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A recently developed extrography separation method fractionates petroleum asphaltenes based on their ionization efficiency, which correlates with polarity, aggregation tendency, and asphaltene stru...

Because the rate of naphthenic acid corrosion does not correlate with the concentration of acids, it has been proposed that a subset of naphthenic acids in petroleum fractions may be more corrosive...

We have determined the high pressure structure of perdeuterated ethanol by using neutron powder diffraction in the pressure region ∼2.5–4.0 GPa and compare it to that previously measured by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and the one suggested by ab initio structure calculations. In contrast to previous X-ray single-crystal studies, we see no evidence for a disordered proton around the hydroxyl group, but confirm the monoclinic symmetry in the measured pressure region. We also present the compression behaviour of the unit cell in this pressure range.

Direct "dilute and shoot" mass spectral analysis of complex naturally-occurring mixtures has become the "standard" analysis in environmental and petrochemical science, as well as in many other areas of research. Despite recent advances in ionization methods, that approach still suffers several limitations for the comprehensive characterization of compositionally complex matrices. Foremost, the selective ionization of highly acidic (negative electrospray ionization ((-) ESI)) and/or basic (positive electrospray ionization ((+) ESI)) species limits the detection of weakly acidic/basic species, and similar issues (matrix effects) complicate atmospheric pressure photo-ionization (APPI)/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) analyses. Furthermore, given the wide range of chemical functionalities and structural motifs in these compositionally complex mixtures, aggregation can similarly limit the observed species to a small (10-20%) mass fraction of the whole sample. Finally, irrespective of the ionization method, the mass analyzer must be capable of resolving tens-of-thousands of mass spectral peaks and provide the mass accuracy (typically 50-300 ppb mass measurement error) required for elemental composition assignment, and thus is generally limited to high-field Fourier transform ion cyclotron mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). Here, we describe three approaches to combat the above issues for (+) ESI, (-) ESI, and (+) APPI FT-ICR MS analysis of petroleum samples. Each approach relies on chromatographic fractionation to help reduce selective ionization discrimination and target either specific chemical functionalities (pyridinic and pyrrolic species (nitrogen) or carboxylic acids (oxygen)) or specific structural motifs (single aromatic core (island) or multi-core aromatics (archipelago)) known to be related to ionization efficiency. Each fractionation method yields a 2-10-fold increase in the compositional coverage, exposes species that are undetectable using direct "dilute and shoot" analysis, and provides coarse selectivity in chemical functionalities that can both increase the assignment confidence and optimize ionization conditions to maximize compositional coverage.

Evaporative cooling towers to dissipate excess process heat are essential installations in a variety of industries. The constantly moist environment enables substantial microbial growth, causing both operative challenges (e.g., biocorrosion) as well as health risks due to the potential aerosolization of pathogens. Currently, bacterial levels are monitored using rather slow and infrequent sampling and cultivation approaches. In this study, we describe the use of metabolic activity, namely oxygen respiration, as an alternative measure of bacterial load within cooling tower waters. This method is based on optical oxygen sensors that enable an accurate measurement of oxygen consumption within a closed volume. We show that oxygen consumption correlates with currently used cultivation‐based methods (R2 = 0.9648). The limit of detection (LOD) for respiration‐based bacterial quantification was found to be equal to 1.16 × 104 colony forming units (CFU)/mL. Contrary to the cultivation method, this approach enables faster assessment of the bacterial load with a measurement time of just 30 min compared to 48 h needed for cultivation‐based measurements. Furthermore, this approach has the potential to be integrated and automated. Therefore, this method could contribute to more robust and reliable monitoring of bacterial contamination within cooling towers and subsequently increase operational stability and reduce health risks.

International audience; The Consortium for Top-Down Proteomics (www.topdownproteomics.org) launched the present study to assess the current state of top-down mass spectrometry (TD MS) and middle-down mass spectrometry (MD MS) for characterizing monoclonal antibody (mAb) primary structures, including their modifications. To meet the needs of the rapidly growing therapeutic antibody market, it is important to develop analytical strategies to characterize the heterogeneity of a therapeutic product's primary structure accurately and reproducibly. The major objective of the present study is to determine whether current TD/MD MS technologies and protocols can add value to the more commonly employed bottom-up (BU) approaches with regard to confirming protein integrity, sequencing variable domains, avoiding artifacts, and revealing modifications and their locations. We also aim to gather information on the common TD/MD MS methods and practices in the field. A panel of three mAbs was selected and centrally provided to 20 laboratories worldwide for the analysis: Sigma mAb standard (SiLuLite), NIST mAb standard, and the therapeutic mAb Herceptin (trastuzumab). Various MS instrument platforms and ion dissociation techniques were employed. The present study confirms that TD/MD MS tools are available in laboratories worldwide and provide complementary information to the BU approach that can be crucial for comprehensive mAb characterization. The current limitations, as well as possible solutions to overcome them, are also outlined. A primary limitation revealed by the results of the present study is that the expert knowledge in both experiment and data analysis is indispensable to practice TD/MD MS.

Road asphalt is comprised of aggregate (rocks) mixed with a binder composed of high-boiling petroleum-derived compounds, which have been thought to be relatively inert (unreactive) and thus leach small amounts of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) into water from the built environment. However, recent studies have demonstrated that petroleum readily undergoes photooxidation and generates water-soluble oxygen-containing hydrocarbons. Therefore, here, we investigate the effects of solar irradiation on an asphalt binder. Upon irradiation in a photooxidation microcosm, thin films of the asphalt binder produce abundant oil- and water-soluble oxygenated hydrocarbons, which we hypothesize are also leached from roads and highways through photooxidation reactions. Ultrahigh-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) enables extensive compositional characterization of the virgin asphalt binder, irradiated asphalt binder, and the water-soluble photoproducts. The results reveal the production of water-soluble species that resemble the molecular composition of petroleum-derived dissolved organic matter, including abundant hydrocarbons and S-containing species with up to 18 oxygen atoms. The results also confirm photo-induced oxidation, fragmentation, and potentially polymerization as active processes involved in the production of water-soluble organic pollutants from asphalt.

A novel strategy for the direct analysis of non-conjugated steroids in water using paper spray mass spectrometry (PS-MS) has been developed. PS-MS was used in the identification and quantification of non-conjugated (free) steroids in fish tank water samples. Data shown herein indicates that individual amounts of free steroids can be detected in aqua as low as; 0.17 ng/µL, 0.039 ng/µL, 0.43 ng/µL, 0.0076 ng/µL for aldosterone, corticosterone, cortisol, and β-estrone, respectively, and with an average relative standard deviation of ca. in aqua.

Molecular communications in macroscale environments is an emerging field of study driven by the intriguing prospect of sending coded information over olfactory networks. For the first time, this article reports two signal modulation techniques (on-off keying-OOK, and concentration shift keying-CSK) which have been used to encode and transmit digital information using odors over distances of 1-4 m. Molecular transmission of digital data was experimentally investigated for the letter "r" with a binary value of 01110010 (ASCII) for a gas stream network channel (up to 4 m) using mass spectrometry (MS) as the main detection-decoding system. The generation and modulation of the chemical signals was achieved using an automated odor emitter (OE) which is based on the controlled evaporation of a chemical analyte and its diffusion into a carrier gas stream. The chemical signals produced propagate within a confined channel to reach the demodulator-MS. Experiments were undertaken for a range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with different diffusion coefficient values in air at ambient conditions. Representative compounds investigated include acetone, cyclopentane, and n-hexane. For the first time, the binary code ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is combined with chemical signaling to generate a molecular representation of the English alphabet. Transmission experiments of fixed-width molecular signals corresponding to letters of the alphabet over varying distances are shown. A binary message corresponding to the word "ion" was synthesized using chemical signals and transmitted within a physical channel over a distance of 2 m.

A “volcano” plot provides a visual means for identifying statistically significant differences between two populations. Here, we introduce the volcano plot as a means for simple, visual identification and statistical ranking of compositional differences between petroleum crude oils. Ultrahigh-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry yields the relative abundances of ions in each spectrum that contains up to tens of thousands of elemental compositions (CcHhNnOoSs). From that data, a volcano plot may be generated by plotting statistical significance (p-value, obtained from t test) versus log2(relative abundance ratio). The volcano plot data may be color-coded to highlight differences in heteroatom class (NnOoSs), double bond equivalents (DBE = number of rings plus double bonds to carbon), and/or carbon number. The volcano plot may be used either directly or as a “filter” for including only the most statistically significant differences for data entered into more conventional an...

This study details the structural characterization of glycolide-h4 as a function of pressure to 6 GPa using neutron powder diffraction on the PEARL instrument at ISIS Neutron and Muon source. Glycolide-h4, rather than its deuterated isotopologue, was used in this study due to the difficulty of deuteration. The low background afforded by zirconia-toughened alumina anvils nevertheless enabled the collection of data suitable for structural analysis to be obtained to a pressure of 5 GPa. Glycolide-h4 undergoes a reconstructive phase transition at 0.15 GPa to a previously identified form (II), which is stable to 6 GPa.

Here, we present atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass analysis of a volcanic asphalt sample by acquiring data for 20 Da wide mass segments across a 1000 Da range, stitched into a single composite mass spectrum, and compare to a broad-band mass spectrum for the same sample. The segmented spectrum contained 170 000 peaks with magnitude greater than 6σ of the root-mean-square (rms) baseline noise, for which 126 264 unique elemental compositions could be assigned. Approximately two-thirds of those compositions represent monoisotopic (i.e., chemically different) species. That complexity is higher than that for any previously reported mass spectrum and almost 3 times greater than that obtained from the corresponding broad-band spectrum (59 015). For the segmented mass spectrum, the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) was significantly higher throughout the spectrum, but especially at the lower and upper ends of mass distribution relative to that of the near-Gaussian broad-band mass distribution. Despite this S/N improvement, mass measurement accuracy was noticeably improved only at lower masses. The increased S/N did, however, yield a higher number of peaks and higher dynamic range throughout the entire segmented spectrum relative to the conventional broad-band spectrum. The additional assigned peaks include higher heteroatom species, as well as additional radicals and isotopologues. Segmenting can require a significant investment in data acquisition and analysis time over broad-band spectroscopy (∼1775% in this case) making it best suited for targeted analysis and/or when complete compositional coverage is important. Finally, the present segmented spectrum contains, to our knowledge, more assigned peaks than any spectrum of any kind (e.g., UV-vis, infrared, microwave, magnetic resonance, etc.).

High resolution mass spectrometry is a key technology for in-depth protein characterization. High-field Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) enables high-level interrogation of intact proteins in the most detail to date. However, an appropriate complement of fragmentation technologies must be paired with FTMS to provide comprehensive sequence coverage, as well as characterization of sequence variants, and post-translational modifications. Here we describe the integration of front-end electron transfer dissociation (FETD) with a custom-built 21 tesla FT-ICR mass spectrometer, which yields unprecedented sequence coverage for proteins ranging from 2.8 to 29 kDa, without the need for extensive spectral averaging (e.g., ~60% sequence coverage for apo-myoglobin with four averaged acquisitions). The system is equipped with a multipole storage device separate from the ETD reaction device, which allows accumulation of multiple ETD fragment ion fills. Consequently, an optimally large product ion population is accumulated prior to transfer to the ICR cell for mass analysis, which improves mass spectral signal-to-noise ratio, dynamic range, and scan rate. We find a linear relationship between protein molecular weight and minimum number of ETD reaction fills to achieve optimum sequence coverage, thereby enabling more efficient use of instrument data acquisition time. Finally, real-time scaling of the number of ETD reactions fills during method-based acquisition is shown, and the implications for LC-MS/MS top-down analysis are discussed. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

It is shown that accurate x-ray microanalysis of frozen-hydrated and dry organic compounds, such as model biological samples, is possible with a silicon drift detector in combination with XPP (exponential model of Pouchou and Pichoir matrix correction) software using 'remote standards'. This type of analysis is also referred to as 'standardless analysis'. Analyses from selected areas or elemental images (maps) were identical. Improvements in x-ray microanalytical hardware and software, together with developments in cryotechniques, have made the quantitative analysis of cryoplaned frozen-hydrated biological samples in the scanning electron microscope a much simpler procedure. The increased effectiveness of pulse pile-up rejection renders the analysis of Na, with ultrathin window detectors, in the presence of very high concentrations of O, from ice, more accurate. The accurate analysis of Ca (2 mmol kg-1 ) in the presence of high concentrations of K is possible. Careful sublimation of surface frost from frozen-hydrated samples resulted in a small increase in analysed elemental concentrations. A more prolonged sublimation from the same resurfaced sample and other similar samples resulted in higher element concentrations.

Petroleum emulsion interfacial material (species that reside in the water/oil interface) are believed to be responsible for stabilizing emulsions in petroleum; therefore, their characterization can help to develop strategies to mitigate/manipulate petroleum emulsions. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) has shown that the species present at the oil/water interface are enriched in sulfur- and oxygen-containing functionalities. However, structural and isomeric information about the chemical functionalities is still uncertain. Here, we demonstrate the potential of ion mobility mass spectrometry (IM-MS) combined with post-ion mobility collision-induced dissociation (post-IM CID) to characterize functional isomers in petroleum emulsion interfacial material. Interfacial material was isolated from Athabasca bitumen and a heavy crude oil by the wet silica method. IM time-of-flight (TOF) MS analysis shows the presence of multiple isomeric O3S1 species in both samples. Post-IM CI...

Caprolactam, a precursor to nylon-6 has been investigated as part of our studies into the polymerization of materials at high pressure. Single-crystal X-ray and neutron powder diffraction data have been used to explore the high-pressure phase behavior of caprolactam, two new high pressure solid forms were observed. The transition between each of the forms requires a substantial rearrangement of the molecules and we observe that the kinetic barrier to the conversion can aid retention of phases beyond their region of stability. Form II of caprolactam shows a small pressure region of stability between 0.5 GPa and 0.9 GPa with Form III being stable from 0.9 GPa to 5.4 GPa. The two high-pressure forms have a catemeric hydrogen-bonding pattern compared with the dimer interaction observed in ambient pressure Form I. The interaction between the chains has a marked effect on the directions of maximal compressibility in the structure. Neither of the high-pressure forms can be recovered to ambient pressure and there is no evidence of any polymerization occurring.

The current five-year survival rate for systemic AL amyloidosis or multiple myeloma is ∼51%, indicating the urgent need for better diagnosis methods and treatment plans. Here, we describe highly specific and sensitive top-down and middle-down MS/MS methods owning the advantages of fast sample preparation, ultrahigh mass accuracy, and extensive residue cleavages with 21 telsa FT-ICR MS/MS. Unlike genomic testing, which requires bone marrow aspiration and may fail to identify all monoclonal immunoglobulins produced by the body, the present method requires only a blood draw. In addition, circulating monoclonal immunoglobulins spanning the entire population are analyzed and reflect the selection of germline sequence by B cells. The monoclonal immunoglobulin light chain FR2-CDR2-FR3 was sequenced by database-aided de novo MS/MS and 100% matched the gene sequencing result, except for two amino acids with isomeric counterparts, enabling accurate germline sequence classification. The monoclonal immunoglobulin heavy chains were also classified into specific germline sequences based on the present method. This work represents the first application of top/middle-down MS/MS sequencing of endogenous human monoclonal immunoglobulins with polyclonal immunoglobulins background.

Rationale Bottom-up tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) is regularly used in proteomics to identify proteins from a sequence database. De novo sequencing is also available for sequencing peptides with relatively short sequence lengths. We recently showed that paired Lys-C and Lys-N proteases produce peptides of identical mass and similar retention time, but different tandem mass spectra. Such parallel experiments provide complementary information, and allow for up to 100% MS/MS sequence coverage. Methods Here, we report digestion by paired Lys-C and Lys-N proteases of a seven-protein mixture: human hemoglobin alpha, bovine carbonic anhydrase 2, horse skeletal muscle myoglobin, hen egg white lysozyme, bovine pancreatic ribonuclease, bovine rhodanese, and bovine serum albumin, followed by reversed-phase nanoflow liquid chromatography, collision-induced dissociation, and 14.5 T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. Results Matched pairs of product peptide ions of equal precursor mass and similar retention times from each digestion are compared, leveraging single-residue transposed information with independent interferences to confidently identify fragment ion types, residues, and peptides. Selected pairs of product ion mass spectra for de novo sequenced protein segments from each member of the mixture are presented. Conclusions Pairs of the transposed product ions as well as complementary information from the parallel experiments allow for both high MS/MS coverage for long peptide sequences and high confidence in the amino acid identification. Moreover, the parallel experiments in the de novo sequencing reduce false-positive matches of product ions from the single-residue transposed peptides from the same segment, and thereby further improve the confidence in protein identification. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Breast cancer was the second leading cause of cancer related mortality for females in 2014. Recent studies suggest histone H1 phosphorylation may be useful as a clinical biomarker of breast and other cancers because of its ability to recognize proliferative cell populations. Although monitoring a single phosphorylated H1 residue is adequate to stratify high-grade breast tumors, expanding our knowledge of how H1 is phosphorylated through the cell cycle is paramount to understanding its role in carcinogenesis. H1 analysis by bottom-up MS is challenging because of the presence of highly homologous sequence variants expressed by most cells. These highly basic proteins are difficult to analyze by LC-MS/MS because of the small, hydrophilic nature of peptides produced by tryptic digestion. Although bottom-up methods permit identification of several H1 phosphorylation events, these peptides are not useful for observing the combinatorial post-translational modification (PTM) patterns on the protein of interest. To complement the information provided by bottom-up MS, we utilized a top-down MS/MS workflow to permit identification and quantitation of H1 proteoforms related to the progression of breast cells through the cell cycle. Histones H1.2 and H1.4 were observed in MDA-MB-231 metastatic breast cells, whereas an additional histone variant, histone H1.3, was identified only in nonneoplastic MCF-10A cells. Progressive phosphorylation of histone H1.4 was identified in both cell lines at mitosis (M phase). Phosphorylation occurred first at S172 followed successively by S187, T18, T146, and T154. Notably, phosphorylation at S173 of histone H1.2 and S172, S187, T18, T146, and T154 of H1.4 significantly increases during M phase relative to S phase, suggesting that these events are cell cycle-dependent and may serve as markers for proliferation. Finally, we report the observation of the H1.2 SNP variant A18V in MCF-10A cells.

It is known that the ion collision cross section (CCS) may be calculated from the linewidth of a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectral peak at elevated pressure (e.g., ∼10(-6) Torr). However, the high mass resolution of FT-ICR is sacrificed in those experiments due to high buffer gas pressure. In this study, we describe a linewidth correction method to eliminate the windowing-induced peak broadening effect. Together with the energetic ion-neutral collision model previously developed by our group, this method enables the extraction of CCSs of biomolecules from high-resolution FT-ICR mass spectral linewidths, obtained at a typical operating buffer gas pressure of modern FT-ICR instruments (∼10(-10) Torr). CCS values of peptides including MRFA, angiotensin I, and bradykinin measured by the proposed method agree well with ion mobility measurements, and the unfolding of protein ions (ubiquitin) at higher charge states is also observed.

International audience; We have examined the aggregation behavior of a typical atmospheric residue feedstock by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The size profiles for compounds containing sulfur, vanadium, and nickel were determined on-line from elemental detection by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) mass spectrometry. Four fractions that vary in aggregation state were analyzed by positive atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) 9.4 tesla Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (APPI FT-ICR MS). Results showed an inverse relationship between fraction aggregate size and monomer ion yield and revealed that aggregation tendency did not correlate with higher polar or aromatic species abundance. Aggregation in the atmospheric residue more closely correlated with increased relative abundance of larger and more aliphatic compounds. The molecular composition of the GPC aggregate fractions suggests that non-polar intermolecular forces between saturated, long-chain alkyl substituents contribute more to aggregation than pi-pi interactions.

Natural organic matter (NOM) is a significant component of marine, freshwater, and glacial ecosystems, affecting multiple biogeochemical processes in the environment.1–7 The combination of allochthonous and autochthonous inputs in aquatic ecosystems contribute greatly to the chemical complexity of organic matter (OM), including an assortment of biochemically identifiable compound classes.8,9 Microorganisms utilize and produce autochthonous OM during microbial metabolism, a relationship that links the microbes to the quality and quantity of OM.10 OM quality is determined by the mixture of different types of chemical species, including labile and recalcitrant compounds. Therefore, the OM quality/chemical character is important to investigate, as it plays a role in microbial metabolism and carbon turnover rates. Within ecosystems, OM is introduced and/or produced, transformed, stored, and transported to downstream ecosystems; yet its origin, chemical characteristics, and overall contribution to the global carbon cycle are not well defined. Determining the molecular composition and fate of OM in aquatic environments is essential to better understand the global carbon cycle.10–12 Until recently, the ability to identify OM components, sources, and chemical processes was very limited. However, determining the chemical constituents of OM at the molecular level remains the ultimate measure for probing OM source material, evolution, and transport, and is used to trace lipid-, protein-, amino sugar-, cellulose-, lignin-, and black carbon-like character, along with potential structural information such as aliphatic and phenolic moieties.13–15 NOM from marine, freshwater, and glacial ecosystems is comprised of chemical constituents that are polyfunctional, heterogeneous, polyelectrolytic, vary in molecular weights, and is present at high and low concentrations. High magnetic field (>7 tesla) ultrahigh-resolution Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry (FTICRMS)16 is currently the only mass spectrometry technique capable of achieving the resolution and accuracy required to directly determine molecular formulae of NOM constituents. High field strength and field homogeneity are the keys to produce both ultrahigh mass resolving power (m/Δm50% >500,000, in which Δm50% is the mass spectral peak full width at half-maximum peak height) and mass accuracy (rms error

RATIONALE Paired Lys-N and Lys-C proteases produce peptides of identical mass and similar retention time, but different tandem mass spectra. Data from these parallel experiments provide constraints that are applied before data analysis. With this approach, we can find matched spectra before analysis, distinguish ion type, and determine residue level confidence. METHODS Aliquots are digested separately by Lys-N and Lys-C peptidases, and analyzed by reversed-phase nano-flow liquid chromatography, collision-induced dissociation, and 14.5 T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. Matched pairs of fragmentation spectra with equal precursor mass and similar retention times from each digestion are compared, leveraging single-residue transposed information with independent interferences to confidently identify fragment ion type, residues, and peptides. The paired spectra are solved together as a single de novo sequencing problem. RESULTS Two pairs of spectra of a de novo sequenced 18-mer are presented. In one example, the 18-mer has coverage of all residues except the N- and C- terminal lysines and their adjacent residues. The confidence level is high due to six pairs of transposed ions. In the other example, the coverage is incomplete. Nonetheless, nine pairs of transposed ions facilitate identification of two trimer sequence tags with high confidence, one with medium confidence, and additional sequence information with residue-by-residue confidence, thus demonstrating the value of residue-by-residue confidence. CONCLUSIONS Sequence identity and variability, such as post-translational modifications (PTMs), are essential to understanding biological function and disease. The present method facilitates discovery of new peptides with multiple levels of confidence, promises potential characterization of PTMs, and validates peptides from databases. Independent validation may be of interest for a number of applications. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

To understand the role and function of a biomolecule in a biosystem, it is important to know both its composition and structure. Here, a mass spectrometric based approach has been proposed and applied to demonstrate that collision cross sections and high-resolution mass spectra of biomolecule ions may be obtained simultaneously by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. With this method, the unfolding phenomena for ubiquitin ions that possess different number of charges have been investigated, and results agree well with ion mobility measurements. In the present approach, we extend ion collision cross-section measurements to lower pressures than in prior ion cyclotron resonance (ICR)-based experiments, thereby maintaining the potentially high resolution of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR MS), and enabling collision cross section (CCS) measurements for high-mass biomolecules.

In the first use of high-field electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to characterize paramagnetic metal-organic and free radical species from tar balls and weathered crude oil samples from the Gulf of Mexico (collected after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill) and an asphalt volcano sample collected off the coast of Santa Barbara, CA, we are able to identify for the first time the various paramagnetic species present in the native state of these samples and understand their molecular structures and bonding. The two tar ball and one asphalt volcano samples contain three distinct paramagnetic species: (i) an organic free radical, (ii) a [VO](2+) containing porphyrin, and (iii) a Mn(2+) containing complex. The organic free radical was found to have a disc-shaped or flat structure, based on its axially symmetric spectrum. The characteristic spectral features of the vanadyl species closely resemble those of pure vanadyl porphyrin; hence, its nuclear framework around the vanadyl ion must be similar to that of vanadyl octaethyl porphyrin (VOOEP). The Mn(2+) ion, essentially undetected by low-field EPR, yields a high-field EPR spectrum with well-resolved hyperfine features devoid of zero-field splitting, characteristic of tetrahedral or octahedral Mn-O bonding. Although the lower-field EPR signals from the organic free radicals in fossil fuel samples have been investigated over the last 5 decades, the observed signal was featureless. In contrast, high-field EPR (up to 240 GHz) reveals that the species is a disc-shaped hydrocarbon molecule in which the unpaired electron is extensively delocalized. We envisage that the measured g-value components will serve as a sensitive basis for electronic structure calculations. High-field electron nuclear double resonance experiments should provide an accurate picture of the spin density distribution for both the vanadyl-porphyrin and Mn(2+) complexes, as well as the organic free radical, and will be the focus of follow-up studies.

We report the first combination of a commercial direct analysis in real time (DART) source with FT-ICR MS and its application to analysis of complex organic mixtures. DART enables ionization of compounds with little or no sample preparation, and FT-ICR provides ultrahigh mass resolution and mass accuracy. The combination provides a rapid, robust, and reliable method for analysis of components spanning a wide range of chemical functionality. DART 9.4 T FT-ICR MS generates abundant molecular or quasimolecular ions from C 60 , heavy petroleum, naphthenate deposits, and biotar, without fragmentation. Moreover, we demonstrate desorption/ionization of compounds with boiling points significantly higher than the DART source temperature. DART FT-ICR MS thus offers a new and useful atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry technique for analysis of complex organic mixtures.

Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometry provides unparalleled mass accuracy and resolving power.[1],[2] With electrospray ionization (ESI), ions are typically transferred into the mass spectrometer through a skimmer, which serves as a conductance-limiting orifice. However, the skimmer allows only a small fraction of incoming ions to enter the mass spectrometer. An ion funnel, originally developed by Smith and coworkers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)[3-5] provides much more efficient ion focusing and transfer. The large entrance aperture of the ion funnel allows almost all ions emanating from a heated capillary to be efficiently captured and transferred, resulting in nearly lossless transmission.

The synthetic generation/coding and transmission of olfactory information over a gas stream or an odor network is a new and unexplored field. Application areas vary from the entertainment or advertisement industry to security and telemedicine. However, current technological limitations frustrate the accurate reproduction of decoded and transmitted olfactory data. This study describes the development, testing, and characterization of a novel odor emitter (OE) that is used to investigate the generation-encoding of gaseous standards with odorous characteristics with a regulatable way, for scent transmission purposes. The calibration and the responses of a developed OE were examined using a portable quadrupole mass spectrometer (MS). Experiments were undertaken for a range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at different temperatures and flow rates. Individual compounds and mixtures were tested to investigate periodic and dynamic transmission characteristics within two different size tubular containers for distances up to 3 m. Olfactory information transmission is demonstrated using MS as the main molecular sensor for odor detection and monitoring and for the first time spatial encryption of olfactory information is shown. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Ultrahigh-resolution negative-ion electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) was used to characterize Athabasca oil sands processed water (OSPW) treated by (A) coagulation flocculent with lime and bentonite, (B) coagulation flocculent with lime and bentonite followed by activated carbon, and (C) combined ozonation and ultrasonication. Treatment A was ineffective in reducing the level of total naphthenic acid fraction components [NAFCs, defined as the acid-extractable fraction of OSPWs or crude oils (CnH2n + zOwSxNy), where the values n, w, x, and y indicate the number of carbon, oxygen, sulfur, and nitrogen atoms, respectively, and z represents the hydrogen atom deficiency because of the presence of double bonds and ring formation]. Likewise, for treatment A, little or no change was observed for the double bond equivalent (DBE) distributions of the compound classes. Treatments B and C resulted in the reduction of total NAFCs by 26 ± 1.4 and 89 ± 1.1%, r...

We present laser desorption atmospheric pressure photochemical ionization mass spectrometry (LD/APPCI MS) for rapid throughput analysis of complex organic mixtures, without the need for matrix, electric discharge, secondary electrospray, or solvents/vaporizers. Analytes dried on a microscope slide are vaporized in transmission geometry by a laser beam aligned with the atmospheric pressure inlet of the mass spectrometer. The laser beam initiates a cascade of reactions in the region between the glass slide and MS inlet, leading to generation of reagent ions for chemical ionization of vaporized analyte. Positive analyte ions are generated predominantly by proton transfer, charge exchange, and hydride abstraction, whereas negative ions are generated by electron capture or proton transfer reactions, enabling simultaneous analysis of saturated, unsaturated, and heteroatom-containing hydrocarbons. The absence of matrix interference renders LD/APPCI MS particularly useful for analysis of small molecules (2000 Da) such as those present in petroleum crude oil and petroleum deposits. [M + H](+) and M(+•) dominate the positive-ion mass spectra for olefins and polyaromatic hydrocarbons, whereas saturated hydrocarbons are observed mainly as [M - H](+) and/or M(+•). Heteroatom-containing hydrocarbons are observed predominantly as [M + H](+). [M - H](-) and M(-•) are the dominant negative ions observed for analytes of lower gas-phase basicity or higher electron affinity than O2. The source was coupled with a 9.4 T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer (FTICR MS) to resolve and identify thousands of peaks from Athabasca bitumen heavy vacuum gas oil distillates (400-425 and 500-538 °C), enabling simultaneous characterization of their polar and nonpolar composition. We also applied LD/APPCI FTICR MS for rapid analysis of sodium and calcium naphthenate deposits with little to no sample pretreatment to provide mass spectral fingerprints that enable reliable compositional characterization.

Lithium cationization can significantly extend the compositional range for analysis of petroleum components by positive electrospray ionization [(+) ESI], by accessing species that lack a basic nitrogen atom and, hence, are not seen by conventional (+) ESI that relies on protonation as the primary ionization mechanism. Here, various solvent compositions and lithium salts enabled us to optimize ionization by formation of lithium adducts ([M + Li]+), and the results are compared to production of [M + H]+ by conventional (+) ESI with formic acid. Lithium cationization (+) ESI Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) of Athabasca bitumen heavy vacuum gas oil (475–500 °C) and North and South American crude oils demonstrates considerable improvement over protonation for production of ions from compounds belonging to SxOy (SO, SO2, SO3, SO4, S2O, S2O2, etc.) heteroatom classes. Those compounds exhibit much higher affinity for lithium cation than for proton and yield abundant [M + L...

We present an analytical method for direct analysis of thin-layer chromatography (TLC) separations of petroleum samples by laser desorption ionization (LDI) coupled to Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) imaging. LDI of TLC plates selectively ionizes condensed aromatic hydrocarbons and facilitates two-dimensional imaging of TLC-separated petroleum compounds. Molecular-level characterization available only with ultrahigh-resolution FT-ICR MS provides elemental composition assignment and surpasses conventional TLC readout-based flame ionization detection. Resolution and assignment of migrated molecules targeted by LDI combined with FT-ICR MS provides elemental composition assignment and, therefore, chemical information, i.e., heteroatom class, aromaticity (double bond equivalents), and carbon number. Here, three petroleum samples (a field deposit, a crude oil, and a tar ball) were TLC-separated by their solubility in n-heptane and imaged by LDI FT-ICR MS.

Naphthenic (NAP) acids have been previously characterized by negative electrospray ionization (ESI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), both directly and from acid extracts. Here, we show that collective characterization of NAP acids with negative-ion ESI, both with and without prior extraction, results in a loss of signal from high mass acids because of ion suppression by low mass acids. We have developed an extraction to simultaneously isolate and fractionate NAP acids into distinct molecular weight ranges, thereby grouping acids into fractions with similar ionization efficiency. A NAP acid fraction was isolated (all acids isolated collectively in one fraction) and compared to NAP acid isolation by molecular weight. Characterization of acid molecular weight fractions extended the observed upper mass limit from ∼850 Da for the collectively isolated acids to ∼1450 Da for the acids isolated by molecular weight range, thereby approximately doubling the observed mass rang...

The most abundant and problematic metal compounds in crude oil exist as organic complexes of vanadium and nickel in porphyrin structures derived from biological molecules (chlorophyll and heme), the first petroleum biomarkers discovered by Alfred Treibs in the early 1930s.1 Detailed characterization of the type and structure of porphyrins is critical for development of petroleum upgrading processes, but also to link crude oil to source rock conditions. Because petroporphyrins concentrate in heavy oils, direct characterization challenges routine analytical techniques due to the increased complexity associated with heavy crudes. Atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) provides ultrahigh resolving power (m/Δm50% > 1 000 000 at m/z 500) and subppm mass error (

Fullerenes have been studied for nearly three decades and enormous advances have been made. Mass spectrometry is commonly used for investigations on the distribution of fullerenes formed from evaporated graphite targets, and soot produced from such targets. We report distributions of fullerenes formed by graphite evaporation by use of a pulsed supersonic cluster source and compare them to certain distributions synthesised by other techniques, such as arc discharge and combustion methods. We highlight the fact that physical processes can occur during the mass spectral analysis of fullerenes under certain conditions that may skew the observed distribution of cage sizes present in a sample. In some cases, an analysis of fullerene-containing soot can greatly exaggerate the relative abundance of large fullerenes compared to C60 and medium-sized fullerenes, depending on the particular experimental setup.

Silver cationization constitutes a complementary approach for analysis of petroleum components with positive-ion electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry and accesses species that lack a basic nitrogen atom and, hence, are not observed by conventional positive ESI. Four samples of different origin [Canadian bitumen, Canadian bitumen heavy vacuum gas oil (HVGO; 475–500 °C) and South American and Middle East heavy crude oils, all high in sulfur content] were used to study silver cationization by (+) ESI. Cationization with Ag+ is essentially instantaneous and accesses hydrocarbons and nonpolar sulfur-containing heteroatom classes (e.g., Ss and SsOo), providing an attractive alternative to time-consuming derivatization by S-methylation to ionize sulfur-containing species. For each sample, we compare Ag+ cationization (+) ESI to conventional (+) ESI with formic acid to promote ion formation. Other ionization methods, such as chemical ionization (CI), field desorption (FD), matrix-assisted laser desorpt...

Synthetically engineered copolymers are receiving growing attention for sorption and possible degradation of components in oil sands processed water (OSPW). β-Cyclodextrin (β-CD) copolymers, for example, have been shown in recent studies of electrospray ionization (ESI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) to adsorb oil sands naphthenic acid fraction components (NAFCs). Herein, we report complementary results for atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) for characterization of NAFCs in OSPW samples following sorption with cyclodextrin-based copolymers. The materials investigated were β-CD-cross-linked with three different types of diisocyanates, namely, (i) 4,4′-dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate, (ii) 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, and (iii) 1,4-phenylene diisocyanate. The APPI studies revealed variable sorption for a complementary range of NAFCs with compound classes not detected by ESI. For example, sorption was observed for new classes of NAFCs: HC, N1O1, N1O2, ...

Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS) of the isolated isotopic distribution for a highly charged biomolecule produces time-domain signal containing large amplitude signal "beats" separated by extended periods of much lower signal magnitude. Signal-to-noise ratio for data sampled between beats is low because of destructive interference of the signals induced by members of the isotopic distribution. Selective blanking of the data between beats has been used to increase spectral signal-to-noise ratio. However, blanking also eliminates signal components and, thus, can potentially distort the resulting FT spectrum. Here, we simulate the time-domain signal from a truncated isotopic distribution for a single charge state of an antibody. Comparison of the FT spectra produced with or without blanking and with or without added noise clearly show that blanking does not improve mass accuracy and introduces spurious peaks at both ends of the isotopic distribution (thereby making it more difficult to identify posttranslational modifications and/or adducts). Although the artifacts are reduced by use of multiple Gaussian (rather than square wave) windowing, blanking appears to offer no advantages for identifying true peaks or for mass measurement.

Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) is a promising photoelectrode material for the oxidation of water, but fundamental studies of this material are lacking. To address this, we report electrical and photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties of BiVO4 single crystals (undoped, 0.6% Mo, and 0.3% W:BiVO4) grown using the floating zone technique. We demonstrate that a small polaron hopping conduction mechanism dominates from 250 to 400 K, undergoing a transition to a variable-range hopping mechanism at lower temperatures. An anisotropy ratio of ~3 was observed along the c axis, attributed to the layered structure of BiVO4. Measurements of the ac field Hall effect yielded an electron mobility of ~0.2 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) for Mo and W:BiVO4 at 300 K. By application of the Gärtner model, a hole diffusion length of ~100 nm was estimated. As a result of low carrier mobility, attempts to measure the dc Hall effect were unsuccessful. Analyses of the Raman spectra showed that Mo and W substituted for V and acted as donor impurities. Mott-Schottky analysis of electrodes with the (001) face exposed yielded a flat band potential of 0.03-0.08 V versus the reversible H2 electrode, while incident photon conversion efficiency tests showed that the dark coloration of the doped single crystals did not result in additional photocurrent. Comparison of these intrinsic properties to those of other metal oxides for PEC applications gives valuable insight into this material as a photoanode.

Top-down electron capture dissociation (ECD) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometry was performed for structural analysis of an intact monoclonal antibody (IgG1kappa (κ) isotype, ~148 kDa). Simultaneous ECD for all charge states (42+ to 58+) generates more extensive cleavages than ECD for an isolated single charge state. The cleavages are mainly localized in the variable domains of both heavy and light chains, the respective regions between the variable and constant domains in both chains, the region between heavy-chain constant domains CH2 and CH3, and the disulfide bond (S-S)-linked heavy-chain constant domain CH3. The light chain yields mainly N-terminal fragment ions due to the protection of the interchain disulfide bond between light and heavy chain, and limited cleavage sites are observed in the variable domains for each chain, where the S-S spans the polypeptide backbone. Only a few cleavages in the S-S-linked light-chain constant domain, hinge region, and heavy-chain constant domains CH1 and CH2 are observed, leaving glycosylation uncharacterized. Top-down ECD with a custom-built 9.4 T FTICR mass spectrometer provides more extensive sequence coverage for structural characterization of IgG1κ than does top-down collision-induced dissociation (CID) and electron transfer dissociation (ETD) with hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight instruments and comparable sequence coverage for top-down ETD with orbitrap mass analyzers.

Asphaltenes and maltenes are defined operationally by solubility (in, e.g., heptane). Asphaltenes self-associate in solution and form putative nanoaggregates composed of approximately 6–10 asphaltene monomers per subunit. Bulk measurements indicate that asphaltenes are more aromatic than maltenes and contain more heteroatoms and metals (nitrogen, sulfur, oxygen, nickel, and vanadium). Numerous direct imaging, molecular diffusion, and mass spectral results agree that asphaltenes and maltenes are defined by similar, overlapped carbon number ranges, drastically restricting the acceptable carbon number and aromaticity “compositional space” for asphaltene compounds. Thus, when viewed by a plot of aromaticity versus carbon number for a given heteroatom class, asphaltenes must occupy different compositional space than maltenes because they share the same carbon number range but differ in bulk aromaticity and solution phase behavior. Boduszynski’s work supported overlapping asphaltene/maltene molecular weights, a...

Twenty-five years ago, Boduszynski et al. conducted a comprehensive study of heavy oil composition and concluded that crude oil composition increases gradually and continuously with regard to aromaticity, molecular weight, and heteroatom content from the light distillates to non-distillables (the Boduszynski continuum model). Previous exhaustive characterization of heavy vacuum gas oil by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) provided compositional data that strongly supports the continuum model. However, when the molecular formulas obtained by FT-ICR MS for the distillates and asphaltenes from the same parent crude oil are plotted as double bond equivalents (DBE) versus carbon number, a gap appears between the compositional space of “asphaltenes” and “maltenes”, in contradiction to the Boduszynski–Altgelt model. Here, a heavy distillate cut (atmospheric equivalent boiling point of 523–593 °C) is fractionated according to the number of aromatic rings by HPLC-2. The C7-dea...

Exposure to inorganic arsenic, a ubiquitous environmental toxic metalloid, leads to carcinogenesis. However, the mechanism is unknown. Several studies have shown that inorganic arsenic exposure alters specific gene expression patterns, possibly through alterations in chromatin structure. While most studies on understanding the mechanism of chromatin-mediated gene regulation have focused on histone post-translational modifications, the role of histone variants remains largely unknown. Incorporation of histone variants alters the functional properties of chromatin. To understand the global dynamics of chromatin structure and function in arsenic-mediated carcinogenesis, analysis of the histone variants incorporated into the nucleosome and their covalent modifications is required. Here we report the first global mass spectrometric analysis of histone H2B variants as cells undergo arsenic-mediated epithelial to mesenchymal transition. We used electron capture dissociation-based top-down tandem mass spectrometry analysis validated with quantitative reverse transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction to identify changes in the expression levels of H2B variants in inorganic arsenic-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition. We identified changes in the expression levels of specific histone H2B variants in two cell types, which are dependent on dose and length of exposure of inorganic arsenic. In particular, we found increases in H2B variants H2B1H/1K/1C/1J/1O and H2B2E/2F, and significant decreases in H2B1N/1D/1B as cells undergo inorganic arsenic-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition. The analysis of these histone variants provides a first step toward an understanding of the functional significance of the diversity of histone structures, especially in inorganic arsenic-mediated gene expression and carcinogenesis.

Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) typically utilizes an m/z-independent excitation magnitude to excite all ions to the same cyclotron radius, so that the detected signal magnitude is directly proportional to the relative ion abundance. However, deleterious space charge interaction between ion clouds is maximized for clouds of equal radius. To minimize ion cloud interactions, we induce an m/z-dependent ion radius distribution (30%-45% of the maximum cell radius) that results in a 3-fold increase in mass spectral dynamic range for complex mixtures, consistent with increased ion cloud lifetime for less-abundant ion clouds. Further, broadband frequency-sweep (chirp) excitation that contains the second and/or third harmonic frequency of an excited ion cloud swept from low-to-high frequency produces systematic variations in accurate mass measurement not observed when the sweep direction is reversed. The ion cyclotron radius distribution induces an m/z-dependent frequency shift that can be corrected to provide a root-mean-square (rms) mass measurement error of

The potential for sorption and possible degradation of components in oil sands processed water (OSPW) by the use of synthetically engineered co-polymers is receiving growing attention. Recent research has highlighted the sorption of total oil sands naphthenic acid fraction components (NAFCs) by β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) co-polymers. The incorporation of β-CD within co-polymer frameworks represents a novel modular approach with significant potential for controlled tuning of the textural mesoporosity of the sorbents. Herein, we report the Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) characterization of aqueous samples containing oil sands NAFCs following sorption with a range of cyclodextrin-based co-polymers. The materials investigated were β-CD cross-linked with three different types of diisocyanates, namely, (i) 4,4′-dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate, (ii) 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, and (iii) 1,4-phenylene diisocyanate. Variable sorption of NAFCs was observed according to th...

We present atmospheric pressure laser-induced acoustic desorption chemical ionization (AP/LIAD-CI) with O(2) carrier/reagent gas as a powerful new approach for the analysis of saturated hydrocarbon mixtures. Nonthermal sample vaporization with subsequent chemical ionization generates abundant ion signals for straight-chain, branched, and cycloalkanes with minimal or no fragmentation. [M - H](+) is the dominant species for straight-chain and branched alkanes. For cycloalkanes, M(+•) species dominate the mass spectrum at lower capillary temperature (100 °C) and [M - H](+) at higher temperature (200 °C). The mass spectrum for a straight-chain alkane mixture (C(21)-C(40)) shows comparable ionization efficiency for all components. AP/LIAD-CI produces molecular weight distributions similar to those for gel permeation chromatography for polyethylene polymers, Polywax 500 and Polywax 655. Coupling of the technique to Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR MS) for the analysis of complex hydrocarbon mixtures provides unparalleled mass resolution and accuracy to facilitate unambiguous elemental composition assignments, e.g., 1754 peaks (rms error = 175 ppb) corresponding to a paraffin series (C(12)-C(49), double-bond equivalents, DBE = 0) and higher DBE series corresponding to cycloparaffins containing one to eight rings. Isoabundance-contoured plots of DBE versus carbon number highlight steranes (DBE = 4) of carbon number C(27)-C(30) and hopanes of C(29)-C(35) (DBE = 5), with sterane-to-hopane ratio in good agreement with field ionization (FI) mass spectrometry analysis, but performed at atmospheric pressure. The overall speciation of nonpolar, aliphatic hydrocarbon base oil species offers a promising diagnostic probe to characterize crude oil and its products.

An absorption-mode Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrum exhibits two types of baseline distortion: a slow periodic oscillation even where no signal peaks are present, and additional distortion near signal peaks and proportional to signal magnitude. These distortions interfere with automated peak-picking, unless the baseline systematic variation is much less than baseline rms random noise. We previously showed that the slow oscillation is removed by low-pass filtering. Here, we present a fast, robust, and automated algorithm that flattens the absorption-mode spectral baseline, even in the vicinity of signal peaks. The method begins by defining baseline data values, followed by linear interpolation to generate baseline data values between the defined values, then boxcar smoothing to generate a final baseline spectrum, and final subtraction of that baseline from the original spectrum to yield a baseline-flattened absorption-mode spectrum. We apply the algorithm to a crude oil spectrum (with 8000 peaks) and to a ribonuclease A protein spectrum (with multiply-charged ion isotopic distributions). We identify many more peaks (crude oil) without loss of mass accuracy, and obtain more accurate isotopic distributions (RNase A).

Pyrolysis of solid biomass, in this case pine pellets and peanut hulls, generates a hydrocarbon-rich liquid product (bio-oil) consisting of oily and aqueous phases. Here, each phase is characterized by negative-ion electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI FT-ICR MS) to yield unique elemental compositions for thousands of compounds. Bio-oils are dominated by Ox species: few oxygens per molecule for the oily phase and many more oxygens per molecules for the aqueous phase. Thus, the increased oxygen content per molecule accounts for its water solubility. Peanut hull bio-oil is much more compositionally complex and contains more nitrogen-containing compounds than pine pellet bio-oil. Bulk C, H, N, O, and S measurements confirm the increased levels of nitrogen-containing species identified in the peanut hull pyrolysis oil by FT-ICR MS. The ability of FT-ICR MS to identify and assign unique elemental compositions to compositionally complex bio-oils based on ultrah...

A large-scale molecular model for Illinois No. 6 Argonne Premium coal is generated based on an automated construction approach in an effort to move toward capturing the continuum structure. The model contains 50,789 atoms within 728 molecules and is the largest, most complex coal representation constructed to-date. The aromatic ring size distribution was based on multiple high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) lattice fringe micrographs and was duplicated with automated construction protocols (Fringe3D) in molecular modeling space. Additional structural data was obtained from the abundant literature assessing this Argonne Premium coal. Organic oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur functionalities were incorporated primarily into the polyaromatic structures according to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray adsorption near-edge structure spectroscopy data. Aliphatic carbons were in the form of cross-links (bridges and loops) and pendant alkyl groups based on the combination of laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (LDIMS), ruthenium ion catalyzed oxidation, elemental analysis, and NMR data in good agreement with the literature. Bound and bulk water was also included. Construction of the coal molecules was performed by use of Perl scripts developed in Materials Studio to eliminate personal bias and improve the accuracy and the scale of the structure generated. The large-scale model captured a broad and continuous molecular weight distribution in accordance with LDIMS data here ranging from 100 to 2850 Da, enabling inclusion of structural diversity to capture a portion of the continuum structure. A theoretical pyridine extraction yield, determined by a group contribution approach, was in agreement with the experimental value. The extract and residue representations were generated from the large-scale Illinois coal model and showed consistency with NMR, elemental analysis and LDIMS trends. The distribution of heteroatomic classes and double bond equivalents was also well-defined experimentally based on electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. These data further constrain the molecular weight of extractable material and was consistent with limited pyridine extractability and model heteroatom classes. Future work will be well served by staying within the limits established by the approach and increasing the structural diversity (sampling frequency through increased scale) to better capture the complex nature of coal structural diversity, i.e., the continuum.