Mass measurement, atomic

Finally, accurate mass measurement can be used to help unravel fragmentation mechanisms. A very simple example is given in Figure 38.2. If it is supposed that accurate mass measurements were made on the two ions at 203.94381 and 77.03915, then their difference in mass (126.90466) corresponds exactly to the atomic mass of iodine, showing that this atom must have been eliminated in the fragmentation reaction. 

The upper part of the figure illustrates why the small difference in mass between an ion and its neutral molecule is ignored for the purposes of mass spectrometry. In mass measurement, has been assigned arbitrarily to have a mass of 12.00000, All other atomic masses are referred to this standard. In the lower part of the figure, there is a small selection of elements with their naturally occurring isotopes and their natural abundances. At one extreme, xenon has nine naturally occurring isotopes, whereas, at the other, some elements such as fluorine have only one. 

The unknown gave a molecular ion at m/z 193 with fragment ions at m/zs 174, 148, and 42. From the abundance of the molecular ion, it is probably aromatic, and according to the Nitrogen Rule, contains at least one nitrogen atom. From accurate mass measurement data and an examination of the isotopic abundances in the molecular ion region, the molecular formula was found to be CnH15N02. 

The mass spectrum of the unknown compound showed a molecular ion at m/z 246 with an isotope pattern indicating that one chlorine atom and possibly a sulfur atom are present. The fragment ion at m/z 218 also showed the presence of chlorine and sulfur. The accurate mass measurement showed the molecular formula to be C]3FI7OSCl R + DB = 10. 

The M - 1 peak due to the loss of the aldehyde hydrogen by a-cleavage is usually abundant. The loss of 29 Daltons is characteristic of aromatic aldehydes. Peaks at m/z 39, 50, 51, 63, and 65 and the abundance of the molecular ion show that the compound is aromatic. Accurate mass measurement data indicate the presence of an oxygen atom. 

Figure 2.2. Thermal desorption spectra of carbon monoxide, measured mass spectrometically at mass 28 (atomic units, a.u.), on a platinum (100) surface upon which potassium has been pre-adsorbed to a surface coverage of 0K.7 Reprinted with permission from Elsevier Science.

FIGURE B.5 A mass spectrometer is used to measure the masses of atoms. As the strength of the magnetic field is changed, the path of the accelerated ions moves from A to C. When the path is at B, the ion detector sends a signal to the recorder. The mass of the ion is proportional to the strength of the magnetic field needed to move the beam into position. 

This is not always the case, and the ability to use accurate mass measurements to confirm that certain ions do, or do not, have the same atomic composition would certainly be an advantage. As discussed earlier in Chapter 3, the instruments most widely used for MS-MS studies, i.e. the triple-quadrupole and the ion-trap, do not routinely have accurate mass capability for product ions. 

Chemists keep track of individual atoms and electrons at the atomic level, but in the laboratory, chemists measure mass. Neither the numbers nor the masses of atoms and electrons change during chemical transformations, so mass is also conserved. For example, the burning of 1 g of methane and 2 g of oxygen produces 3 g of carbon dioxide and water. 

Chemistry is a quantitative science, and chemists frequentiy measure amounts of matter. As the atomic theory states, matter consists of atoms, so measuring amounts means measuring numbers of atoms. Counting atoms is difficuit, but we can easiiy measure the mass of a sampie of matter. To convert a mass measurement into a statement about the number of atoms in a sampie, we must know the mass of an individuai atom. 

Let s calculate the mass that was converted into energy in the first atomic bomb test. Measurements on the ground indicated that the explosive force of the bomb was equivalent to 37,200,000 pounds (16,874,000 kg) of TNT. That is so much TNT that scientists now measure atomic bomb explosions in kilotons (kt) of TNT. A kiloton is equal to 1,000 tons or 2,000,000 pounds (907,185 kg). Using the new units, the yield of the first bomb would be ... 

Of note are the values for °Th and as the revised values postdate the development of mass spectrometric techniques for measurement of U and Th in natural materials. Data published prior to Cheng et al. (2000b) does use not use the revised values whereas data published subsequently may or may not use the new values. The revised half-lives do have a small, but significant effect on calculated °Th ages, particularly ages older than about 100 ka. Furthermore, the new value for the half-life changes values as these are calculated from measured atomic ratios using... 

Resolution does not affect the accuracy of the individual accurate mass measurements when no separation problem exists. When performing accurate mass measurements on a given component in a mixture, it may be necessary to raise the resolution of the mass spectrometer wherever possible. Atomic composition mass spectrometry (AC-MS) is a powerful technique for chemical structure identification or confirmation, which requires double-focusing magnetic, Fourier-transform ion-cyclotron resonance (FTICR) or else ToF-MS spectrometers, and use of a suitable reference material. The most common reference materials for accurate mass measurements are perfluorokerosene (PFK), perfluorotetrabutylamine (PFTBA) and decafluorotriph-enylphosphine (DFTPP). One of the difficulties of high-mass MS is the lack of suitable calibration standards. Reference inlets to the ion source facilitate exact mass measurement. When appropriately calibrated, ToF mass... 

Table 6.8 High-resolution mass measurements and atomic compositions of Irganox 3114...

Two-dimensional (2D) NMR is irrefutably the cornerstone of modem structure elucidation methods.1 Despite the inherently low sensitivity of NMR compared to other forms of analytical spectroscopy such as mass spectrometry and vibrational spectroscopy, NMR methods provide the means of establishing atom-to-atom connectivities that cannot be established by other methods. Supplemented by accurate mass measurements and fragmentation pathway information, NMR data can facilitate the elucidation of most small molecule structures. 

Accurate Mass An experimentally determined mass of an ion that is used to determine an elemental formula. For ions containing combinations of the elements C, H, N, O, P, S, and the halogens, with mass less than 200 Da, a measurement with 5 ppm uncertainty is sufficient to uniquely determine the elemental composition. See also related entries on average mass dalton molar mass monoisotopic mass nominal mass unified atomic mass unit. 

Unified Atomic Mass Unit (u) A non-SI unit of mass defined as one twelfth of the mass of one atom of 12C in its ground state and 1.66 x 10-27 kg. The term atomic mass unit (amu) is not recommended to use since it is ambiguous. It has been used to denote atomic masses measured relative to a single atom of 160, or to the isotope-averaged mass of an oxygen atom, or to a single atom of 12C. 

J.M. Gilliam, P.W. Landis and J.L. Occolowitz, Accurate mass measurement in fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry, Anal. Chem., 55 (1983) 1531-1533. 

In order to successfully interpret a mass spectrum, we have to know about the isotopic masses and their relation to the atomic weights of the elements, about isotopic abundances and the isotopic patterns resulting therefrom and finally, about high-resolution and accurate mass measurements. These issues are closely related to each other, offer a wealth of analytical information, and are valid for any type of mass spectrometer and any ionization method employed. (The kinetic aspect of isotopic substitution are discussed in Chap. 2.9.)... 

Example Cesium iodide is frequently used for mass calibration in fast atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrometry (Chap. 9) because it yields cluster ions of the general formula [Cs(CsI)n] in positive-ion and [I(CsI)J in negative-ion mode. For the [Cs(CsI)io] cluster ion, m/z 2730.9 is calculated instead of the correct value m/z 2731.00405 by using only one decimal place instead of the exact values Mi33Cs = 132.905447 and M1271 = 126.904468. T e error of 0.104 u is acceptable for LR work, but definitely not acceptable if accurate mass measurements have to be performed. 

Note The calculation of relative molecular mass, Mr, of organic molecules exceeding 2000 u is significantly influenced by the basis it is performed on. Both the atomic weights of the constituent elements and the natural variations in isotopic abundance contribute to the differences between monoisotopic- and relative atomic mass-based values. In addition, they tend to characteristically differ between major classes of biomolecules. This is primarily because of molar carbon content, e.g., the difference between polypeptides and nucleic acids is about 4 u at Mr = 25,000 u. Considering terrestrial sources alone, variations in the isotopic abundance of carbon lead to differences of about 10-25 ppm in Mr which is significant with respect to mass measurement accuracy in the region up to several 10 u. [41]... 

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