Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry for the analysis of diallyldimethylammonium chloride in water

Abstract

We report a selective, sensitive and fast liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method for the determination of diallyldimethylammonium chloride (DADMAC) in water. Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) was used to avoid ion-pairing reagents, which are generally employed to retain cationic compounds. The complementary information obtained in a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer and in an ion trap Orbitrap has been used to study the fragmentation of the DADMAC cation [M](+) and for the correct assignment of the products ions. The HILIC/MS/MS method developed, using electrospray ionization in positive ion mode and selected reaction monitoring (SRM) acquisition mode, led to a reliable determination and confirmation of the DADMAC cation in water samples down to 50 ng L(-1). The low detection limit achieved, in combination with the absence of matrix effects, allowed the direct analysis of samples without any pretreatment, preconcentration or clean-up step. DADMAC was determined in samples collected in a drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) in Barcelona (Spain) and it was found in the influent at the µg L(-1) level.

Cation-selective electropreconcentration

“…For example, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) coupled with reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC) or capillary electrophoresis (CE) uses an acidic buffer with a pH lower than the pI of the sample peptide/protein, resulting in samples being cationic. [22][23][24][25] A cation-selective preconcentration can significantly enhance the detection sensitivity for cationic analytes; this can be used to monitor toxic cationic coagulants 26 after water purification. Furthermore, a combination of both an anion-and a cation-selective preconcentration system can actively select samples of a specific pI range using the pH of the buffer to control the sample charge polarity.…”

Diallyldimethylammonium Chloride (DADMAC) in Water Treated with Poly-Diallyldimethylammonium Chloride (PDADMAC) by Reversed-Phase Ion-Pair Chromatography—Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

“…From the analysis of the scarce literature data, we can state that the concentrations of DADMAC in the Palermo treated water are lower than those determined by Fen Jin et al [15] in waters distributed in Tianjin in the north of China, and in the waters undergoing treatment in the USA, where the monomer residual amounted to around 50 µg/L. A very different case is represented by the treatment plant in Barcelona (Spain), in which the average concentration of DADMAC was 0.4 µg/L [31].…”

Development of gold plasmonic nanoparticles for detection of polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride at Umgeni water treatment plants: An optimised study and case application

“…Results presented in Table 7 shows that the amount of poly-(DADMAC) blend is below 5 μg L −1 which is the dosing concentration of the poly-(DADMAC) concentrate that is introduced into the treatment process. This concentration is much lower than the accepted amount of residual poly-(DADMAC) concentration of 10 μg L −1 determined by the World Health Organisation to be used as dosage [ 6 ]. Tap water obtained from Umgeni Water plant A water treatment plant at the drinking water treatment tap was analysed and it had a poly-(DADMAC) concentration of 0.6983 μg L −1 and 3.462 μg L −1 for week 2 and week 3, respectively.…”

“…They are much more sensitive than organic probes and are therefore much more suitable for analysis. Hence, it is widely used in the determination of various analytes such as metal ions [ 4 ], proteins [ 5 ], small molecules [ 6 ], and anions [ 7 ]. They are much more sensitive than organic probes and are therefore much more suitable for analysis [ 3 ].…”