Search

Online monitoring of dynamic chemical processes involving a wide volatility range of hydrocarbon species is challenging due to long chromatographic measurement times. Mass spectrometry (MS) overcomes chromatographic delays. However, the analysis of n-alkane mixtures by MS is difficult because many fragment ions are formed, which leads to overlapping signals of the homologous series. Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) is suitable for the analysis of saturated hydrocarbons and is the subject of current research. Still, although APCI is a "soft ionization" technique, fragmentation is typically inevitable. Moreover, it is usually applied for liquid samples, while an application for online gas-phase monitoring is widely unexplored. Here, we present an automated APCI-MS method for an online gas-phase analysis of volatile and semi-volatile n-alkanes. Mass spectra for n-heptane and n-decane reveal [M-H]+, [M-3H]+ and [M-3H+H2O]+ as abundant ions. While [M-H]+ and [M-3H]+ show an excessive fragmentation pattern to smaller CnH2n+1+ and CnH2n-1+ cations, [M-3H+H2O]+ is the only relevant signal within the CnH2n+1O+ ion group, i.e., no chain cleavage is observed. This makes [M-3H+H2O]+ an analyte-specific ion that is suitable for the quantification of n-alkane mixtures. A calibration confirms the linearity of C7 and C10 signals up to concentrations of ~1000–1500 ppm. Moreover, validated concentration profiles are measured for a binary C7/C10 mixture and a five-alkane C7/C10/C12/C14/C20 mixture. Compared to the 40-min sampling interval of the reference gas chromatograph, MS sampling is performed within 5 min and allows dynamic changes to be monitored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural abundance and isotopically labelled tryptic peptides are routinely employed as standards in quantitative proteomics. The certification of the peptide content is usually carried out by amino acid analysis using isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) after the acid hydrolysis of the peptide. For the validation and traceability of the amino acid analysis procedure, expensive certified peptides must be employed. In this work we evaluate different IDMS alternatives which will reduce the amount of certified peptide required for validation of the amino acid analysis procedure. In this context, the characterization of both natural and isotopically labelled synthetic angiotensin I peptides was carried out. First, we applied a fast procedure for peptide hydrolysis based on microwave-assisted digestion and employed two certified peptide reference materials SRM 998 angiotensin I and CRM 6901-b C-peptide for validation of the hydrolysis procedure. The amino acids proline, leucine, isoleucine, valine, tyrosine, arginine and phenylalanine were evaluated for their suitability for peptide certification by IDMS by both liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC)–MS/MS. Then, natural angiotensin I and 13C1-labelled angiotensin I were synthesized in-house and purified by preparative liquid chromatography. The concentration of the 13C1-labelled angiotensin I peptide was established by reverse IDMS in its native form using SRM 998 angiotensin I as reference. The concentration of the natural synthesized peptide was determined by IDMS both using the 13C1-labelled peptide in its native form and by amino acid analysis showing comparable results. Finally, the synthetic naturally abundant angiotensin I peptide was employed as "in-house" standard for the validation of subsequent peptide characterization procedures. Therefore, the novelty of this work relies on, first, the development of a faster hydrolysis procedure assisted by focused microwaves, providing complete hydrolysis in 150 min, and secondly, a validation strategy combining GC–MS and LC–MS/MS that allowed us to certify the purity of an in-house-synthesized peptide standard that can be employed as quality control in further experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An isotope pattern deconvolution (IPD) quantification method has been applied for the determination of five substances (amphetamine, benzoylecgonine, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA) in wastewater for the application in wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). A previously validated method that used a calibration curve for quantification was modified to apply IPD. The two approaches were compared in terms of analytical uncertainty in recovery studies of quality control samples, i.e. six wastewater samples from different geographical origins spiked at two concentration levels. Both methods were reliable as they passed (z-score < 2) in an interlaboratory exercise. After 60 individual determinations, IPD provided 11 results outside recovery limits (70–120%) while the previous method produced 31 adverse results. All mean values for IPD were accurate whereas 6 out of 10 results showed RSD values higher than 30% or recoveries outside limits when using the former method. Moreover, the calculated method bias for the latter doubles that of IPD, which, in turn, makes the combined uncertainty (u(c)) much higher. Consequently, a simple change of data treatment—IPD quantification methodology—resulted in a lower uncertainty of the estimated illicit drug concentration, one of the main steps contributing to the final uncertainty in the normalized daily drug consumption through WBE. The current study demonstrated that the employment of IPD can also be very interesting for future applications of WBE, especially when matrix effects are high, complicating accurate quantification. In addition, when a high number of samples and/or compounds need to be analysed, IPD is faster than calibration and, eventually, cost-effective when isotopically labelled internal standard is highly expensive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By the on-chip integration of a droplet generator in front of an emitter tip, droplets of non-polar solvents are generated in a free jet of an aqueous matrix. When an IR laser irradiates this free liquid jet consisting of water as the continuous phase and the non-polar solvent as the dispersed droplet phase, the solutes in the droplets are ionized. This ionization at atmospheric pressure enables the mass spectrometric analysis of non-polar compounds with the aid of a surrounding aqueous matrix that absorbs IR light. This works both for non-polar solvents such as n-heptane and for water non-miscible solvents like chloroform. In a proof of concept study, this approach is applied to monitor a photooxidation of N-phenyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-targeted analysis (NTA) is a rapidly evolving analytical technique with numerous opportunities to improve and expand instrumental and data analysis methods. In this work, NTA was performed on eight synthetic mixtures containing 1264 unique chemical substances from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Non-Targeted Analysis Collaborative Trial (ENTACT). These mixtures were analyzed by atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and electrospray ionization (ESI) using both positive and negative polarities for a total of four modes. Out of the 1264 ENTACT chemical substances, 1116 were detected in at least one ionization mode, 185 chemicals were detected using all four ionization modes, whereas 148 were not detected. Forty-four chemicals were detected only by APCI, and 181 were detected only by ESI. Molecular descriptors and physicochemical properties were used to assess which ionization type was preferred for a given compound. One ToxPrint substructure (naphthalene group) was found to be enriched in compounds only detected using APCI, and eight ToxPrints (e.g., several alcohol moieties) were enriched in compounds only detected using ESI. Examination of physicochemical parameters for ENTACT chemicals suggests that those with higher aqueous solubility preferentially ionized by ESI−. While ESI typically detects a larger number of compounds, APCI offers chromatograms with less background, fewer co-elutions, and additional chemical space coverage, suggesting both should be considered for broader coverage in future NTA research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statically adsorbed or covalently coupled capillary coatings are of crucial importance in capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry for the separation of peptides and proteins. So far, published coating strategies and commercially available coated capillaries have a limited pH-stability so that the analysis at strongly acidic pH is limited, or harsh rinsing procedures for biological sample analysis cannot be applied. We here present a capillary coating based on Si-C linkages to N-acryloylamido ethoxyethanol (AAEE) with a new synthetic strategy including LiAlH4 surface reaction. We optimized the coating method with emphasis on stability and reproducibility applying harsh rinsing procedures (strong acid, strong base and organic solvent), using the electroosmotic mobility and separation efficiency of tryptic peptides as performance measure. Complete synthesis is performed in less than 2 days for up to 8 capillaries in parallel of more than 16 m total length. Intra- and inter-batch reproducibility were determined regarding electroosmotic mobility, separation efficiency and migration time precision in CE-MS separations of tryptically digested bovine serum albumin. Coating stability towards rinsing with strong acid (1 mol/L HCl), organic solvent (acetonitrile) and strong base (1 mol/L NaOH) was investigated. Outstanding performance was found for single capillaries. However, inter-capillary reproducibility is discussed critically. The new coating was successfully applied for reproducible CE-MS separation of large proteins in diluted serum, medium-sized peptides and small and highly charged polyamines in fish egg extracts using a very acidic background electrolyte containing 0.75 mol/L acetic acid and 0.25 mol/L formic acid (pH 2.2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research described here provides the most comprehensive qualitative characterization of three combustion-related standard reference materials (SRMs) for polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles (PASHs) and some alkyl-substituted (alkyl-) derivatives to date: SRM 1597a (coal tar), SRM 1991 (coal tar/petroleum extract), and SRM 1975 (diesel particulate extract). An analytical approach based on gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) is presented for the determination of three-, four-, and five-ring PASH isomers and three- and four-ring alkyl-PASHs in the three SRM samples. The benefit of using a normal-phase liquid chromatography (NPLC) fractionation procedure prior to GC/MS analysis was demonstrated for multiple isomeric PASH groups. Using a semi-preparative aminopropyl (NH2) LC column, the three combustion-related samples were fractionated based on the number of aromatic carbon atoms. The NPLC-GC/MS method presented here allowed for the following identification breakdown: SRM 1597a - 35 PASHs and 59 alkyl-PASHs; SRM 1991-31 PASHs and 58 alkyl-PASHs; and SRM 1975-13 PASHs and 25 alkyl-PASHs. These identifications were based on NPLC retention data, the GC retention times of reference standards, and the predominant molecular ion peak in the mass spectrum. Prior to this study, only 11, 1, and 0 PASHs/alkyl-PASHs had been identified in SRM 1597a, SRM 1991, and SRM 1975, respectively.NPLC-GC/MS analysis for the three- and four-ring parent PASH isomers in SRM 1597a. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method has been developed for the sensitive and rapid analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in environmental samples using liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry as well as the selective atmospheric pressure laser ionization (APLI) process (LC-APLI-MS). Upon analyzing 34 PAHs, the limits of detection of this method were found to range from 0.008 to 1.824 pg (0.024 pg for benzo[ a]pyrene). The method therefore provides 30-fold to 5,400-fold increased sensitivity compared with the established GC-MS technique. This LC-APLI-MS method was optimized for higher molecular weight PAHs (C-C PAHs with 6-8 rings), which are difficult to detect or cannot be detected by GC-MS. Using the LC-APLI-MS method, various 6- to 8-ring PAHs were detected in environmental samples for the first time. After developing the method, it was successfully validated in ruggedness tests. The concentrations determined by the LC-APLI-MS method were in good accord with the certified concentrations in three certified reference materials (contaminated soils and sediments). Upon applying the method to environmental samples, it was found that (1) the presence of dibenzo[ a, i]pyrene and dibenzo[ a, h]pyrene in urban soil samples could only be detected using LC-APLI-MS (i.e., not GC-MS) due to its high sensitivity, (2) a bituminous coal sample yielded 211 tentative peaks from aromatic compounds in the C-C range, and (3) eleven of those compounds occurred in different environmental samples in similar patterns. Hence, 6- to 8-ring PAHs occur in solid environmental samples in which other 6-ring PAHs such as indeno[1,2,3- cd]pyrene or benzo[ ghi]perylene may also be present. Some of these numerous higher molecular weight PAH compounds could have very high carcinogenic potential, which will need to be elucidated to ensure the reliability of PAH risk assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a detailed investigation of the feasibility of optimized positive and negative atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) mass spectrometry (MS) and atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) MS coupled to hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX) for structural assignment of diverse oxygen-containing compounds. The important parameters for optimization of HDX MS were characterized. The optimized techniques employed in the positive and negative modes showed satisfactory HDX product ions for the model compounds when dichloromethane and toluene were employed as a co-solvent in APCI- and APPI-HDX, respectively. The evaluation of the mass spectra obtained from 38 oxygen-containing compounds demonstrated that the extent of the HDX of the ions was structure-dependent. The combination of information provided by different ionization techniques could be used for better speciation of oxygen-containing compounds. For example, (+) APPI-HDX is sensitive to compounds with alcohol, ketone, or aldehyde substituents, while (−) APPI-HDX is sensitive to compounds with carboxylic functional groups. In addition, the compounds with alcohol can be distinguished from other compounds by the presence of exchanged peaks. The combined information was applied to study chemical compositions of degraded oils. The HDX pattern, double bond equivalent (DBE) distribution, and previously reported oxidation products were combined to predict structures of the compounds produced from oxidation of oil. Overall, this study shows that APCI- and APPI-HDX MS are useful experimental techniques that can be applied for the structural analysis of oxygen-containing compounds. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of chromatography in studies of coals, their progenitors and coal-related products was reviewed. The specificity of the coal structure was discussed. The use of extraction in preparing study samples was discussed paying special attention to the occurrence of undesirable phenomena such as aggregation of coal derivate molecules, resulting from the formation of their dimers and trimers, and degradation of polar solvents at temperatures above 350 °C. The following ways of fractionating samples of coal materials were considered: thermal, solvent, column with the use of preparative size exclusive chromatography and preparative thin layer chromatography as well as membrane separation. The use of chromatography coupled with experimental techniques such as mass spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and pyrolysis was analysed. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human AGP is an acidic glycoprotein mainly produced by liver that presents a high degree of heterogeneity. It can present different amino acid sequences and has five N-glycosylation sites leading to a wide range of different protein isoforms. AGP structure and composition has been widely studied due to its drug-binding behavior and relation with disease. However, so far, the characterization has been performed only on protein fragments, i.e., the peptide or glycan level. Here, the analysis of intact human AGP purified from human serum is performed by capillary electrophoresis–time-of-flight mass spectrometry. In this way, it is possible to characterize more than 150 human AGP isoforms, differing both in the amino acid sequence and in the glycosylation. The detected masses could be attributed unequivocally to an overall composition based on the combination of the analysis of the released glycans and the characterization of the deglycosylated protein. Different AGP samples purified from human serum were characterized and compared. High inter-individual variability among AGP isoforms expression was observed. The presented method enables for the first time clinical studies based on detailed isoform distribution of intact glycoproteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last two decades, coupled capillary electrophoresis (CE)–mass spectrometry (MS) has developed into a generally accepted technique with a wide applicability. A growing number of CE-MS applications make use of capillaries where the internal wall is modified with surface coating agents. In CE-MS, capillary coatings are used to prevent analyte adsorption and to provide appropriate conditions for CE-MS interfacing. This paper gives an overview of the various capillary coating strategies used in CE-MS. The main attention is devoted to the way coatings can contribute to a proper CE-MS operation. The foremost capillary coating methods are discussed with emphasis on their compatibility with MS detection. The role of capillary coatings in the control of the electroosmotic flow and the consequences for CE-MS coupling are treated. Subsequently, an overview of reported applications of CE-MS employing different coating principles is presented. Selected examples are given to illustrate the usefulness of the coatings and the overall applicability of the CE-MS systems. It is concluded that capillary coatings can enhance the performance and stability of CE-MS systems, yielding a highly valuable and reproducible analytical tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sample enrichment technique to increase sensitivity in capillary electrophoresis–mass spectrometry (CE-MS) is described. Peptides or glycopeptides are retained and concentrated on a short (3–5-mm) reversed-phase (C18) packed-bed situated in the fused-silica separation capillary and are subsequently released for electrophoretic separation by injection of an organic elutant. The concentration limits of detection are in the high picomolar range with a sheath-flow CE-MS interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The molecular shape recognition differences between monomeric and polymeric C18 stationary phases in the reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) separation of unsubstituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and methyl-substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (MPAHs) are examined through the use of partial least squares (PLS) analysis techniques. The resulting PLS models are able to describe the enhanced shape selectivity of the polymeric phase for recognizing subtle structural differences among planar and nonplanar isomers. PLS component analyses of these models reveal that spatial and topological descriptors are primarily used to rank structural differences among the PAHs (i.e., fused-ring patterns, molecular length and breadth) that control such shape-selective chromatographic processes. This is consistent with the view that polymeric alkyl chain stationary phases contain size- and shape-specific “slots” that promote the separation of structurally-related solutes. In contrast, the monomeric phase model is limited in resolving both the isomer classes and the nonplanarity shape differences among the PAHs. However, an improvement of shape recognition on the monomeric phase was elucidated by the PLS model for two PAHs (phenanthro[3,4-c]phenanthrene and dibenzo[g,p]chrysene) exhibiting the most extreme nonplanarity. These results suggest that a limited amount of space between alkyl chains may exist within the higher-density polymeric phase to recognize shape differences among the bulkier and nonplanar solutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) mass spectrometry (MS), with its ability to separate compounds present in extremely small volume samples rapidly, with high separation efficiency, and with compound identification capability based on molecular weight, is an extremely valuable analytical technique for the analysis of complex biological mixtures. The highest sensitivities and separation efficiencies are usually achieved by using narrow capillaries (5–50 µm i.d.) and by using sheathless CE-to-MS interfaces. The difficulties in CE-to-MS interfacing and the limited loadability of these narrow columns, however, have prevented CE-MS from becoming a widely used analytical technique. To remedy these limitations, several CE-MS interfacing techniques have recently been introduced. While electrospray ionization is the most commonly used ionization technique for interfacing CE-to-MS, matrix assisted laser desorption ionization has also been used, using both on-line and off-line techniques. Moreover, the high concentration detection limit of CE has been addressed by development of several sample concentration and sample focusing methods. In addition, a wide variety of techniques such as capillary zone electrophoresis, capillary isoelectric focusing, and on-column transient isotachophoresis have now been interfaced to MS. These advances have resulted in a rapid increase in the use of CE-MS in the analysis of complex biological mixtures. CE-MS has now been successfully applied to the analysis of a wide variety of compounds including amino acids, protein digests, protein mixtures, single cells, oligonucleotides, and various small molecules relevant to the pharmaceutical industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]