Hyphenated mass spectrometry

Derive data on mass accuracy from high-resolution mass spectra Describe selected hyphenated mass spectrometry methods for... 

Whenever the goals of curve resolution are achieved, the understanding of a chemical system is dramatically increased and facilitated, avoiding the use of enhanced and much more costly experimental techniques. Through multivariate-resolution methods, the ubiquitous mixture analysis problem in chemistry (and other scientific fields) is solved directly by mathematical and software tools instead of using costly analytical chemistry and instrumental tools, for example, as in sophisticated hyphenated mass spectrometry-chromatographic methods. 

Timischl, B., Dettmer, K., and Oefner, P.J., Hyphenated mass spectrometry in the analysis of the central carbon metabolism, Anal. Bioanal. Chem., 391(3), 895, 2008. 

Silberring, J., Ekman, R., Desiderio, D.M., and Nibbering, N. M., Mass Spectrometry and Hyphenated Techniques in Neuropeptide Research, Wiley Interscience, New York, 2002. 

Multidimensional or hyphenated instmments employ two or more analytical instmmental techniques, either sequentially, or in parallel. Hence, one can have multidimensional separations, eg, hplc/gc, identifications, ms/ms, or separations/identifications, such as gc/ms (see CHROMATOGRAPHY Mass spectrometry). The purpose of interfacing two or more analytical instmments is to increase the analytical information while reducing data acquisition time. For example, in tandem-mass spectrometry (ms/ms) (17,18), the first mass spectrometer appHes soft ionization to separate the mixture of choice into molecular ions the second mass spectrometer obtains the mass spectmm of each ion. 

The possibiHties for multidimensional iastmmental techniques are endless, and many other candidate components for iaclusion as hyphenated methods are expected to surface as the technology of interfacing is resolved. In addition, ternary systems, such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-iafrared spectrometry (gc/ms/ir), are also commercially available. 

Coupling of analytical techniques (detectors) to high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) systems has increased in the last tree decades. Initially, gas chromatography was coupled to mass spectrometry (MS), then to infrai ed (IR) spectroscopy. Following the main interest was to hyphenate analytical techniques to HPLC. 

The combination of chromatography and mass spectrometry (MS) is a subject that has attracted much interest over the last forty years or so. The combination of gas chromatography (GC) with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was first reported in 1958 and made available commercially in 1967. Since then, it has become increasingly utilized and is probably the most widely used hyphenated or tandem technique, as such combinations are often known. The acceptance of GC-MS as a routine technique has in no small part been due to the fact that interfaces have been available for both packed and capillary columns which allow the vast majority of compounds amenable to separation by gas chromatography to be transferred efficiently to the mass spectrometer. Compounds amenable to analysis by GC need to be both volatile, at the temperatures used to achieve separation, and thermally stable, i.e. the same requirements needed to produce mass spectra from an analyte using either electron (El) or chemical ionization (Cl) (see Chapter 3). In simple terms, therefore, virtually all compounds that pass through a GC column can be ionized and the full analytical capabilities of the mass spectrometer utilized. 

In the case of the low abundance of some compounds, there are difficulties with signal overlap. To overcome these difficulties, there have been developments involving NMR hyphenation with techniques such as HPLC and mass spectrometry. In LC/NMR methods of analysis, NMR is used as the detector following LC separation and this technique is capable of detecting low concentrations in the nanogram range. This technique has been reported for the detection and identification of flavanoids in fruit juices and the characterization of sugars in wine [17]. 

In the deformulation of PE/additive systems by mass spectrometry, much less fragmentation was observed with DCI-MS/MS using ammonia as a reagent gas, than with FAB-MS [69]. FAB did not detect all the additives in the extracts. The softness and the lack of matrix effect make ammonia DCI a better ionisation technique than FAB for the analysis of additives directly from the extracts. Applications of hyphenated FAB-MS techniques are described elsewhere low-flow LC-MS (Section 7.3.3.2) and CE-MS (Section 7.3.6.1) for polar nonvolatile organics, and TLC-MS (Section 7.3.5.4). 

This chapter deals mainly with (multi)hyphenated techniques comprising wet sample preparation steps (e.g. SFE, SPE) and/or separation techniques (GC, SFC, HPLC, SEC, TLC, CE). Other hyphenated techniques involve thermal-spectroscopic and gas or heat extraction methods (TG, TD, HS, Py, LD, etc.). Also, spectroscopic couplings (e.g. LIBS-LIF) are of interest. Hyphenation of UV spectroscopy and mass spectrometry forms the family of laser mass-spectrometric (LAMS) methods, such as REMPI-ToFMS and MALDI-ToFMS. In REMPI-ToFMS the connecting element between UV spectroscopy and mass spectrometry is laser-induced REMPI ionisation. An intermediate state of the molecule of interest is selectively excited by absorption of a laser photon (the wavelength of a tuneable laser is set in resonance with the transition). The excited molecules are subsequently ionised by absorption of an additional laser photon. Therefore the ionisation selectivity is introduced by the resonance absorption of the first photon, i.e. by UV spectroscopy. However, conventional UV spectra of polyatomic molecules exhibit relatively broad and continuous spectral features, allowing only a medium selectivity. Supersonic jet cooling of the sample molecules (to 5-50 K) reduces the line width of their... 

Gas and liquid chromatography directly coupled with atomic spectrometry have been reviewed [178,179], as well as the determination of trace elements by chromatographic methods employing atomic plasma emission spectrometric detection [180]. Sutton et al. [181] have reviewed the use and applications of ICP-MS as a chromatographic and capillary electrophoretic detector, whereas Niessen [182] has briefly reviewed the applications of mass spectrometry to hyphenated techniques. 

As SFC provides gaseous sample introduction to the plasma and thus near-100 % analyte transport efficiency, coupling SFC with plasma mass spectrometry offers the potential of a highly sensitive, element-selective chromatographic detector for many elements. Helium high-efficiency microwave-induced plasma has been proposed as an element-selective detector for both pSFC and cSFC [467,468] easy hyphenation of pSFC to AED has been reported [213]. 

Further developments of this topic are in progress, both in developing theoretical models and in applying the procedures to real experimental cases. In particular, the methods can be extended to hyphenated techniques to investigate the complex signals obtained from mass spectrometry detection (Pietrogrande et al., 2006b). 

Leinweber, F.C., Schmid, D.G., Lubda, D., Wiesmuller, K., Jung, G., Tallarek, U. (2003). Silica-based monoliths for rapid peptide screening by capillary hquid chromatography hyphenated with electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. Rapid Commun. Mass. Spectrom. 17, 1180-1188. 

Cheguillaume, G., Buchmann, W., Desmazieres, B., Tortajada, J. (2004). Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry hyphenation for exhaustive and unambiguous characterization of polyoxyethylene surfactants. Chromatographia 60(9/10), 561-566. 

Hyphenated techniques like combination of optical detection methods based on reflectometry or refractometry and separation techniques are of future interest. The same is valid for the intention to couple SPR or RIfS with mass spectrometry like MALDI33. 

Wilson ID. 2000. Multiple hyphenation of liquid chromatography with nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and beyond. J Chromatogr A 892 315-327. 

The identification of GC peaks other than through retention data, which are sometimes ambiguous or inconclusive, can be facilitated by the direct interfacing of GC with infrared spectrometry (p. 378 et seq.) or mass spectrometry (p. 426 etseq.), so-called coupled or hyphenated techniques. The general instrumental arrangement is shown in Figure 4.29(a). 

Figure 2.6. Schematic of an electrospray ionization (ESI) source. Reprinted from A. Westman-Brinkmalm and G. Brinkmalm (2002). In Mass Spectrometry and Hyphenated Techniques in Neuropeptide Research, J. Silberring and R. Ekman (eds.) New York John Wiley Sons, 47-105. With permission of John Wiley Sons, Inc.

Figure 2.9. Schematic of a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) event. The SEM micrograph depicts sinapinic acid-equine myoglobin crystal from a sample prepared according to the dried drop sample preparation method. In the desorption event neutral matrix molecules (M), positive matrix ions (M+), negative matrix ions (M-), neutral analyte molecules (N), positive analyte ions (+), and negative analyte ions (-) are created and/or transferred to the gas phase. Reprinted from A. Westman-Brinkmalm and G. Brinkmalm (2002). In Mass Spectrometry and Hyphenated Techniques in Neuropeptide Research, J. Silberring and R. Ekman (eds.) New York John Wiley Sons, 47-105. With permission of John Wiley Sons, Inc.

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