Mass spectrometry future developments

The recent development and comparative application of modern separation techniques with regard to determination of alkylphosphonic acids and lewisite derivatives have been demonstrated. This report highlights advantages and shortcomings of GC equipped with mass spectrometry detector and HPLC as well as CE with UV-Vis detector. The comparison was made from the sampling point of view and separation/detection ability. The derivatization procedure for GC of main degradation products of nerve agents to determine in water samples was applied. Direct determination of lewisite derivatives by HPLC-UV was shown. Also optimization of indirect determination of alkylphosphonic acids in CE-UV was developed. Finally, the new instrumental development and future trends will be discussed. 

The development of new fiber coatings in the near future should further improve the specificity of SPME and overcome some of the observed matrix effects. Quantification by stable isotope dilution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) may assist in improving analytical performance. Along with the possible application of micro LC and capillary LC columns to in-tube SPME, the development of novel derivatization methods and the potential for the analysis of fumigant pesticides, SPME appears to be a technique with a future in the analysis of pesticide residues in food. 

Laser desorption methods (such as LD-ITMS) are indicated as cost-saving real-time techniques for the near future. In a single laser shot, the LDI technique coupled with Fourier-transform mass spectrometry (FTMS) can provide detailed chemical information on the polymeric molecular structure, and is a tool for direct determination of additives and contaminants in polymers. This offers new analytical capabilities to solve problems in research, development, engineering, production, technical support, competitor product analysis, and defect analysis. Laser desorption techniques are limited to surface analysis and do not allow quantitation, but exhibit superior analyte selectivity. 

MASS SPECTROMETRY IDENTIFICATION AND BIODETECTION, LESSONS LEARNED AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS... 

So far, only the coupling and the cleavage reactions have been automated. Future developments might provide automated conversion of the liberated thiazolinone derivatives into phenylthiohydantoins and their automated identification. Alternatively, mass spectrometry which has as yet rarely been employed for identification may be applied directly to the thiazolinones dispensing altogether with the conversion step... 

Recent developments in instrument design have led to lower limits of detection, while new ion activation techniques and improved understanding of gas-phase ion chemistry have enhanced the capabilities of tandem mass spectrometry for peptide and protein structure elucidation. Future developments must address the understanding of protein-protein interactions and the characterization of the dynamic proteome (Chalmers and Gaskell 2000). 

Trends in mass spectrometry focus on the improvement of instrumentation, of several techniques in order to minimize sample volume, to improve sensitivity and to reduce detection limits. This is combined with increasing the speed of several analyses, with automation of analytical procedures and subsequently reducing the price of analysis. A minimizing of sample volumes means a reduction of waste volume with the aim of developing green chemistry . Furthermore, new analytical techniques involve a development of quantification procedures to improve the accuracy and precision of analytical data. Special attention in future will be given to the development of hyphenated mass spectrometric techniques for speciation analysis and of surface analytical techniques with improved lateral resolution in the nm scale range. 

To analyze element distribution, isotope ratios and species in single cells, development of advanced inorganic mass spectrometric techniques in combination with biomolecular mass spectrometry is required for future applications. 

Gray, D. J., Burns, R., Brunswick, P. el al., in Plasma Source Mass Spectrometry Current Trends and Future Developments. The Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge (2005). 

Future Developments and Trends in Inorganic Mass Spectrometry... 

Inorganic mass spectrometry requires the development of suitable reference materials, such as matrix matched standard reference materials for trace, surface (including depth profiling and microlocal) analysis and/or the creation of matrix independent calibration procedures. The development of species specific standards will be intensified for speciation studies in the future. 

In the future, we can expect the development of novel experimental techniques in solid-state NMR spectroscopy for investigation of functioning catalysts. Important goals are (i) the enhancement of the sensitivity of solid-state NMR spectroscopy, for example, by a selective enhancement of the nuclear polarization taking advantage of laser-polarized xenon, (ii) increases in the temperature range accessible for the characterization of solid-catalyzed reactions, and (iii) the coupling of NMR spectroscopy with other techniques such as mass spectrometry. Furthermore, modern two-dimensional techniques of solid-state NMR spectroscopy such as MQMAS NMR spectroscopy will be applied to improve the resolution of the spectra. 

Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is revolutionizing the measurements of refractory metals, such as titanium, and can provide a wealth of isotopic information that could only be obtained previously with great difficulty. ICP-MS has been used as a fast and sensitive technique for measuring 230Th in marine sediments (Shaw and Francis, 1991) and barium in seawater (Klinkhammer and Chan, 1990). For the future, advances in the capabilities of mass spectrometers can be expected (Table 4), developed by interdisciplinary groups of academic, government, and industry scientists. It is unlikely, though not impossible, that MS techniques will be appropriate for buoy development. 

The use of capillary separations, an NMR probe that contains multiple coils, and the associated capillary fluidics to deliver the samples to and from the coils is the next step in probe development. A future exciting development will be the interfacing of such intelligent NMR probe and fluidic systems with other integrated detection modalities such as fluorescence, absorbance and mass spectrometry to provide an integrated system capable of delivering unprecedented structural information from complex samples. 

Selected topics in Fourier-Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry instrumentation are discussed in depth, and numerous analytical application examples are given. In particular, optimization ofthe single-cell FTMS design and some of its analytical applications, like pulsed-valve Cl and CID, static SIMS, and ion clustering reactions are described. Magnet requirements and the software used in advanced FTICR mass spectrometers are considered. Implementation and advantages of an external differentially-pumped ion source for LD, GC/MS, liquid SIMS, FAB and LC/MS are discussed in detail, and an attempt is made to anticipate future developments in FTMS instrumentation. 

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