Comparison of EI and metastable atom bombardment ionization for the identification of polyurethane thermal degradation products

Polyurethanes are widely used in the manufacture of commercial products such as foams and paints. During combustion, these polymers can generate isocyanates, which induce adverse health effects. Polymer pyrolysis (Py) hyphenated with mass spectrometry (MS) allows the investigation of polymer thermal degradation over time/temperature. A diphenylmethanediisocyanate (MDI) polyurethane foam was analyzed with electron ionization (EI) and metastable atom bombardment (MAB) ionization at a pyrolysis temperature of 400 °C. The recently introduced MAB ionization source uses discrete energy stored in metastable atoms of gases to ionize the analytes. This characteristic allows modulation of the ionization energy by simply changing the ionization gas. The extensive fragmentation of molecular ions observed using EI 70 eV is not totally eliminated with EI 10 eV. However, only molecular ions are observed with MAB using N₂ as the ionization gas. Temperature gradients were used to separate the products generated during the thermal degradation of a 1,6-hexamethylenediisocyanate (HDI) polyurethane paint. The analysis of mass spectra was facilitated owing to a selective desorption of pyrolysis products. Furthermore, changing the MAB ionization gas allows elucidation of the structure of the pyrolysis products by controlling the extent of their fragmentation. During these experiments, isocyanic acid, methyleneisocyanate, ethyleneisocyanate, propylisocyanate and butylisocyanate were detected.     

Elimination of the concentration dependence in mass isotopomer abundance mass spectrometry of methyl palmitate using metastable atom bombardment

An important problem in mass isotopomer abundance mass spectrometry (MIAMS) is the dependence of measured mass isotopomer abundances on sample concentration. We have evaluated the role of ionization energy on mass isotopomer abundance ratios of methyl palmitate as a function of sample concentration. Ionization energy was varied using electron impact ionization (EI) and metastable atom bombardment (MAB). The latter generates a beam of metastable species capable of ionizing analyte molecules by Penning ionization. We observed that ionization of methyl palmitate by EI (70 eV) showed the greatest molecular ion fragmentation and also showed the greatest dependence of relative isotopomer abundance ratios on sample concentration. Ionization using the 3P2 and 3P0 states of metastable krypton (9.92 and 10.56 eV, respectively) resulted in almost no molecular ion fragmentation, and the isotopomer abundances quantified were essentially independent of sample concentration. Ionization using the 3P2 and 3P0 states of metastable argon (11.55 and 11.72 eV, respectively) showed molecular ion fragmentation intermediate between that of EI and MAB(Kr) and showed an isotopomer concentration dependence which was less severe than that observed with EI but more severe than that observed with MAB(Kr). The observed decrease in the dependence of isotopomer abundance on sample concentration with a decrease in molecular ion fragmentation is consistent with the hypothesis that proton transfer from a fragment cation to a neutral molecule is the gas phase reaction mechanism responsible for the concentration dependence. Alternative explanations, e.g., hydrogen abstraction from a neutral molecule to a molecular cation, is not supported by these results. Moreover, the MAB ionization technique shows potential for eliminating one source of error in MIAMS measurements of methyl palmitate, in particular, and of fatty acids methyl esters, in general.     

Atmospheric-pressure Penning ionization of aliphatic hydrocarbons

A study has been made of the atmospheric-pressure Penning ionization (APPeI) of aliphatic hydrocarbons (pentane, hexane, heptane, and octane) with long-lived rare gas atoms (Rg*). The metastable rare gas atoms (He*, Ne*, Ar* and Kr*) were generated by the negative-mode corona discharge of atmospheric-pressure rare gases. In the Rg*APPeI mass spectra for aliphatic hyrocarbons, the relative abundances of fragment ions were found to increase in the order of He* --> Ne* --> Ar* --> Kr*. The order is in the opposite direction to the internal energies of the Rg*. The less fragmentation observed for He* may be because the nascent molecular ions [M(+.)]* formed by Penning ionization have lifetimes long enough for them to be collisionally deactivated in the atmospheric-pressure ion source. It was found that the relative abundances of fragment ions in Ar*APPeI increased when the sample pressure in the ion source was reduced. This is attributed to the collision of Ar* with molecular ions followed by fragmentation.     

Determination of glycopeptide structures by multistage mass spectrometry with low-energy collision-induced dissociation: comparison of electrospray ionization quadrupole ion trap and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization quadrupole ion trap reflectron time-of-flight approaches

Multistage mass spectrometry, as implemented using low-energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) analysis in three-dimensional (3D) quadrupole ion traps (QITs), has become a powerful tool for the investigation of protein glycosylation. In addition to the well-known combination of QITs with electrospray ionization (ESI), also a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization--quadrupole ion trap--reflectron time-of-flight (MALDI-QIT-rTOF) mass spectrometer has recently become available. This study systematically investigates the differences between these types of instrument, as applied to characterization of glycopeptides from human antithrombin. The glycopeptides were obtained by tryptic digestion followed by lectin-affinity purification. Some significant differences between the ESI-QIT and MALDI-QIT-rTOF approaches appeared, most of them are causally related to the desorption/ionization process. The combination of a vacuum MALDI source with an ion-trap analyzer accentuates some characteristic differences between MALDI and ESI due the longer time frame needed for the trapping process. In contrast to ESI, MALDI generated ions that exhibited considerable metastable fragmentation during trapping. The long time span of the QIT process (ms range) compared with that for conventional rTOF experiments (micros range) significantly magnified the extent of this metastable fragmentation. With the investigated glycopeptides, a complete depletion of the terminal sialic acids of the glycopeptides as well as a variety of other fragment ions was already found in the MS1 spectra from the MALDI-QIT-rTOF instrument. The positive ion low-energy CID spectra (MS2) of the selected glycopeptides obtained using the two different QIT equipped instruments were found to be quite similar. In both approaches, fragmentation of the glycan and peptide structures occurred sequentially, allowing unambiguous sequence determination. In the case of ESI-QIT-MS, fragmentation of the glycan structure occurred at the MS2 stage and fragmentation of the peptide structure was obtained only at the MS3 stage, which indicates the necessity of multistage CID experiments for complete structure elucidation. The MALDI-QIT-rTOF instrument yielded both kinds of fragments at the MS2 stage but without mutual interference.     

Assessment of metastable atom bombardment (MAB) ionization mass spectrometry for the fast determination of heterocyclic aromatic amines in cooked meat

An investigation of metastable atom bombardment (MAB) ionization mass spectrometry for the fast characterization of mutagenic/carcinogenic heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) formed during heating processes of meats is presented. The aim of our study was to use the selective ionization of MAB to develop a detection method for HAAs in non-purified meat extracts, thus avoiding purification and concentration steps and reducing analysis time. Sample introduction into the MAB ion source was achieved by pyrolysis, allowing the direct and fast insertion of complex food extracts into the mass spectrometer. Analysis conditions were optimized on standard HAAs by using different ionization gases for the MAB process. Metastable nitrogen was selected as the best MAB gas for the analysis of HAAs. Ionization selectivity is shown by the detection of heterocyclic amines in non-purified chicken meat extracts spiked with HAAs. A quantitative approach is also presented by using pyrograms as chromatograms for quantification purposes. HAAs determination using Py-MAB-ToF was finally performed on cooked chicken breast extracts and compared to an LC-APCI-MS/MS method. Although Py-MAB-ToF sensitivity remains to be improved in the present state of development of our prototype device, only 2 h from the cooking were required to obtain quantitative results in good agreement with HAAs concentrations measured by LC-MS/MS in 36 h. Figure Experimental set-up for pyrolysis-MAB-ToF mass spectrometry experiments.     

Characterization of different poly(2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline)s via matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight tandem mass spectrometry

Matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF MS) coupled with CID (collision‐induced dissociation) has been used for the detailed characterization of two poly(2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline)s as part of a continuing study of synthetic polymers by MALDI‐TOF MS/MS. These experiments provided information about the variety of fragmentation pathways for poly(oxazoline)s. It was possible to show that, in addition to the eliminations of small molecules, like ethene and hydrogen, the McLafferty rearrangement is also a possible fragmentation route. A library of fragmentation pathways for synthetic polymers was also constructed and such a library should enable the fast and automated data analysis of polymers in the future. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High pressure matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization Fourier transform mass spectrometry for minimization of ganglioside fragmentation

Transiently elevating pressure in a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization Fourier transform mass spectrometry (MALDI-FTMS) source into the 1-10 mbar range during ionization decreases the metastable fragmentation of gangliosides. This allows detection of the molecular ion species without loss of the highly labile sialic acid residues. In these experiments, gangliosides with up to five sialic acids were ionized by MALDI and detected with the FTMS. In each case, when the high pressure collisional cooling was used, the singly charged molecular ion was the base peak in the spectra, both in the positive and negative ion modes, and minimal metastable fragmentation was observed. This result is promising, as the previously developed TLC separation methods can be coupled to MALDI-FTMS.     

Structural elucidation of disinfection by-products in treated drinking water

Two unusual disinfection by-products have been detected periodically in the gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) characterization analyses of semi-volatile organics in treated drinking water. The electron ionization (EI) mass spectra contained mono-chlorinated and mono-brominated ions at m/z 107/109 and 151/153, respectively. Library searching techniques suggested mono-halogenated butanol structures but no matches could be found. Positive ion chemical ionization (CI) spectra contained mono-chlorinated and mono-brominated ions at m/z 105/107 and 149/151, respectively. No [M + H]+ ions were initially observed. Accurate mass measurements confirmed the empirical formulae for the significant ions in the EI spectra and the mono-halogenated butanol structures. Further CI experiments with other reagent gases and instruments revealed possible molecular weights of 139 and 183 Da, respectively. Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) experiments in EI and CI were used to elucidate the fragmentation schemes. The two compounds have been tentatively identified as 1-aminoxy-1-chlorobutan-2-ol and 1-aminoxy-1-bromobutan-2-ol, respectively.     

Fragmentation and rearrangement reactions in certain 1,2,3-triaryl-2-propen-1-ones following electron impact and chemical ionization

The electron impact (EI) and chemical ionization (CI) mass spectra of certain 1,2,3-triaryl-2-propen-1-ones (TAPs) have been studied in detail with the help of exact mass measurements, deuterium labelling and metastable data. The E- and Z-isomeric pairs do not show any difference in their behaviour under EI or CH₄ CI conditions. EI-induced rearangement reactions in the TAPs include aryl migration to carbonium ion centres. A study of the metastable transitions reveals aryl group interchange in the molecular ions prior to fragmentation. Under EI conditions loss of arene involves either C(2) or C(3) aryl groups while under CI conditions the C(1) aryl is lost as a neutral arene molecule. Mechanisms for the different fragmentation modes are given.     

Angle-resolved metastable fragment yields spectra of N2 and CO in K-edge excitation energy region

Angle-resolved metastable fragments yields spectra have been measured in the N 1s ionization region of the N(2) and C 1s ionization region of CO. These spectra are compared with zero kinetic energy electron and photoelectron spectra. It has been shown that an isotropic metastable fragments yields spectra are almost identical with the ZEKE spectrum, whereas metastable fragments yields spectra with the Σ-Σ transition show similarity with photoelectron spectra. This means that these spectra clearly contain information about two shake-up mechanisms: conjugate and direct shake-up processes. All the peaks in the metastable photofragment spectra can be assigned as either satellite states or double/triple excitation states. Thus, it was shown that angle-resolved metastable photofragment spectroscopy could be used to help characterize multi-electron excitation states in general.     

Mass spectral characteristics of okadaic acid and simple derivatives.

Electron ionization (EI), chemical ionization (CI) and fast-atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectra of the marine toxin okadaic acid and its synthetic methyl, pentafluorobenzyl, and trimethylsilyl ester and ether derivatives were generated. Several ionization conditions and ion-processing methods were used to obtain positive- and negative-ion conventional spectra and tandem (MS/MS) spectra. The EI and the positive-ion CI spectra provided fragment ions characteristic of the structure, and the negative-ion CI and FAB spectra provided molecular ions. The addition of alkali salts to the FAB matrix resulted in reduced fragmentation and the formation of intense alkali-metal-cationized molecules. Pentafluorobenzyl ester derivatives provided intense carboxylate ions under electron-capture ionization. Analytically useful MS/MS spectra were obtained by low-energy collision-induced decomposition of the carboxylate anion produced from the tetrasilylated pentafluorobenzylokadaate.     

Fragmentation of size-selected Xe clusters: Why does the monomer ion channel dominate the Xen and ionization?

The fragmentation of the small Xe_n n=2−5 clusters following 70 eV electron impact ionization has been investigated in a size selective experiment and simulated using non-adiabatic dynamics. The experimental results show that the clusters strongly fragment to yield monomer Xe⁺ (more than 90%) and dimer Xe₂⁺ fragments (the remaining few percent). Trimer Xe₃⁺ fragments first occur from the neutral pentamers Xe₅ in a very low yield of approximately 0.3%. The present results are compared with the previous ones for Kr and Ar clusters. It is shown that the Xe and Kr clusters exhibit a qualitatively similar behavior with a strong propensity for monomer fragments, while in the Ar case dimers prevail. The theoretical calculations also reveal a strong fragmentation to the dimer and monomer fragments. However, the dimer Rg₂⁺ is predicted to be the major product for all rare gases (Rg ≡ Ar, Kr, Xe). Possible reasons for the discrepancy between theory and experiment are discussed.     

Analysis of a chlorosulfolipid from Ochromonas danica by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization quadrupole ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (ToF) mass spectrometry (MS) is an established tool for analyzing high mass molecules, such as proteins, whereas it attracts far less interest in the field of lipid analysis. In the study reported here a new chlorosulfolipid (CSL), 3,8,12,15-tetrachloroeicosane-1,17,18-triyl tris(hydrogen sulfate), was identified from the alga Ochromonas danica and de novo characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization quadrupole ion trap time-of-flight (MALDI-QIT-ToF) MS in negative ion mode. This method provides an effective alternative for the analysis of compounds directly derived from organic cell extracts. For MALDI analyses several frequently used solid MALDI matrices as well as some ionic liquid matrices (ILMs) were tested to enhance the analyte response to UV-laser and its ionization. The molecular weight of the observed compound could be determined as Li-, Na- and K-adducts [M+Me-2H]-. The characteristic isotopic patterns of the measured ions and the well-allocated molecular fragments by MS1, MS2 and MS3 indicate the fourfold chlorination and threefold sulfation of the investigated compound. The MS fragmentation alongside of the chlorine-bearing C-atoms is accompanied by the generation of a double bond at the opposite fragment in MS1. This obtained fragmentation pattern provides an insight into the allocation of the chlorine-bearing C-atoms along the carbon chain.     

Metastable ion and induced stable ion fragmentation of isomeric 5-methyl-3-tolyl-1,2,4-oxadiazoles

The electron ionization fragmentation patterns of 5-methyl-3-(o-, m- and p-tolyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazoles (1a—c) have been examined by metastable ion and high resolution mass spectrometry. The o-tolyl isomer loses CO and C₂H₂O from the metastable molecular ion whereas the m- and p-tolyl isomers lose only CH₃CN thus indicating a strong ortho effect in directing the fragmentation in 1a. Slight differences between o-, m- and p-tolyl isomers in the collisional activation fragmentation of stable [C₇H₆N]⁺ ions suggest that structural differences exist even after a series of extensive rearrangements of the molecular ions. Metastable ion kinetic energy (MIKE) and collisional activation (CA) spectra were very helpful in providing valuable information about many fragments.     

Enhanced signal generation for use in the analysis of synthetic pyrethroids using chemical ionization tandem quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometry

Synthetic pyrethroids fragment extensively under electron ionization (EI) conditions to give low mass ions, most of them with the same m/z ratios. This fragmentation is primarily due to the labile ester linkage found in these compounds. In this research we established the best gas chromatography (GC) conditions in the EI mode that served as a benchmark in the development of a chemical ionization (CI) protocol for ten selected synthetic pyrethroids. Based on proton affinity data, several reagent gases were evaluated in the positive CI ionization mode. Methanol was found to produce higher average ion counts relative to the other gases evaluated, which led to the development of an optimized method consisting of selective ejection chemical ionization (SECI) and MS/MS. Standard stainless steel ion trap electrodes produced significant degradation of chromatographic performance on late eluting compounds, which was attributed to electrode surface chemistry. A dramatic improvement in signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios was observed when the chromatographically inert Silcosteel® coated electrodes were used. The resulting method, that has significant S/N ratio improvements resulting from a combination of septum programmable injections (SPI), optimized CI and inert Silcosteel®-coated electrodes, was used to determine instrument detection limits.     

Does the reagent gas influence collisional activation when performing in situ chemical ionization with an ion trap mass spectrometer?

Users of ion trap mass spectrometers frequently develop methods that associate chemical ionization with tandem mass spectrometry detection. With apparatus using internal ionization, the chemical reagent is present in the trap during the collision induced dissociation (CID) step and one may wonder if the reagent influences the fragmentation ratios in MS/MS. We report a comparison of the fragmentation ratios of protonated molecules when using the most common reagents (methane, ammonia, methanol, acetonitrile, isobutane) for performing in situ chemical ionization. Four molecules were chosen in the medical field to serve as models: alprazolam, diazepam, flunitrazepam and acetaminophen. In the non-resonant CID mode, the influence of the reagent mass is clearly seen in spite of its low partial pressure in the ion trap; the reagent acts as a "heavy target": the degree of fragmentation increases with the molecular weight of the reagent. In the resonant CID mode, there is no evident correlation between the fragmentation ratio of MH(+) ions and the nature of the CI reagent; a slight shift of the secular frequency of the precursor ion, which tends to reduce the CID efficiency, could compensate for the "heavy target" effect underscored in the non-resonant mode.     

Changes in post-source decay fragmentation behavior of poly(methyl methacrylate) polymers with increasing molecular weight studied by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

In order to investigate the systematic changes in fragmentation behavior of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with increasing molecular weight, alkali-metal cationized PMMA 20-mer, 60-mer and 100-mer were selected for post-source decay (PSD) fragmentation study by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-ToF) mass spectrometry. PMMA polymers were cationized with lithium, potassium and cesium cations to explore the influence of the cation size on the fragmentation behavior of the polymers. All PMMA polymers could be fragmented by MALDI-PSD and fragmentation of the MALDI ionized synthetic polymer of molecular weight 10 kDa is reported here for the first time. It was shown that an increasing molecular weight of the PMMA chain required an increase in the size of the cation to improve the intensity and the number of the fragments in the PSD spectrum. Some instrumental parameters had to be optimized prior to a successful PSD analysis of the largest PMMA polymers.     

Tandem mass spectrometry of poly(ethylene imine)s by electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)

In this contribution, linear poly(ethylene imine) (PEI) polymers, which are of importance in gene delivery, are investigated in detail by using electrospray ionization‐quadrupole‐time of flight (ESI‐Q‐TOF) and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization‐time of flight (MALDI‐TOF) mass spectrometry (MS). The analyzed PEIs with different end groups were synthesized using the polymerization of substituted 2‐oxazoline via a living cationic ring‐opening polymerization (CROP) and a subsequent hydrolysis under acidic conditions. The main goal of this study was to identify linear PEI polymers in a detailed way to gain information about their fragmentation pathways. For this purpose, a detailed characterization of three different linear PEIs was performed by using ESI‐Q‐TOF and MALDI‐TOF MS in combination with collision‐induced dissociation (CID) experiments. In ESI‐MS as well as MALDI‐MS analysis, the obtained spectra of PEIs resulted in fitting mass distributions for the investigated PEIs. In the tandem MS analysis, a 1,2‐hydride shift with a charge‐remote rearrangement via a four‐membered cyclic transition state, as well as charge‐induced fragmentation reactions, was proposed as the main fragmentation mechanisms according to the obtained fragmentation products from the protonated parent peaks. In addition, heterolytic and homolytic cleavages were proposed as alternative fragmentation pathways. Moreover, a 1,4‐hydrogen elimination was proposed to explain different fragmentation products obtained from the sodiated parent peaks. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mass spectra of new substituted 2-amino-4H-pyrans: a retro-Diels-Alder reaction pattern

New substituted 2-amino-3-cyano-4H-pyrans have been studied by electron ionization (EI), chemical ionization (CI) and electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry. The retro-Diels-Alder reaction (RDA) is the main fragmentation pattern observed in the EI spectra forming an unsaturated ketone as the diene fragment. In contrast, a different RDA reaction takes place yielding an unsaturated amide as diene fragment together with the unsaturated ketone in the CI spectra. The MS/MS spectra obtained using an ESI source reveal that the favoured fragmentation by collision induced dissociation (CID) is the elimination of the substituent at the C4 position with formation of a stable pyrilium cation.     

Electron and chemical ionization mass spectrometry in stereochemical differentiation of some 1,3-amino alcohols

Mass spectral fragmentations of two cyclopentane, eight cyclohexane and four norbornane/one 1,3-amino alcohols were studied under electron ionization (EI) by low-resolution, high-resolution, metastable ion analysis and collision-induced dissociation (CID) techniques. All stereoisomeric compounds gave rise to identical 70 eV EI mass spectra. However, the spectra of positional isomers clearly differed. The main fragmentation pathway for the saturated compounds began as an α-cleavage reaction with respect to the nitrogen atom. For the norbornene compounds a retro-Diels—Alder reaction was favoured. Relative to the aminomethyl-substituted compounds the fragmentation patterns for the compounds having the amino group connected directly to the ring were more complicated. The chemical ionization (CI) mass spectra were recorded using ammonia, isobutane, methane, dichloromethane and acetone as reagent gas. From the norbornane/One compounds the di-exo isomers decomposed more easily than the di-endo isomers with most of the reagent gases used. Differences between stereoisomers were observed directly only under methane CI. The decomposition products of the [M + H]⁺ ions generated under ammonia and isobutane CI were studies by recording their CID mass spectra. These spectra allowed the differentiation of the stereoisomers, at least to some extent.