Atmospheric‐pressure Penning ionization mass spectrometry

Chemical-ionization techniques that use metastable species to ionize analytes traditionally use a flat pin or a sharp solid needle onto which the high potential needed to generate the discharge plasma is applied. We report here that direct analysis of samples containing volatile and semivolatile compounds, including saturated and unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons, can be achieved on any electrospray-ionization mass spectrometer by passing helium though the sample delivery metal capillary held at a high potential. In the helium plasma ionization source (HPIS) described here, the typical helium flow required (about 20-30 mL/min), was significantly lower than that needed for other helium-ionization sources. By this procedure, positive ions were generated by nominal hydride ion removal from molecules emanating from heated saturated hydrocarbons as large as tetratetracontane (C(44)H(90)), at capillary voltages ranging from 2.0 to 4.0 kV. Unsaturated hydrocarbons, on the other hand, underwent facile protonation under much lower capillary voltages (0.9 to 2.0 kV). Although saturated and monounsaturated hydrocarbons bearing the same number of carbon atoms generate ions of the same m/z ratio, a gas-phase deuterium exchange method is described to ascertain the identity of these isomeric ions originating from either protonation or hydride abstraction mechanisms. Moreover, mass spectrometric results obtained by exposing unsaturated hydrocarbons to D(2)O vapor in an HPIS-MS instrument confirmed that the proton donor for ionization of unsaturated hydrocarbons is protonated water.

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aliphatic Hydrocarbon Spectra by Helium Ionization Mass Spectrometry (HIMS) on a Modified Atmospheric-Pressure Source Designed for Electrospray Ionization

Yang

Attygalle

2011

“…In addition, the reaction with water in air and Penning ionization by the bombardment of metastable gas may occur [21][22][23]. The fragment ions may be generated by the collision of the ions with electrons or metastable species in the plasma.…”

Section: The Ionization Mechanism In Dbdimentioning

confidence: 98%

Development of a dielectric barrier discharge ion source for ambient mass spectrometry

Zhao

Zhang

et al. 2007

426

355

A new ion source based on dielectric barrier discharge was developed as an alternative ionization source for ambient mass spectrometry. The dielectric barrier discharge ionization source, termed as DBDI herein, was composed of a copper sheet electrode, a discharge electrode, and a piece of glass slide in between as dielectric barrier as well as sample plate. Stable low-temperature plasma was formed between the tip of the discharge electrode and the surface of glass slide when an alternating voltage was applied between the electrodes. Analytes deposited on the surface of the glass slide were desorbed and ionized by the plasma and the ions were introduced to the mass spectrometer for mass analysis. The capability of this new ambient ion source was demonstrated with the analysis of 20 amino acids, which were deposited on the glass slide separately. Protonated molecular ions of [M + H](+) were observed for all the amino acids except for L-arginine. This ion source was also used for a rapid discrimination of L-valine, L-proline, L-serine and L-alanine from their mixture. The limit of detection was 3.5 pmol for L-alanine using single-ion-monitoring (SIM). Relative standard deviation (RSD) was 5.78% for 17.5 nmol of L-alanine (n = 5). With the advantages of small size, simple configuration and ease operation at ambient conditions, the dielectric barrier discharge ion source would potentially be coupled to portable mass spectrometers.

“…Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) describes ambient ionization with protons, reagent ions, electrons, or metastable atoms generated by a corona discharge or a plasma at atmospheric pressure [3]. In plasma-based APCI techniques, referred to as ambient desorption/ionization (ADI) [4], analytes are not directly exposed to the electrical discharge but rather to the flow of ions and energetic species produced by it [5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. Post-plasma flow is directionally controlled, allowing the ionizing stream to impinge on solids and surfaces placed in the flow path before the MS inlet.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Humidity Effects on Fragmentation in Plasma-Based Ambient Ionization Sources

Newsome

Ackerman

Johnson³

2015

Abstract. Post-plasma ambient desorption/ionization (ADI) sources are fundamentally dependent on surrounding water vapor to produce protonated analyte ions. There are two reports of humidity effects on ADI spectra. However, it is unclear whether humidity will affect all ADI sources and analytes, and by what mechanism humidity affects spectra. Flowing atmospheric pressure afterglow (FAPA) ionization and direct analysis in real time (DART) mass spectra of various surface-deposited and gas-phase analytes were acquired at ambient temperature and pressure across a range of observed humidity values. A controlled humidity enclosure around the ion source and mass spectrometer inlet was used to create programmed humidity and temperatures. The relative abundance and fragmentation of molecular adduct ions for several compounds consistently varied with changing ambient humidity and also were controlled with the humidity enclosure. For several compounds, increasing humidity decreased protonated molecule and other molecular adduct ion fragmentation in both FAPA and DART spectra. For others, humidity increased fragment ion ratios. The effects of humidity on molecular adduct ion fragmentation were caused by changes in the relative abundances of different reagent protonated water clusters and, thus, a change in the average difference in proton affinity between an analyte and the population of water clusters. Control of humidity in ambient post-plasma ion sources is needed to create spectral stability and reproducibility.