducibility, and can significantly lower adduction and background signals. However, at higher concentrations, the relative ion abundance of the hexamer is diminished, while that of the constituent monomer is enhanced. These results are consistent with loss of enzymatic activity as measured by ATP hydrolysis and indicate that the high concentration of ammonium acetate interferes with assembly of the hexamer. This shows that buffer loading with ammonium acetate is effective for obtaining ESI signal for complexes that require high concentrations of essential salts, but can interfere with formation of, and/or destabilize complexes by disrupting crucial electrostatic interactions at high concentration.     

Simultaneous Determination of Tramadol and Acetaminophen in Human Plasma by LC–ESI–MS

This study presents a high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–mass spectrometric (LC–ESI–MS) method for the simultaneous determination of tramadol and acetaminophen in human plasma using phenacetinum as the internal standard. After alkalization with saturated sodium bicarbonate, both compounds were extracted from human plasma with ethyl acetate and were separated by HPLC on a Hanbon LiChrospher CN column with a mobile phase of 10 mM ammonium acetate buffer containing 0.5% formic acid–methanol (40:60, v/v) at a flow rate of 1 mL min⁻¹. Analytes were determined using electrospray ionization in a single quadrupole mass spectrometer. LC–ESI–MS was performed in the positive selected-ion monitoring (SIM) mode using target ions at [M+H]⁺ m/z 264.3 for tramadol, [M+H]⁺ m/z 152.2 for acetaminophen and [M+H]⁺ m/z 180.2 for phenacetinum. Calibration curves were linear over the range of 5–600 ng mL⁻¹ for tramadol and 0.03–16 μg mL⁻¹ for acetaminophen. The inter-run relative standard deviations were less than 14.4% for tramadol and 12.3% for acetaminophen. The intra-run relative standard deviations were less than 9.3% for tramadol and 7.9% for acetaminophen. The mean plasma extraction recovery for tramadol and acetaminophen were in the ranges of 82.7–85.9 and 83.6–85.3%. The method was applied to study the pharmacokinetics of a new formulation of tramadol/acetaminophen tablet in healthy Chinese volunteers.     

On the origin of some controversial ions (m/z 59, 60, 77, and 119) in the thermospray reagent plasma from ammonium acetate

The origin of ions at m/z 60, 77, and 119 in the thermospray (TSP) reagent plasma is reconsidered. It is demonstrated that these major ions in the TSP spectrum of ammonium acetate are not due to dehydration processes in the gas or liquid phase, as is generally accepted, but to the preexistence of acetamide as an impurity in the commercial salts. Acetamide, characterized by TSP/tandem mass spectrometry, gas chromatography-electron impact ionization mass spectrometry, ¹H-NMR, and ¹³C-NMR, is responsible for the [M +60]⁺ and [M + 77]⁺ adducts observed in some spectra. The buffer ion at m/z 59 is also due to impurities in the ammonium acetate salts. Washing the solid salt with chloroform eliminates most of these impurities. Examples using the pesticides linuron, monuron, and carbaryl show that the ions observed at m/z M_r + 60 and M_r + 59 disappear when a buffer obtained from acetic acid and ammonia is used instead of the commercial salts.     

Determination of the fragmentation mechanisms of organophosphorus ions by H2O and D2O atmospheric-pressure ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Dimethylmethyl phosphonate (DMMP), dimethyl phosphite (DMPI), trimethyl phosphite (TMPI) and trimethyl phosphate (TMP) were investigated using H₂O and D₂O atmospheric-pressure ionization (API) tandem mass Spectrometry. All daughter ions could be explained by losses of one or a successive number of stable molecules as opposed to losses of radicals such as the hydride, methyl and methoxy species. Losses of neutral methanol and dimethyl ether and of protonated methanol and formaldehyde ions from all four organophosphorus pseudo-molecular ions were observed. The DMMP and DMPI MH⁺ pseudomolecular ions produced the losses of neutral C₂H₆ and water, respectively. Formaldehyde loss was not observed for the MH⁺ ions, but it was well represented in the decomposition pathways of daughter ions. The D₂O reagent gas highlighted the role of the ionizing proton/ deuteron in the various daughter ions, including m/z 95, 79, 65, 49, 33, 31 and 47. The last ion was found to be isobaric in that m/z 47 and 48 both appeared with similar abundances in the D₂O-API daughter ion mass spectra of TMPI and TMP.