1-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) seeded with 5% trifluoroacetic acid is identified as a singular buffer, polar enough to produce fine electrospray drops, yet having excellent solubility for many industrial polymers such as polystyrene (PSR) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). Four PSR mass standards (M = 9.2, 34.5, 68, and 170 kDa) with narrow mass distributions are electrosprayed from their solutions in this buffer. The high charge on the resulting ions is reduced to unity with a radioactive source, whereby their electrical mobility distributions, determined by a differential mobility analyzer, yield unambiguously their size distribution. Each standard produces (at high solution concentration) several mobility peaks associated with the formation of particles containing from one to six polymer molecules, used to establish a relation Z(M) between electrical mobility Z and polymer mass. Within the indeterminacy given by inaccuracies in the nominal masses of the standards, this relation indicates that the polymers form spherical balls with a density close to the bulk density of polystyrene, as seen previously with poly(ethylene glycol) chains. Good mobility spectra from the same buffer are also obtained for PMMA (M = 49 kDa). Because NMP is less conductive and contains more involatile impurities than common aqueous buffers, the electrospray ions formed tend to carry a small contaminant crust, which distorts the inferred mass distribution unless a high spray quality is achieved.
A small inexpensive system is described that allows high-performance suppressed anion chromatography on a capillary scale. A fully computer-controlled stepper motor-driven syringe-type dispenser, equipped with a 500 μL-capacity glass syringe is capable of pumping at pressures up to 1000 psi when equipped with an appropriate inlet check valve. Fused-silica capillary columns ∼50 cm in length and 180 μm i.d., packed in-house with a commercial packing, provide excellent performance, significantly exceeding the efficiencies observed for the same packing in commercially available 2 mm bore format. The system operates with a pressure drop of <800 psi at a flow rate of 2 μL/min. The system utilizes a novel electrodialytic NaOH eluent generator that is deployed on the high-pressure side of the pump and thus requires no special measures for electrolytic gas removal. This device permits both isocratic and gradient operation with excellent eluent purity; the NaOH concentration is generated linearly with applied current with near-Faradaic efficiency, up to a concentration of at least 100 mM.
A Fisons Quattro I electrospray ionization (ESI) source has been modified to produce stable electrospray ion currents at flow rates as low as 50 nL/min. The original counter electrode and skimmer cone lens of the Fisons ESI source have been replaced with a spherical cone lens. This improved source provides a greater range of x,y,z positioning of a stainless steel tip resulting in a stable ion signal for flow rates of 50 nL/min to 2 mL/min. A tapered stainless steel electrospray tip (50 mm i.d.) was evaluated for mass spectrometry using nano-liquid chromatography (50 mm i.d., flow rate = 120 nL/min) and sheathless capillary electrophoresis. The analysis of a nonionic surfactant, octylphenol ethoxylate, was accomplished with both nanoscale separation techniques. #
Electrospray ionization (ESI) of solution mixtures often generates complex mass spectra, even following liquid chromatography (LC), due to analyte multiple charging. Multiple charge state distributions can lead to isobaric interferences, mass spectral congestion, and ambiguous ion identification. As a consequence, data interpretation increases in complexity. Several charge reduction mass spectrometry (MS) approaches have been previously developed to reduce the average charge state of gaseous ions; however, all of these techniques have been restricted to direct infusion MS. In this study, synthetic polyols and surfactants separated by liquid chromatography and ionized by positive mode ESI have been subjected to polonium-210 α-particle radiation to reduce the average charge state to singly charged cations prior to mass analysis. LC/MS analysis of 5000 molecular weight poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG5000) generated an average charge state of 5.88+; whereupon, liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization/charge reduction/mass spectrometry (LC/CR/MS) analysis of PEG 5000 generated an average charge state of 1.00+. The PEG5000 results demonstrated a decrease in spectral complexity and enabled facile interpretation. Other complex solution mixtures representing specific MS challenges (i.e., competitive ionization and isobaric ion overlap) were explored and analyzed with LC/CR/MS to demonstrate the benefits of coupling LC to CR/MS. For example, polyol information related to initiator, identity/relative amount of monomer, and estimated molecular weight was characterized in random and triblock ethylene oxide/propylene oxide polyols using LC/CR/MS. LC/CR/MS is a new analytical technique for the analysis of complex mixtures.
An automated liquid nano-separation system has been developed for nano-liquid chromatography (nano-LC) and capillary electrochromatography (CEC) using both isocratic and gradient elution. One fused-silica nanocolumn, typically 75 μm i.d. × 39 cm (25 cm effective packed length), packed with Spherisorb ODS 1, 3 μm particle size, can be used with either technique without having to remove the column upon switching from one mode to the other. The mobile phase is delivered by two reciprocating micro-LC pumps at a flow rate of 30 μL/min to a postinjection splitter that houses the nanocolumn inlet. The splitter is directly connected to a micro-injection valve with a 0.5 μL injection volume. In the CEC mode, pressure is not applied (no restriction on splitter) to the column inlet or outlet and the voltage is continuously applied during sample injection and mobile phase delivery. In the nano-LC mode, the restrictor is coupled to the splitter. Using the same nanocolumn under isocratic conditions, the repeatabilities of retention time and peak area for nano-LC were better than 0.2% and 4%, respectively, and those for CEC were better than 0.6% and 6%, respectively. On average, column efficiency was 57% higher in CEC compared to nano-LC. Gradient elution separations of parabens and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were accomplished by CEC.
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