Mass spectrometric study of mixed fluorinated rare earth element β-diketonates with triphenylphosphine oxide

A series of new adducts of fluorinated REE -diketonates with triphenylphosphine oxide was synthesized. The paths of their fragmentation under electron impact were investigated. It was shown that in contrast to the complex with 1,1,1,2,2,3,3-heptafluoro-7,7-dimethyloctane-4,6-dione, the complexes of europium with 1-trifluoromethoxy-1,1-difluoro-5,5-dimethylhexane-2,4-dione and 1, 1,1-trifluoro-5,5-dimethylhexane-2,4-dione form dimeric associates in the gaseous phase. The reasons for this difference in the behavior of the complexes and the possible structure of one of the dimers are discussed.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Eksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 26, No. 2, March–April, 1990.     

Extending the range of compounds amenable for gas chromatography-mass spectrometric analysis

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) suffers from a major limitation in that an expanding number of thermally labile or low volatility compounds of interest are not amenable for analysis. We found that the elution temperatures of compounds from GC can be significantly lowered by reducing the column length, increasing the carrier gas flow rate, reducing the capillary column film thickness and lowering the temperature programming rate. Pyrene is eluted at 287 degrees C in standard GC-MS with a 30 m x 0.25 mm I.D. column with 1-microm DB5ms film and 1-ml/min He column flow rate. In contrast, pyrene is eluted at 79 degrees C in our "Supersonic GC-MS" system using a 1 m x 0.25 mm I.D. column with 0.1-microm DB5ms film and 100-ml/min He column flow rate. A simple model has been invoked to explain the significantly (up to 208 degrees C) lower elution temperatures observed. According to this model, every halving of the temperature programming rate, or number of separation plates (either through increased flow rate or due to reduced column length), results in approximately 20 degrees C lower elution temperature. These considerably lower elution temperatures enable the analysis of an extended range of thermally labile and low volatility compounds, that otherwise could not be analyzed by standard GC-MS. We demonstrate the analysis of large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as decacyclene with ten fused rings, well above the current GC limit of PAHs with six rings. Even a metalloporphirin such as magnesiumoctaethylporphin was easily analyzed with elution temperatures below 300 degrees C. Furthermore, a range of thermally labile compounds were analyzed including carbamates such as methomyl, aldicarb, aldicarbsulfone and oxamyl, explosives such as pentaerythritol tetranitrate, Tetryl and HMX, and drugs such as reserpine (608 a.m.u.). Supersonic GC-MS was used, based on the coupling of a supersonic molecular beam (SMB) inlet and ion sources with a bench-top Agilent 6890 GC plus 5972 MSD. The Supersonic GC-MS provides enhanced molecular ion without any ion source related peak tailing. Thus, the lower GC separation power involved in the analysis of thermally labile and low volatility compounds is compensated by increased separation power of the MS gained from the enhanced molecular ion. Several implications of these findings are discussed, including our conclusion that slower chromatography leads to better analysis of thermally labile compounds.     

A New Pulsed Flow Modulation GC × GC–MS with Cold EI System and Its Application for Jet Fuel Analysis

We designed and operated a new system of pulsed flow modulation (PFM) two dimensional comprehensive gas chromatography (GC × GC) mass spectrometry (MS). This system is based on the combination of PFM–GC × GC with a quadrupole mass spectrometer of GC–MS via a supersonic molecular beams interface and its fly-through Cold EI ion source and applied this system for the analysis of JP8 jet fuel. PFM is a simple GC × GC modulator that does not consume cryogenic gases while providing tunable second GC × GC column injection time for enabling the use of quadrupole based mass spectrometry regardless its limited scanning speed. We analyzed JP8 jet fuel with our new PFM–GC × GC–MS with Cold EI system and found that as the second dimension GC elution time is increased the observed molecular ion mass is reduced. This unique observation that helped in improved sample compounds identification under co-elution conditions was enabled via having abundant molecular ions in Cold EI for all the fuel compounds. We named this type of analysis as PFM–GC × GC × MS. We found and discuss in this paper that PFM–GC × GC–MS with Cold EI combines improved separation of GC × GC with Cold EI benefits of tailing-free ultra-fast ion source response time and enhanced molecular ions and mass spectral isomer and isotope information for the provision of increased sample identification information.

     

GC–MS with photoionization of cold molecules in supersonic molecular beams—Approaching the softest ionization method

A new type of photoionization ion source was developed for the ionization of cold molecules in supersonic molecular beams (named Cold PI). The system was based on a GC–MS with supersonic molecular beams and its fly‐through EI of cold molecules ion source (Cold EI) plus quadrupole mass analyzer. A continuously operated deuterium VUV photoionization lamp was added and placed above and between the supersonic nozzle and skimmer whereas the Cold EI ion source served only as a portion of the ion transfer ion optics. The supersonic nozzle and skimmer were voltage biased and the VUV light crossed the supersonic expansion about 10 mm from the nozzle. We obtained over three orders of magnitude enhancement in the relative abundance of the molecular ion of squalane in Cold PI versus in photoionization of this compound as a thermal compound. Accordingly, we also proved that standard photoionization is not as soft ionization method as previously perceived for large compounds. We found that Cold PI is as soft as and possibly softer than field ionization; thus, it could be the softest known ionization method. The ionization yield was about 200–300 times weaker than with Cold EI yet our limit of detection was about 200 femtogram in SIM mode for cholesterol and pyrene which is reasonable. Practically, all hydrocarbons gave only molecular ions with rather uniform response whereas alcohols gave some molecular ions plus major fragment ions particularly with a loss of water (similarly to field ionization). We tested Cold PI in the GC–MS analysis of diesel fuels and analyzed the time averaged data for group type information. We also found that we can analyze the diesel fuels by fast under 20‐s flow injection analysis in which the generated averaged mass spectrum of molecular ions only could serve for the characterization of fuels.     

Analysis of impurities in pharmaceuticals by LC‐MS with cold electron ionization

Pharmaceuticals require careful and precise determination of their impurities that might harm the user upon consumption. Although today, the most common technique for impurities identification is liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS), it has several downsides due to the nature of the ionization method. Also, the analyses in many cases are targeted thus despite being present, some of the compounds will not be revealed. In this paper, we propose and show a new method for untargeted analysis and identification of impurities in active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The instrument used for these analyses is a novel electron ionization (EI) LC‐MS with supersonic molecular beams (SMB). The EI‐LC‐MS‐SMB was implemented for analyses of several drug samples spiked with an impurity. The instrument provides EI mass spectra with enhanced molecular ions, named Cold EI, which increases the identification probabilities when the compound is identified with the aid of an EI library like National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). We analyzed ibuprofen and its impurities, and both the API and the expected impurity were identified with names and structures by the NIST library. Moreover, other unexpected impurities were found and identified proving the ability of the EI‐LC‐MS‐SMB system for truly untargeted analysis. The results show a broad dynamic range of four orders of magnitude at the same run with a signal‐to‐noise ratio of over 10 000 for the API and almost uniform response.     

Mass-spectrometric thermal analysis of polymers based on furyl alcohol

Mass-spectrometric thermal analysis of samples of furan polymers obtained by heating furyl alcohol in a closed volume at 200 °C, 250 °C and 300 °C permitted determination of the qualitative composition of the gas products evolved from the polymers upon non-isothermal temperature increase from 20 to 1200 °C. The degree of unsaturation of the samples was evaluated quantitatively. The main features of the formation, degradation, structurization and carbonization of furan polymers were considered.     

Preparation and use ofα-bromomono- and-bromobis-difluoromethoxyacetophenones in the synthesis of polymethyleneimidazoles with an angular nitrogen atom

The synthesis of -bromo-4-difluoromethoxy- and -bromo-2,4-bis(difluoromethoxy)acetophenones has been carried out. Conditions have been studied for condensing the latter with cyclic tri- and tetramethylenamidinines and with pyridine-containing derivatives. A series of pyrrolo[1,2-a]imidazole and imidazo[2,1-a]pyridine derivatives containing difluoromethoxy groups has been synthesized.T. G. Shevchenko Chernigov Pedagogical Institute, Chernigov 250038. Institute of Organic Chemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev 252660. Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 10, pp. 1371–1376, October, 1997.     

Hydrocarbons and fuels analyses with the supersonic gas chromatography mass spectrometry--the novel concept of isomer abundance analysis

Hydrocarbon analysis with standard GC-MS is confronted by the limited range of volatile compounds amenable for analysis and by the similarity of electron ionization mass spectra for many compounds which show weak or no molecular ions for heavy hydrocarbons. The use of GC-MS with supersonic molecular beams (Supersonic GC-MS) significantly extends the range of heavy hydrocarbons that can be analyzed, and provides trustworthy enhanced molecular ion to all hydrocarbons. In addition, unique isomer mass spectral features are obtained in the ionization of vibrationally cold hydrocarbons. The availability of molecular ions for all hydrocarbons results in the ability to obtain unique chromatographic isomer distribution patterns that can serve as a new method for fuel characterization and identification. Examples of the applicability and use of this novel isomer abundance analysis (IAA) method to diesel fuel, kerosene and oil analyses are shown. It is suggested that in similarity to the "three ions method" for identification purposes, three isomer abundance patterns can serve for fuel characterization. The applications of the Supersonic GC-MS for engine motor oil analysis and transformer oil analysis are also demonstrated and discussed, including the capability to achieve fast 1-2s sampling without separation for oil and fuel fingerprinting. The relatively fast analysis of biodiesel is described, demonstrating the provision of molecular ions to heavy triglycerides. Isomer abundance analysis with the Supersonic GC-MS could find broad range of applications including petrochemicals and fuel analysis, arson analysis, environmental oil/fuel spill analysis, fuel adulteration analysis and motor oil analysis.