Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry LC-MS

One problem with reversed-phase LC is that some very polar compounds, e.g., amino acids, dissolve preferentially in the mobile phase and do not adsorb onto the stationary phase. Such polar compounds are poorly retained, elute very close to the solvent front, and are separated ineffectively from each other or from inorganic salts that are similarly not retained. 

In contrast to reversed-phase, the stationary phase in normal-phase chromatography is polar, usually silica or alumina, and uses nonpolar solvents, e.g., hexane and ethylacetate, that are not compatible with the API processes nsed in LC-MS. In normal-phase chromatography compounds elute progressively from the least to the most polar. The technique is not applicable to the highly polar compounds encountered 

A reversed phase LC column contains porous particles coated with an organic stationary phase, e.g., a hydrocarbon chain. 

The mobile phase carries analytes around and through the particles. 

The order of elution is determined by the length of time individual analytes remain adsorbed on the stationary phase. 

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Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) is an analytical technique combining the advantages of an LC instrument with those of a mass spectrometer. 

A liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method that can quantitatively analyze urinar y normal and modified nucleosides in less than 30 min with a good resolution and sufficient sensitivity has been developed. Nineteen kinds of normal and modified nucleosides were determined in urine samples from 10 healthy persons and 18 breast cancer patients. Compounds were separ ated on a reverse phase Kromasil C18 column (2.1 mm I.D.) by isocratic elution mode using 20 mg/1 ammonium acetate - acetonitrile (97 3 % v/v) at 200 p.l/min. A higher sensitivity was obtained in positive atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mode APCI(-i-). 

The ion spray liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC-MS) interface coupled via a postsuppressor split with an ion chromatography (IC) has been used in the analysis of alcohol sulfates. The IC-MS readily produces the molecular weight while the tandem mass spectrometric detection IC-MS-MS provides structural information [305]. 

In this book, I have tried to show the way in which high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) has developed, somewhat slowly it has to be said, into a powerful hybrid analytical technique. 

Several methods can be used for the residue analysis of anilides, especially gas chro-matography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). GC/ECD or GC/NPD for the determination of anilides has generally been used except for the unstable metabolites of naproanilide and clomeprop, which are determined by HPLC/UV, HPLC/FL or GC/ECD after derivatization. 

The method for chloroacetanilide soil metabolites in water determines concentrations of ethanesulfonic acid (ESA) and oxanilic acid (OXA) metabolites of alachlor, acetochlor, and metolachlor in surface water and groundwater samples by direct aqueous injection LC/MS/MS. After injection, compounds are separated by reversed-phase HPLC and introduced into the mass spectrometer with a TurboIonSpray atmospheric pressure ionization (API) interface. Using direct aqueous injection without prior SPE and/or concentration minimizes losses and greatly simplifies the analytical procedure. Standard addition experiments can be used to check for matrix effects. With multiple-reaction monitoring in the negative electrospray ionization mode, LC/MS/MS provides superior specificity and sensitivity compared with conventional liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) or liquid chromatography/ultraviolet detection (LC/UV), and the need for a confirmatory method is eliminated. In summary,... 

LC/MS/MS. LC/MS/MS is used for separation and quantitation of the metabolites. Using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) in the negative ion electrospray ionization (ESI) mode, LC/MS/MS gives superior specificity and sensitivity to conventional liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) techniques. The improved specificity eliminates interferences typically found in LC/MS or liquid chro-matography/ultraviolet (LC/UV) analyses. Data acquisition is accomplished with a data system that provides complete instmment control of the mass spectrometer. 

More recently, liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) have been evaluated as possible alternative methods for carfentrazone-ethyl compounds in crop matrices. The LC/MS methods allow the chemical derivatization step for the acid metabolites to be avoided, reducing the analysis time. These new methods provide excellent sensitivity and method recovery for carfentrazone-ethyl. However, the final sample extracts, after being cleaned up extensively using three SPE cartridges, still exhibited ionization suppression due to the matrix background for the acid metabolites. Acceptable method recoveries (70-120%) of carfentrazone-ethyl metabolites have not yet been obtained. 

The need to understand the fate of pesticides in the environment has necessitated the development of analytical methods for the determination of residues in environmental media. Adoption of methods utilizing instrumentation such as gas chro-matography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS), liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS), or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has allowed the detection of minute amounts of pesticides and their degradation products in environmental samples. Sample preparation techniques such as solid-phase extraction (SPE), accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), or solid-phase microextraction (SPME) have also been important in the development of more reliable and sensitive analytical methods. 

For method tryout, run a control sample and two fortifications from each site. One fortification should be done at the LOQ and the other at the highest expected residue level, perhaps 1000 x LOQ. If the recoveries are within the acceptable range of 70-120% and there are no interferences, proceed with the method validation. If interferences are present which prevent quantitation of the analyte, try additional cleanup steps with SPE or use a more selective detection method such as liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). 

Ethylenethiourea (ETU) is a toxic decomposition product/metabolite of alky-lenebis(dithiocarbamates). This compound could be generated during processing of treated crops at elevated temperature. Different chromatographic methods to determine the residue levels of ETU have been published. After extraction with methanol, clean-up on a Gas-Chrom S/alumina column and derivatization (alkylation) with bro-mobutane, ETU residues can be determined by GC with a flame photometric detector in the sulfur mode. Alternatively, ETU residues can also be determined by an HPLC method with UV detection at 240 nm or by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) or liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) (molecular ion m/z 103). ... 

Several determination methods such as GC, HPLC, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) are used for the analysis of neonicotinoid residues. The applications of GC/MS and LC/MS are of increasing importance. The application of HPLC to the determination of neonicotinoids residues is limited, especially when metabolites (such as acetamiprid and nitenpyram) can be easily determined by GC after derivatization. 

Tebuconazole (provided by Bayer), Q -[2-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl]-o -(l,l-dimethyl-ethyl)-li/-l,2,4-triazole-l-ethanol. Molar mass 307.8, (M- -H)+ ion observed at approximately m/z 308.1 [liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS)] Tebuconazole-fnflzoZe-i,2,4-- fV3 (provided in acetonitrile solution by Bayer), [ NsJtebuconazole stable-isotope internal standard, o -[2-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl]-Q -(l,l-dimethylethyl)-li/- A3-l,2,4-triazole-l-ethanol. Molar mass 310.8, (M -I- H)+ ion observed at approximately m/z 311.1 (LC/MS)... 

Two variations on the analysis of PCR products by ESI mass spectrometry have emerged (1) direct-injection MS and tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS) and (2) liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). In the former approach, the sample is cleaned manually, and as noted above, the cleanup is performed as simply and rapidly as possible. In the latter approach, the cleanup is done automatically... 

The use of direct UV spectrophotometry to measure sample concentrations in pharmaceutical research is uncommon, presumably due to the prevalence and attractiveness of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) methods. Consequently, most researchers are unfamiliar with the value of UV detection, mainly that it is generally much faster than other methods - a very important asset in high-throughput screening. 

Methods based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and universally accepted search algorithms permit reliable identifications of low levels of proteins at high sensitivity [6]. Even semispecialized protein chemistry labs can readily identify proteins at the level of a few picomoles (10 pmol of a 50-kDa protein is 500 ng). Specialized groups with access to the latest advances in HPLC and mass spectrometry routinely work with subpicomolar quantities. Chemical proteomics as discussed here requires the more advanced equipment. 

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