scholarly journals Size-resolved online chemical analysis of nanoaerosol particles: a thermal desorption differential mobility analyzer coupled to a chemical ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 5489-5506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea C. Wagner ◽  
Anton Bergen ◽  
Sophia Brilke ◽  
Claudia Fuchs ◽  
Markus Ernst ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Analysis ◽  
Mass Spectrometer ◽  
Thermal Desorption ◽  
Chemical Ionization ◽  
Transmission Efficiency ◽  
Test Substance ◽  
Ionization Mass ◽  
Differential Mobility Analyzer ◽  
Differential Mobility ◽  
Phase Measurements

Abstract. A new method for size-resolved chemical analysis of nucleation mode aerosol particles (size range from ∼10 to ∼30 nm) is presented. The Thermal Desorption Differential Mobility Analyzer (TD-DMA) uses an online, discontinuous principle. The particles are charged, a specific size is selected by differential mobility analysis and they are collected on a filament by electrostatic precipitation. Subsequently, the sampled mass is evaporated in a clean carrier gas and analyzed by a chemical ionization mass spectrometer. Gas-phase measurements are performed with the same mass spectrometer during the sampling of particles. The characterization shows reproducible results, with a particle size resolution of 1.19 and the transmission efficiency for 15 nm particles being slightly above 50 %. The signal from the evaporation of a test substance can be detected starting from 0.01 ng and shows a linear response in the mass spectrometer. Instrument operation in the range of pg m−3 is demonstrated by an example measurement of 15 nm particles produced by nucleation from dimethylamine, sulfuric acid and water.

scholarly journals Size Resolved Online Chemical Analysis of Nano Aerosol Particles: A Thermal Desorption Differential Mobility Analyzer Coupled to a Chemical Ionization Time Of Flight Mass Spectrometer

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea C. Wagner ◽  
Anton Bergen ◽  
Sophia Brilke ◽  
Claudia Fuchs ◽  
Markus Ernst ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Analysis ◽  
Mass Spectrometer ◽  
Thermal Desorption ◽  
Chemical Ionization ◽  
Aerosol Particles ◽  
Transmission Efficiency ◽  
Test Substance ◽  
Ionization Mass ◽  
Differential Mobility Analyzer ◽  
Differential Mobility

Abstract. A new method for size resolved chemical analysis of nucleation mode aerosol particles (size range from ~ 10 to ~ 30 nm) is presented. The Thermal Desorption Differential Mobility Analyzer (TD-DMA) uses an online, discontinuous principle. The particles are charged, a specific size is selected by differential mobility analysis and they are collected on a filament by electrostatic precipitation. Subsequently, the sampled mass is evaporated in a clean carrier gas and analyzed by a chemical ionization mass spectrometer. Gas phase measurements are performed with the same mass spectrometer during the sampling of particles. The characterization shows reproducible results, with a particle size resolution of 1.19 and the transmission efficiency for 15 nm particles being slightly above 50 %. The signal from the evaporation of a test substance can be detected starting from 0.01 ng and shows a linear response in the mass spectrometer. Instrument operation in the range of pg/m3 is demonstrated by an example measurement of 15 nm particles produced by nucleation from dimethylamine, sulfuric acid and water.

Composition of ultrafine particles in urban Beijing: Measurement using a thermal desorption chemical ionization mass spectrometer

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoxiao Li ◽  
Yuyang Li ◽  
Michael Lawler ◽  
Jiming Hao ◽  
James Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometer ◽  
Thermal Desorption ◽  
Ultrafine Particles ◽  
Chemical Ionization ◽  
Urban Atmosphere ◽  
Ionization Mass ◽  
Radioactive Materials ◽  
Desorption Chemical Ionization ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Primary Emissions

<p>Ultrafine particles (UFPs) dominate the particle number population in the urban atmosphere and revealing their chemical composition is important. The thermal desorption chemical ionization mass spectrometer (TDCIMS) can semi-continuously measure UFP composition at the molecular level. We modified a TDCIMS and deployed it in urban Beijing. Radioactive materials in the TDCIMS for aerosol charging and chemical ionization were replaced by soft X-ray ionizers so that it can be operated in countries with tight regulations on radioactive materials. Protonated N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone ions were used as the positive reagent ion, which selectively detects ammonia and low-molecular weight-aliphatic amines and amides vaporized from the particle phase. With superoxide as the negative reagent ion, a wide range of inorganic and organic compounds were observed, including nitrate, sulfate, aliphatic acids with carbon numbers up to 18, and highly oxygenated CHO, CHON, and CHOS compounds. The latter two can be attributed to parent ions or the decomposition products of organonitrates and organosulfates/organosulfonates, respectively. Components from both primary emissions and secondary formation of UFPs were identified. Compared to the UFPs measured at forest and marine sites, those in urban Beijing contain more nitrogen-containing and sulfur-containing compounds. These observations illustrate unique features of the UFPs in this polluted urban environment and provide insights into their origins.</p>

scholarly journals Constraining the sensitivity of iodide adduct chemical ionization mass spectrometry to multifunctional organic molecules using the collision limit and thermodynamic stability of iodide ion adducts

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1505-1512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felipe D. Lopez-Hilfiker ◽  
Siddarth Iyer ◽  
Claudia Mohr ◽  
Ben H. Lee ◽  
Emma L. D'Ambro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Mass Spectrometer ◽  
Chemical Ionization ◽  
Organic Molecules ◽  
Transmission Efficiency ◽  
Molecular Ions ◽  
Ionization Mass ◽  
Aerosol Composition ◽  
Molecule Reaction ◽  
Scanning Procedure

Abstract. The sensitivity of a chemical ionization mass spectrometer (ions formed per number density of analytes) is fundamentally limited by the collision frequency between reagent ions and analytes, known as the collision limit, the ion–molecule reaction time, and the transmission efficiency of product ions to the detector. We use the response of a time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer (ToF-CIMS) to N2O5, known to react with iodide at the collision limit, to constrain the combined effects of ion–molecule reaction time, which is strongly influenced by mixing and ion losses in the ion–molecule reaction drift tube. A mass spectrometric voltage scanning procedure elucidates the relative binding energies of the ion adducts, which influence the transmission efficiency of molecular ions through the electric fields within the vacuum chamber. Together, this information provides a critical constraint on the sensitivity of a ToF-CIMS towards a wide suite of routinely detected multifunctional organic molecules for which no calibration standards exist. We describe the scanning procedure and collision limit determination, and we show results from the application of these constraints to the measurement of organic aerosol composition at two different field locations.

scholarly journals Constraining the sensitivity of iodide adduct chemical ionization mass spectrometry to multifunctional organic molecules using the collision limit and thermodynamic stability of iodide ion adducts

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 10875-10896 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. D. Lopez-Hilfiker ◽  
S. Iyer ◽  
C. Mohr ◽  
B. H. Lee ◽  
E. L. D'Ambro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Mass Spectrometer ◽  
Chemical Ionization ◽  
Organic Molecules ◽  
Transmission Efficiency ◽  
Molecular Ions ◽  
Ionization Mass ◽  
Aerosol Composition ◽  
Molecule Reaction ◽  
Scanning Procedure

Abstract. The sensitivity of a chemical ionization mass spectrometer (ions formed per number density of analyte) is fundamentally limited by the collision frequency between reagent ions and analyte, known as the collision limit, the ion-molecule reaction time, and the transmission efficiency of product ions to the detector. We use the response of a time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer (ToF-CIMS) to N2O5, known to react with iodide at the collision limit, to constrain the combined effects of ion-molecule reaction time, which is strongly influenced by mixing and ion losses in the ion-molecule reaction drift tube. A mass spectrometric voltage scanning procedure elucidates the relative binding energies of the ion adducts, which influence the transmission efficiency of molecular ions through the electric fields within the vacuum chamber. Together, this information provides a critical constraint on the sensitivity of a ToF-CIMS towards a wide suite of routinely detected multifunctional organic molecules for which no calibration standards exist. We describe the scanning procedure, collision limit determination, and show results from the application of these constraints to the measurement of organic aerosol composition at two different field locations.

Newly developed instrumentation for measuring highly oxidized molecules at atmospheric pressure

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paap Koemets ◽  
Sander Mirme ◽  
Kuno Kooser ◽  
Heikki Junninen
Keyword(s):  
Gas Phase ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Atmospheric Pressure ◽  
Chemical Ionization ◽  
Measurement Technology ◽  
Differential Mobility Analyzer ◽  
Neutral Cluster ◽  
Differential Mobility ◽  
Alpha Pinene ◽  
Ambient Measurements

<p>The Highly Oxidized Molecule Ion Spectrometer (HOMIS) is a novel instrument for measuring the total concentration of highly oxidized molecules (HOM-s) (Bianchi et al., 2019) at atmospheric pressure. The device combines a chemical ionization charger with a multi-channel differential mobility analyzer. The chemical ionization charger is based on the principles outlined by Eisele and Tanner (1993). The charger is attached to a parallel differential mobility analyzer identical to the ones used in the Neutral cluster and Air Ion Spectrometer (NAIS, Mirme 2011), but with modified sample and sheath air flow rates to improve the mobility resolution of the device. The complete mobility distribution in the range from 3.2 to 0.056 cm<sup>2</sup>/V/s is measured simultaneously by 25 electrometers. The range captures the charger ions, monomers, dimers, trimers but also extends far towards larger particles to possibly detect larger HOM-s that have not been measured with existing instrumentation. The maximum time resolution of the device is 1 second allowing it to detect rapid changes in the sample. The device has been designed to be easy to use, require little maintenance and work reliably in various environments during long term measurements.</p><p>First results of the prototype were acquired from laboratory experiments and ambient measurements. Experiments were conducted at the Laboratory of Environmental Physics, University of Tartu. The sample was drawn from a reaction chamber where alpha-pinene and ozone were introduced. Initial results show a good response when concentrations of alpha-pinene and ozone were changed. </p><p>Ambient measurements were conducted at the SMEAR Estonia measurement station in a hemiboreal forest for 10 days in the spring and two months in the winter of 2020. The HOMIS measurements were performed together with a CI-APi-TOF (Jokinen et al., 2012).</p><p> </p><p>References:</p><p>Bianchi, F., Kurtén, T., Riva, M., Mohr, C., Rissanen, M. P., Roldin, P., Berndt, T., Crounse, J. D., Wennberg, P. O., Mentel, T. F., Wildt, J., Junninen, H., Jokinen, T., Kulmala, M., Worsnop, D. R., Thornton, J. A., Donahue, N., Kjaergaard, H. G. and Ehn, M. (2019), “Highly Oxygenated Organic Molecules (HOM) from Gas-Phase Autoxidation Involving Peroxy Radicals: A Key Contributor to Atmospheric Aerosol”, Chemical Reviews, 119, 6, 3472–3509</p><p>Eisele, F. L., Tanner D. J. (1993), “Measurement of the gas phase concentration of H2SO4 and methane sulfonic acid and estimates of H2SO4 production and loss in the atmosphere”, JGR: Atmospheres, 98, 9001-9010</p><p>Jokinen T., Sipilä M., Junninen H., Ehn M., Lönn G., Hakala J., Petäjä T., Mauldin III R. L., Kulmala M., and Worsnop D. R. (2012), “Atmospheric sulphuric acid and neutral cluster measurements using CI-APi-TOF”, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 12, 4117–4125</p><p>Mirme, S. (2011), “Development of nanometer aerosol measurement technology”, Doctoral thesis, University of Tartu</p>

scholarly journals Using collision-induced dissociation to constrain sensitivity of ammonia chemical ionization mass spectrometry (NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> CIMS) to oxygenated volatile organic compounds

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 1861-1870 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Zaytsev ◽  
Martin Breitenlechner ◽  
Abigail R. Koss ◽  
Christopher Y. Lim ◽  
James C. Rowe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Mass Spectrometer ◽  
Chemical Ionization ◽  
Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Collision Induced Dissociation ◽  
Ionization Mass ◽  
Oxygenated Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Volatile Organic

Abstract. Chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CIMS) instruments routinely detect hundreds of oxidized organic compounds in the atmosphere. A major limitation of these instruments is the uncertainty in their sensitivity to many of the detected ions. We describe the development of a new high-resolution time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer that operates in one of two ionization modes: using either ammonium ion ligand-switching reactions such as for NH4+ CIMS or proton transfer reactions such as for proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometer (PTR-MS). Switching between the modes can be done within 2 min. The NH4+ CIMS mode of the new instrument has sensitivities of up to 67 000 dcps ppbv−1 (duty-cycle-corrected ion counts per second per part per billion by volume) and detection limits between 1 and 60 pptv at 2σ for a 1 s integration time for numerous oxygenated volatile organic compounds. We present a mass spectrometric voltage scanning procedure based on collision-induced dissociation that allows us to determine the stability of ammonium-organic ions detected by the NH4+ CIMS instrument. Using this procedure, we can effectively constrain the sensitivity of the ammonia chemical ionization mass spectrometer to a wide range of detected oxidized volatile organic compounds for which no calibration standards exist. We demonstrate the application of this procedure by quantifying the composition of secondary organic aerosols in a series of laboratory experiments.

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