Sensitive detection of drug vapors using an ion funnel interface for secondary electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

In this study, we use an ion funnel (IF) at ambient pressure to enhance the sensitivity of secondary electrospray ionization (SESI). Atenolol, salbutamol and cocaine as test compounds are delivered to the SESI interface in the gas phase and are charged with three nano electrosprays. In our experiments, we show that the compounds can be detected at concentrations in the low pptv range, which is an increase of two orders of magnitude compared with the results without the IF. With a standard SESI interface, the compounds could not be detected at all. With the use of the SESI IF interface for the headspace analysis of bananas and limes, we can detect many more compounds and at higher intensities than with a standard SESI interface. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characterization of polymeric surfaces and interfaces using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is used for chemical analysis of surfaces. ToF-SIMS is a powerful tool for polymer science because it detects a broad mass range with good mass resolution, thereby distinguishing between polymers that have similar elemental compositions and/or the same types of functional groups. Chemical labeling techniques that enhance contrast, such as deuterating or staining one constituent, are generally unnecessary. ToF-SIMS can generate both two-dimensional images and three-dimensional depth profiles, where each pixel in an image is associated with a complete mass spectrum. This Review begins by introducing the principles of ToF-SIMS measurements, including instrumentation, modes of operation, strategies for data analysis, and strengths/limitations when characterizing polymer surfaces. The sections that follow describe applications in polymer science that benefit from characterization by ToF-SIMS, including thin films and coatings, polymer blends, composites, and electronic materials. The examples selected for discussion showcase the three standard modes of operation (spectral analysis, imaging, and depth profiling) and highlight practical considerations that relate to experimental design and data processing. We conclude with brief comments about broader opportunities for ToF-SIMS in polymer science.     

基于气溶胶质谱的二次有机气溶胶识别

二次有机气溶胶(SOA)是大气气溶胶十分重要的组成部分,也是目前人们认识最为薄弱的气溶胶组分.由于有机气溶胶化学组成的复杂性,对SOA进行有效的识别和估算一直是国际气溶胶研究领域的热点和难点问题.本研究尝试使用一种新方法来定量识别深圳冬季大气中的SOA:利用气溶胶质谱仪在线观测的高时间分辨率优势和质谱中的特征碎片离子,应用正定矩阵因子解析(PMF)模型对细粒子组分的主要来源进行解析,识别出其中的二次有机物.结果表明:深圳冬季大气细粒子中SOA浓度平均为9.41±6.33μg/m3,占总有机物质量的39.9±21.8%;相比于一次有机气溶胶(POA),SOA浓度水平变化较为平缓,体现了区域性二次污染物的特征.SOA/BC比值具有鲜明的日变化规律,且与Ox(O3+NO2)的日变化规律相似,说明SOA的生成过程显著地受控于大气光化学活性.深圳冬季大气SOA生成最活跃的时段约为9～15时,期间SOA/BC比值增长了122%.本文为研究我国大气二次有机气溶胶提供了一种新的技术方法和思路.     

Comparative study of organic dyes with time-of-flight static secondary ion mass spectrometry and related techniques

A series of cationic, zwitterionic and anionic fluorinated carbocyanine dyes, spin-coated on Si substrates, were measured with time-of-flight static secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-S-SIMS) under Ga(+) primary ion bombardment. Detailed fragmentation patterns were developed for all dyes measured. In the positive mode, the resulting spectra showed very intense signals for the precursor ions of the cationic dyes, whereas the protonated signals of the anionic dyes were hardly detected. Differences of three orders of magnitude were repeatedly observed for the secondary ion signal intensities of cationic and anionic dyes, respectively. All measured dyes yielded mass spectra containing several characteristic fragment ions. Although the secondary ion yields were still higher for the cationic than the anionic dye fragments, the difference was reduced to a factor of < or =10. This result and the fact that M(+), [M + H](+) or [M + 2H](+) are even-electron species make it very likely that the recorded fragments were not formed directly out of the (protonated) parent ions M(+), [M + H](+) or [M + 2H](+). In the negative mode, none of the recorded spectra contained molecular information. Only signals originating from some characteristic elements of the molecules (F, Cl), the anionic counter ion signal and some low-mass organic ions were detected. A comparative study was made between TOF-S-SIMS, using Ga(+) primary ions, and other mass spectrometric techniques, namely fast atom bombardment (FAB), electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI). The measurements showed that MALDI, ESI and FAB all give rise to spectra containing molecular ion signals. ESI and FAB produced M(+) and [M + H](+) signals, originating from the cationic and zwitterionic dyes, in the positive mode and M(-) and [M - H](-) signals of the anionic and zwitterionic dyes in the negative mode. With MALDI, molecular ion signals were measured in both modes for all the dyes. Structural fragment ions were detected for FAB, ESI and MALDI in both the positive and negative modes. Compared with the other techniques, TOF-S-SIMS induced a higher degree of fragmentation.     

High mass resolution breath analysis using secondary electrospray ionization mass spectrometry assisted by an ion funnel

In this study, we used secondary electrospray ionization mass spectrometry assisted by an ion funnel (IF) operating at ambient pressure to find compounds in the mass range of 100–500 m/z in online breath fingerprinting experiments. In low‐resolution experiments conducted on an ion trap instrument, we found that pyridine is present in breath of individuals long after drinking coffee. In high‐resolution experiments conducted on a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance, we found more than 30 compounds in the mass range of 100–500 m/z in analogous online breath experiments. More than a third of these compounds have molecular weights above 200 Daltons and have not been mentioned in previous studies. In low‐resolution experiments as well as experiments without the IF, these compounds could not be detected. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Probing interaction of melittin with lipid membranes using liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry

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Reduced matrix effects for anionic compounds with paired ion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

It is well-known that matrix effects in high performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS) can seriously compromise quantitative analysis and affect method reproducibility. Paired ion electrospray ionization (PIESI) mass spectrometry is an approach for analyzing ultra-low levels of anions in the positive ion mode. This approach uses a structurally optimized ion pairing reagent to post-column associate with the anionic analyte, subsequently forming positively charged complexes. These newly formed complex ions are often more surface-active as compared to either the native anion or the ion pairing reagent. No studies have examined whether or not the PIESI approach mitigates matrix effects. Consequently, a controlled study was done using five analytes in highly controlled and reproducible synthetic groundwater and urine matrices. In addition, two different mass spectrometers (linear ion trap and triple quadrupole) were used. Compared to the negative ion mode, the PIESI-MS approach was less susceptible to matrix effects when performed on two different MS platforms. Using PIESI-MS, less dilution of the sample is needed to eliminate ionization suppression which, in turn, permits lower limits of detection and quantitation.     

Classification of secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) micrographs to characterize chemical phases

This work demonstrates the potential of multivariate image analysis methods in the extraction of useful, problem dependent information from SIMS images. Specific algorithms have been developed to classify SIMS micrographs manually as well as automatically. A feature selection has been achieved by means of principal component analysis with a subsequent image classification.As an application example for these improved digital image processing tools chemical phases within a soldered industrial metal sample have been identified. This is of highly practical value as it was assumed that during the soldering process inhomogeneities occur along the joint site which cause a cracking of the brazed material under mechanical strain conditions.     

Static secondary ion mass spectrometry of organic plasma-deposited films created from stable isotope-labeled precursors. II. Mixtures of acetone and oxygen

A series of plasma-deposited films (PDFs), created by blending controlled ratios of acetone vapor and oxygen in the feed to the plasma reactor, were analyzed by static secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Examination of the quadrupole-based static SIMS fragmentation patterns of acetone–O₂ PDFs created from ¹³C-labeled acetone generally allowed the hydrocarbon secondary ions to be distinguished from oxygen-containing secondary ions. These results were compared with those obtained via high-mass resolution time-of-flight (TOF)-SIMS. The identified secondary ions were then assigned structural attributes, based on comparison of the static SIMS spectra of the acetone–O₂ PDFs with those of conventional hydrocarbon and oxygen-containing polymers. A preliminary investigation to unravel the mechanism of oxygen incorporation in the acetone–O₂ PDFs from the two plasma feed components was undertaken through the analysis of PDFs created from 1,2,3¹³C₃-acetone(¹⁶O) vapor and ¹⁸O₂ gas.     

Secondary ion and laser ablation mass spectrometry for the quantitative characterization of styrene-butadiene copolymers

Styrene-butadiene copolymers were analyzed by static secondary ion mass spectrometry (S-SIMS) and laser ablation Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (LA-FTICRMS) to obtain quantitative information based on specific ions. Silver deposition was performed on polystyrene, butadiene rubber and styrene-butadiene rubber. Under these experimental conditions, new secondary ions were detected, in particular silver-cationized butadiene [M(butadiene) - Ag](+) and styrene [M(styrene) - Ag](+) monomers. In contrast, LA-FTICRMS experiments did not require pretreatment. At high laser power density, UV photons (193, 266 and 355 nm) allowed the detection of styrene and butadiene monomers at m/z 104 and 54, respectively. The use of the observed ions by SIMS or LA-FTICRMS ensures that quantitative information on the relative distribution of each monomer is obtained. However, the silver coating thickness in the SIMS experiment seems to have an important influence on the quantitative information obtained. For LA-FTICRMS experiments, the best results are obtained at a wavelength of 355 nm.     

毛细管离子色谱-串联质谱法测定热纤梭杆菌发酵液中的低相对分子质量有机酸

建立了一种测定热纤梭杆菌发酵液中的低相对分子质量有机酸的毛细管离子色谱-串联质谱方法。探索优化了色谱和质谱的检测条件,在最佳分析条件下同时检测8种有机酸。离子色谱以KOH水溶液作为流动相进行梯度洗脱;用IonSwift MAX-100毛细管柱进行分离;在喷雾电压为3.0 kV、喷雾气压强为2 000 kPa、成源温度为275℃的条件下,选择离子监测(SIM)模式下运行质谱。结果表明,柠檬酸和异柠檬酸两种同分异构体能够得到很好的分离,8种有机酸在一定浓度范围内具有良好的线性关系,相对标准偏差为1.45%~5.99%,相关系数为0.9696~0.9986,平均加标回收率为89.0%~110.0%,8种有机酸的检出限为0.01~0.50 mg/L。该方法进样量少,灵敏度高,重现性好,能够满足实际样品的检测要求,可用于嗜热厌氧菌发酵液中低分子量有机酸的测定。     

Ultra-fast screening of free fatty acids in human plasma using ion mobility mass spectrometry

Free fatty acids are involved in many metabolic regulations in the human body. In this work, an ultra-fast screening method was developed for the analysis of free fatty acids using trapped ion mobility spectrometry coupled with mass spectrometry. Thirty-three free fatty acids possessing different unsaturation degrees and different carbon chain lengths were baseline separated and characterized within milliseconds. Saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated free fatty acids showed different linearities between collision cross-section values and m/z. The establishment of correlations between structures and collision cross-section values provided additional qualitative information and made it possible to determine free fatty acids which were out of the standards pool but possessed the confirmed linearity. The gas-phase separation made the quantitative analysis reliable and repeatable at a much lower time cost than chromatographic methods. The sensitivity was comparable to and even better than the reported results. The method was validated and applied to profiling free fatty acids in human plasma. Saturated free fatty acids abundance in the fasting state was found to be lower than that in the postprandial state, while unsaturated species abundance was found higher. The method was fast and robust with minimum sample pretreatment, so it was promising in the high-throughput screening of free fatty acids.     

Positive/negative liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry ofLn-EDTA (1:1) complexes. Formation of molecular ion adducts with neutral species of the matrix orLn-EDTA

Summary The mass spectra of 1:1 complexes ofEDTA with lanthanide cations (Ln=Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb or Dy) upon positive/negative LSIMS are presented. In glycerol used as a matrix, adduct-ions such as [M+H]⁺, [M+H+nGly]⁺, [2M+H]⁺, [2M+H+Gly]⁺ (positive LSIMS) or [M-H]^–, [M-H+nGly]^–, [2M-H]^–, [2M-H+Gly]^– (negative LSIMS), wheren=1–3, are formed. Reactions leading to the formation of adduct-ions are suggested.

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Positive/negative Liquid-Sekundärionen-Massenspektrometrie vonLn-EDTA-(1:1)-Komplexen. Bildung von molekularen Ionenaddukten mit neutralen Spezies aus der Matrix oderLn-EDTA

Zusammenfassung Die Massenspektren von 1:1-Komplexen vonEDTA mit Lanthanidenkationen (Ln=Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb oder Dy) mittels positiver/negativer LSIMS werden präsentiert. In Glycerin als Matrix bilden sich Adduktionen wie [M+H]⁺, [M+H+nGly]⁺, [2M+H]⁺, [2M+H+Gly]⁺ (positive LSIMS) oder [M-H]^–, [M-H+nGly]^–, [2M-H]^–, [2M-H+Gly]^– (negative LSIMS), wobein=1–3. Es werden Reaktionen vorgeschlagen, die zur Bildung von Adduktionen führen.

     

Characterization of 2-methylglyceric acid oligomers in secondary organic aerosol formed from the photooxidation of isoprene using trimethylsilylation and gas chromatography/ion trap mass spectrometry

In the present work, we have characterized in detail the chemical structures of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) components that were generated in a smog chamber and result from the photooxidation of isoprene under high-NO(x) conditions typical for a polluted atmosphere. Isoprene high-NO(x) SOA contains 2-methylglyceric acid (2-MG) and oligoester derivatives thereof. Trimethylsilylation, in combination with capillary gas chromatography (GC)/ion trap mass spectrometry (MS) and detailed interpretation of the MS data, allowed structural characterization the polar oxygenated compounds present in isoprene SOA up to 2-MG trimers. GC separation was achieved between 2-MG linear and branched dimers or trimers, as well as between the 2-MG linear dimer and isomeric mono-acetate derivatives thereof. The electron ionization (EI) spectra of the trimethylsilyl derivatives contain a wealth of structural information, including information about the molecular weight (MW), oligoester linkages, terminal carboxylic and hydroxymethyl groups, and esterification sites. Only part of this information can be achieved with a soft ionization technique such as electrospray (ESI) in combination with collision-induced dissociation (CID). The methane chemical ionization (CI) data were used to obtain supporting MW information. Interesting EI spectral differences were observed between the trimethylsilyl derivatives of 2-MG linear and branched dimers or trimers and between 2-MG linear dimer mono-acetate isomers.     

离子色谱-串联质谱法检测酒类产品中10种有机酸

建立了一种离子色谱-串联质谱(IC-MS/MS)测定白酒、黄酒、干红葡萄酒3种酒类样品中10种有机酸含量的方法。白酒样品氮吹后,经去离子水稀释,用IC-MS/MS分析检测;干红葡萄酒样品和黄酒样品,对比不同固相萃取小柱净化能力,最终选择石墨化炭黑固相萃取小柱进行净化,经去离子水稀释,用IC-MS/MS分析检测。选用高容量、强亲水性的Dionex IonPac^TM AS11-HC型阴离子分析柱进行分离,以淋洗液自动发生器在线产生的KOH水溶液为淋洗液,进行梯度淋洗。淋洗液经抑制器抑制后直接进入电喷雾电离串联质谱(ESI-MS/MS),采用负离子模式电离,多反应监测(MRM)模式检测,外标法定量。在该实验条件下:草酸、富马酸、马来酸、苹果酸、酒石酸、柠檬酸、奎尼酸和乌头酸在0.05~2 mg/L范围内线性关系良好;琥珀酸在0.05~5 mg/L范围内线性关系良好;乳酸在0.05~10 mg/L范围内线性关系良好(相关系数r²>0.99)。10种有机酸的检出限(S/N=3)在1.0~8.0 μg/L范围内,定量限(S/N=10)在3.5~26.5 μg/L范围内,在3个不同浓度的添加水平下,平均回收率在83.0%~112.1%之间,相对标准偏差≤9.1%,满足检测要求。该方法前处理简单,不使用有机溶剂,不需进行衍生化处理,测定快速、准确,灵敏度高,适用于3种酒类样品中10种有机酸的定量分析,为酒类食品的风味及品质测定提供方法支持。     

Detecting changes in arabidopsis cell wall composition using time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry

Time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) was previously used to characterize lignocellulosic materials, including woody biomass. ToF‐SIMS can acquire both rapid spectral and spatial information about a sample's surface composition. In the present study, ToF‐SIMS was used to characterize the cell walls of stem tissue from the plant model organism, Arabidopsis thaliana. Using principal component analyses, ToF‐SIMS spectra from A. thaliana wild‐type (Col‐0), cellulose mutant (irx3), and lignin mutant (fah1) stem tissues were distinguished using ToF‐SIMS peaks annotated for wood‐derived lignocellulose, where spectra from the irx3 and fah1 were characterized by comparatively low polysaccharide and syringyl lignin content, respectively. Spatial analyses using ToF‐SIMS imaging furthermore differentiated interfascicular fiber and xylem vessels based on differences in the lignin content of corresponding cell walls. These new data support the applicability of ToF‐SIMS peak annotations based on woody biomass for herbaceous plants, including model plant systems like arabidopsis. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Summary of ISO/TC 201 standard: XXII. ISO 22048:2004—Surface chemical analysis—Information format for static secondary ion mass spectrometry

This International Standard provides a digital format to store and transfer between computers, in a compact way, important calibration and instrumental parameter data necessary to make effective use of spectral data files from static SIMS instruments. This format is designed to supplement the data transfer format specified in ISO 14976. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A matrix-induced ion suppression method to normalize concentration in urinary metabolomics studies using flow injection analysis electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Normalizing the total urine concentration is important for minimizing bias in urinary metabolomics analysis comparisons. In this study, we report a matrix-induced ion suppression (MIIS)-based method to normalize concentration using flow injection analysis coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (FIA-ESI-MS). An ion suppression indicator (ISI) was spiked into urine samples, and the intensity of the extracted ion chromatogram (EIC) for ISI in a urine matrix was subtracted by the EIC for a blank solution and used to calculate the extent to which the signal was reduced by the urine matrix. A series dilution of pooled urine samples was used to correlate the urine concentration and level of ion suppression for ISI. A regression equation was used to estimate the relative concentration of unknown urine samples. The MIIS method was validated for linearity, precision and accuracy. We obtained a good correlation using a quadratic regression model for 1- to 32-fold urine dilutions (R² = 0.998). The reproducibility (n = 4) and intermediate precision (n = 3) were below 5% RSD, and the accuracy ranged from 97.15% to 102.10%. The established method was used to estimate the relative concentrations of 16 urine samples, and the results were compared with commonly used normalization methods. Pearson’s correlation test was used to demonstrate that the MIIS method correlated highly with the creatinine and osmolarity methods; the correlation coefficients were 0.93 and 0.99, respectively. We successfully applied this method to a urinary metabolomics study on breast cancer. This study demonstrated the MIIS method is simple, accurate and can contribute to data integrity in urinary metabolomics studies.     

Compensation for matrix effects in gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry using a single point standard addition

One of the major problems in quantitative analysis of pesticide residues in food samples by gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (GC–MS/MS) is the enhancement or the suppression, of the target analyte signals in matrix extracts. Potentially positive samples, which had previously been identified by a rapid screening method, were quantified using standard addition to compensate matrix effects. As example we performed a systematic study on the application of the standard addition calibration (SAC) method for the determination of 12 pesticides (acephate, bromopropylate, chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, diazinon, etrimfos, heptenophos, iprodione, methamidophos, procymidone, tetradifon, and triadimefon) in two matrices (cucumber and orange) in the range of initial concentrations of 10–200 μg kg⁻¹. The influence of some factors, such as the minimum number of standard additions used (single, two, three or four points calibration), as well as the known amount of analyte added to the sample, is evaluated in order to obtain reliable results. Accurate quantification is achieved when a single point SAC at 200 μg kg⁻¹ was used, obtaining for all the cases recoveries between 70 and 120%. The proposed analytical approach only needs two injections per sample (blank and spiked extracted sample) to determine the final concentration of pesticide in positive samples.     

Multi-parameter investigation of tandem mass spectrometry in a linear ion trap using response surface modelling

The feasibility of experimental design in combination with subsequent response surface modelling was illustrated for the prediction and interpretation of tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) fragmentation data using a linear quadrupole ion trap under various experimental conditions. The instrumental parameters included were (i) the pressure of the collision gas, (ii) the collision energy, (iii) the fill time of the linear ion trap and (iv) the scan rate. The spectral intensity and width of five fragment ions of the doubly charged neuro-active peptide bombesin were used for evaluation, and all experiments were performed so as to resemble the results obtained from a liquid chromatographic peak. The reported results show how fairly simple mathematical tools can be utilized successfully to describe fundamental mechanisms associated with multiple collisional activation and collision-induced dissociation processes without an extensively controlled experimental environment. Most beneficial, using the suggested approach, is the ability to study interaction (synergistic) effects between various parameters. As was realized from the results, many interaction effects are indeed significant. For example, the effect on the signal intensity of different collision gas pressure settings is strongly dependent on the settings of the other parameters. The described approach can easily be adopted for optimization purposes of any MS/MS experiment.