Characterization of electrochemical flow cell configurations with implemented disposable electrodes for the direct coupling to mass spectrometry

The characterization of the redox behavior of analytes is a very important aspect for many applications. Pure electrochemical approaches can provide useful information on electroactive species, but are of limited use regarding the identification of generated species. The hyphenation of electrochemistry and mass spectrometry (EC-MS) is a powerful method to investigate redox systems. In the present work, we show a simple approach to on-line EC-MS based on the application of electrochemical flow cells with implemented disposable electrodes. They are connected to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) via fused silica capillary tubing. The modularity of the flow cells offers a high flexibility of experimental setup and settings, so that a fast detection of oxidation or reduction products can be achieved. The usage of disposable electrodes guarantees a high level of quality assurance for EC-MS measurements.