Fine particles of cholesterol were reacted with ozone under pseudo-first-order conditions in an aerosol bag reactor. Gas-phase ozone was monitored using an ozone meter. Particle size distribution functions were determined using a scanning mobility particle sizer, which selected particle sizes for introduction into a photoionization aerosol mass spectrometer (PIAMS). PIAMS was used to determine the concentration of cholesterol in the aerosol as a function of reaction time. Dilution corrected rate coefficients were used to calculate the reactive uptake coefficient for ozone onto cholesterol particles as (2.8 +/- 0.4) x 10(-6). Uptake was found to be independent of particle diameter for the sizes studied (100 and 200 nm), suggesting that the uptake is surface mediated. The reaction products were also collected on filters and analyzed by electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry with both direct infusion and liquid chromatography sample introduction. The main primary reaction products contained one, two, or three oxygens added to the cholesterol moiety. Secondary oligomeric products were also observed, consisting of covalently bound dimers and trimers. Tandem mass spectrometry was used to confirm the expected structures of these compounds. The dimers appear to be acyl hydroperoxides, consistent with a previously reported mechanism for the reaction in a nonparticipating solvent. Finally, the magnitude of the uptake coefficient confirms that cholesterol is suitable as a local source tracer for source apportionment of ambient organic aerosol.

A novel approach involving the use of reversed phase liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (RPLC-MS), charge reduced electrospray (CRES), and condensation particle counting (CPC) for the absolute quantification of intact proteins in liquid solutions is introduced. Under analysis conditions optimized for the quantification of select proteins within their predetermined linear ranges, a set of at least five protein standards with molecular weights (MW) spanning the dynamic ranges of both a quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) MS and a suitably selected RPLC column is used to generate a calibration curve of CPC detection efficiency (DE) as a function of the square root of MW. Next, the sample of interest is analyzed, and from the MS-generated MW data, the DE of each target protein is determined from the calibration curve. On the basis of MW, DE, and number concentration (molecules/unit volume), absolute quantification is achieved for each protein of interest. Application of this approach to the absolute quantification of cytochrome C (as target compound) in a commercial protein mixture is demonstrated with a deviation of 8%, a coefficient of variation (CV) of 5%, and a quantification limit of 432 fmol. For nontarget components of the mixture (ribonuclease A, holotransferrin, and apomyoglobin), the percent deviation from the stated concentrations and the CV varied from 0.20 to 23 and from 4.1 to 18, respectively. Performance of the method was further assessed by analyzing a laboratory quality control mixture comprising 0.33 μM of cytochrome C. The calculated value was 0.34 (CV: 5.1%). Universal in essence, the new technique holds strong promise for the absolute quantification of select proteins in liquid samples under conditions of good peak resolution and stable baseline.