1. High-Throughput Analysis of Volatile Compounds in Air, Water, and Soil Using SIFT-MS.
- Author
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Perkins, Mark J., Langford, Vaughan S., and McEwan, Murray J.
- Subjects
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VOLATILE organic compounds , *LIQUID chromatography , *ANALYTICAL chemistry , *ETHYLBENZENE , *MASS spectrometers - Abstract
Since its introduction in 1995, selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS) has found many applications in research and industry, together with substantial peer-reviewed literature. In this article, we describe a new application of SIFT-MS that is suited to the contract laboratory, where the direct analysis provided by SIFT-MS may have significant benefits because of its accelerated sample throughput. Using the environmentally significant BTEX compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and the xylenes) as a case study, we demonstrate high-throughput analysis from several matrices (air, water, and soil). For the BTEX compounds, detection limits in the single-digit parts-per-billion concentration range (by volume) are readily achievable within seconds using SIFT-MS, because sample analysis is achieved without chromatography, preconcentration, or drying. For the first time with SIFT-MS, we also present a calibration approach that enables speciation of ethylbenzene from the xylenes in real time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018