Ultrahigh-resolution applications

Sleighter, R. L., and Hatcher, P. G. (2007). The application of electrospray ionisation coupled to ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry for the molecular characterization of natural organic matter. I. Mass Spectrom. 42, 559-574. 

The state of the art in ultrahigh resolution chromatography allows the Industrial analyst alreeKly now to introduce this technique in his daily work. However, further improvements are needed to make full use of the inherent potential in industrial applications. 

With the ultrahigh resolution, which can, in principle, be achieved with singlemode tunable lasers (Vol. 2, Chaps. 1-5), the accuracy of absolute wavelength measurements attainable with conventional techniques may not be satisfactory. New methods have been developed that are mainly based on interferometric measurements of laser wavelengths. For applications in molecular spectroscopy, the laser can be stabilized on the center of a molecular transition. Measuring the wavelength of such a stabihzed laser yields simultaneously the wavelength of the molecular... 

The potential of ultr igh-resolution mass spectrometry for the analysis of complex chemical mixtures is particularly illustrated by FT-ICR-MS, which currently is the definite standard. Ultrahigh resolution was applied to separate several thousand components in crude oil [99,100], fuels [101,102], or explosion residues [103]. Actually, the attempts to analyze dissolved organic matter (DOM) and similar complex humic systems present another prominent field of application requiring the ultimate performance of FT-ICR instruments equipped with magnets of up to 15 T field strength [104]. 

For polymer/additive analyses neither a very high mass range nor an ultrahigh mass resolution is required isobaric additive ions are not frequent. It is therefore not surprising that tandem sector instruments have not found wide application for polymer/additive identification. 

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