Atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization inlet

One of the first successful techniques for selectively removing solvent from a solution without losing the dissolved solute was to add the solution dropwise to a moving continuous belt. The drops of solution on the belt were heated sufficiently to evaporate the solvent, and the residual solute on the belt was carried into a normal El (electron ionization) or Cl (chemical ionization) ion source, where it was heated more strongly so that it in turn volatilized and could be ionized. However, the moving-belt system had some mechanical problems and could be temperamental. The more recent, less-mechanical inlets such as electrospray have displaced it. The electrospray inlet should be compared with the atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization (APCI) inlet, which is described in Chapter 9. 

The term nebulizer is used generally as a description for any spraying device, such as the hair spray mentioned above. It is normally applied to any means of forming an aerosol spray in which a volume of liquid is broken into a mist of vapor and small droplets and possibly even solid matter. There is a variety of nebulizer designs for transporting a solution of analyte in droplet form to a plasma torch in ICP/MS and to the inlet/ionization sources used in electrospray and mass spectrometry (ES/MS) and atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization and mass spectrometry (APCI/MS). 

The LC/TOF instmment was designed specifically for use with the effluent flowing from LC columns, but it can be used also with static solutions. The initial problem with either of these inlets revolves around how to remove the solvent without affecting the substrate (solute) dissolved in it. Without this step, upon ionization, the large excess of ionized solvent molecules would make it difficult if not impossible to observe ions due only to the substrate. Combined inlet/ionization systems are ideal for this purpose. For example, dynamic fast-atom bombardment (FAB), plas-maspray, thermospray, atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization (APCI), and electrospray (ES)... 

The ion guides are frequently used to transmit ions from an atmospheric-pressure inlet/source system (electrospray ionization, atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization) into the vacuum region of an m/z analyzer. 

Figure 2.1 Mass spectrometric approach. Dl, direct inlet GC, gas chromatography HPLC, high performance liquid chromatography CZE, capillary zone electrophoresis El, electron ionization Cl, chemical ionization ESI, electrospray ionization DESI, desorption electrospray ionization APCI, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization MALDI, matrix assisted laser desorption ionization B, magnetic analyzer E, electrostatic analyzer...

In order to combine reversed-phase LC with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI)-MS (125), a commercially available heated nebulizer interface that can handle pure aqueous eluents at flow rates up to 2 ml/min in addition to nonvolatile buffers has been used (126). The heated nebulizer inlet probe consists... 

The advent of atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) is a relatively recent development, in which the same processes occur as in CI, outlined previously, but at atmospheric pressure. By a very similar mechanism to CI, the reagent gas (water) becomes protonated and can act as an acid towards the analyte, leading to the addition of a proton. Once again the species formed in positive ion mode is [M + H]. In the case of negative ion mode, the reagent gas acts as a base towards the analyte, and deprotonation occurs leading to the formation of [M—H], Once ions have been formed, they are funnelled towards the analyser inlet of the MS instrument by the use of electric potentials. APCI is also employed in LC-MS systems (see Section 5.6). 

Another popular and efficient inlet system for the LC/MS combination is the atmospheric pressure chemical ionization process. This system has some similarity to the electrospray interface and can also cope with flow rates of up to 2 ml/min. and thus the total column eluent can be utilized without splitting the flow. 

In atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization (APCI), a nebulized stream of droplets leaves the sample inlet tube and travels toward the entrance to the mass analyzer. During this passage, ions are produced, but the yield is rather small. By introducing electrodes across the flow of sample material at atmospheric pressure, a discharge can be started, which is essentially of a corona type. 

It might be noted at this stage that some mass spectrometer inlets are also ionization sources. For example, with electrospray ionization (ES) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), the inlet systems themselves also provide the ions needed for mass spectrometry. In these cases, the method of introducing the sample becomes the method of ionization, and the two are not independent. This consideration can be important. For example, electrospray produces abundant... 

Earlier implementation of SFC-MS followed the evolution of both HPLC-MS and GC-MS interfaces [11,21,23-26], As the API interfaces of HPLC-MS became mainstream analytical techniques in recent decades, they were also quickly employed for SFC-MS [21,23,26-37], The atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) [27,33] and electrospray ionization (ESI) [36,37] sources are the most popular API interfaces for SFC-MS systems and allow for direct introduction of the effluent to the inlet of the mass spectrometer (Table 9.1). In some cases, the commercial API sources used for HPLC-MS system were proven to be applicable to the SFC-MS system with no modification [11,21,38-41], However, some modification in the SFC-MS interface may be desired for SFC to achieve stable operation and enhanced ionization [22], The ideal interfaces for SFC-MS would provide uniform pulse free flow, maintain chromatographic integrity, and ionize a wide range of analytes. 

Organic compounds can be ionized in many ways those of primary interest for use with chromatographic inlets include electron impact, chemical ionization, atmospheric pressure ionization (electrospray and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization), thermospray, and fast atom bombardment [7,8]. 

A new generation of mass spectrometer inlets allow for direct sampling of a substrate under ambient conditions. Theoretically, this eliminates the need for any sample preparation. Examples include direct analysis in real time (DART) and desorption electrospray ionization (DESI), as well as desorption atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization (DAPCI) and atmospheric solids analysis probe (ASAP). These techniques utilize a source of energy interacting directly with a sample surface at ambient pressure, causing molecules of interest to desorb, ionize, and be sampled by a mass spectrometer. 

The basic function of the mass spectrometer is to measure the mass-to-charge ratios of analyte ions, and the various designs of mass spectrometers have been described in detail in the literature. The HPLC-MS system has four main components consisting of a sample inlet, an ion source, a mass analyzer, and finally an ion detector. The sample introduction system vaporizes the HPLC column effluent. The ion source produces ions from the neutral analyte molecules in the vapor phase. Several designs of ion sources have been used over the past years including electrospray ionization (ESI), atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), thermospray ionization (TSP), continuous flow fast atom bombardment (FAB), and atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI). The inductively coupled plasma (ICP) is a hard ionization source and is used specifically for the detection of metals and metals in adducts or in organometallic compounds. Generally, ICP-MS is used for elemental speciation analysis with HPLC, which has been described elsewhere in... 

In terms of the hardware, TRMS methods described in this book use most common types of ion sources and analyzers. Electrospray ionization (ESI), electron ionization (El), atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), or photoionization systems, and their modified versions, are all widely used in TRMS measurements. The newly developed atmospheric pressure ionization schemes such as desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) and Venturi easy ambient sonic-spray ionization (V-EASI) have already found applications in this area. Mass analyzers constitute the biggest and the most costly part of MS hardware. Few laboratories can afford purchasing different types of mass spectrometers for use in diverse applications. Therefore, the choice of mass spectrometer for TRMS is not always dictated by the optimum specifications of the instrument but its availability. Fortunately, many real-time measurements can be conducted using different mass analyzers equipped with atmospheric pressure inlets - with better or worse results. For example, triple quadrupole mass spectrometers excel at quantitative capabilities however, in many cases, popular ion trap (IT)-MS instruments can be used instead. On the other hand, applications of TRMS in fundamental studies often require a particular type of instrument (e.g., Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer for photodissociation studies on trapped ions). 

As was discussed in detail in Chapter 4, sample preparation is crucial, especially for samples of biological/biochemical origia Samples can be introduced via a direct inlet, a GC, or an HPLC. Direct introduction may include a heated reservob (for volatile compounds that are bquids at room temperature), a direct insertion probe (for relatively pure, synthesized sobd organic compounds (El) or fast-atom bombardment (FAB) and biomolecules (MALDI), and a direct infusion or flow injection for electtospray ionization (ESI) or atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI, see the following text). GC and HPLC are strongly recommended and routinely used for the analysis of complex mixtures. (These separation techniques will be discussed briefly in Section 3, and has already been discussed in somewhat more detail in Chapter 5.)... 

In the last decade, a nnmber of open air sample introduction methods have been developed that essentially eliminate sample preparation. In various atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) techniqnes, the sample is placed in a stream of ionized gas (Section 3.3B) or solvent aerosol (Section 3.3D) between the ion source and the inlet to the mass analyzer. 

Numerous ionization techniques have been reported in the last century, which are applicable to modern mass spectrometry. Depending on the method of analyte introduction (e.g., direct inlet, GC, LC, or capillary electrophoresis different strategies have been employed including El, Cl, thermospray, particle beam, electrospray ionization (ESI), atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), fast-atom bombardment (FAB), matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI), etc. In sports drug testing, only selected approaches have been applied to routine doping control analyses, which are outlined in the following. 

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