Ion Mobility Spectrometry-Mass Spectrometry (IMS-MS) for on- and off-line analysis of atmospheric gas and aerosol species

Abstract. Measurement techniques that provide molecular-level information are needed to elucidate the multi-phase processes that produce secondary organic aerosol (SOA) species in the atmosphere. Here we demonstrate the application of ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) to the simultaneous characterization of the elemental composition and molecular structures of organic species in the gas and particulate phases. Molecular ions of gas-phase organic species are measured online with IMS-MS after ionization with a custom build nitrate chemical ionization (CI) source. This CI-IMS-MS technique is used to obtain time-resolved measurements (5 min) of highly oxidized organic molecules during the 2013 Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) ambient field campaign in the forested SE US. The ambient IMS-MS signals are consistent with laboratory IMS-MS spectra obtained from single-component carboxylic acids and multicomponent mixtures of isoprene and monoterpene oxidation products. Mass-mobility correlations in the 2-dimensional IMS-MS space provide a means of identifying ions with similar molecular structures within complex mass spectra and are used to separate and identify monoterpene oxidation products in the ambient data that are produced from different chemical pathways. Water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) constituents of fine aerosol particles that are not resolvable with standard analytical separation methods, such as liquid chromatography (LC), are shown to be separable with IMS-MS coupled to an electrospray ionization (ESI) source. The capability to use ion mobility to differentiate between isomers is demonstrated for organosulfates derived from the reactive uptake of isomers of isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX) onto wet acidic sulfate aerosol. Controlled fragmentation of precursor ions by collisional dissociation (CID) in the transfer region between the IMS and the MS is used to validate MS peak assignments, elucidate structures of oligomers, and confirm the presence of the organosulfate functional group.

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Ion mobility spectrometry–mass spectrometry (IMS–MS) for on- and offline analysis of atmospheric gas and aerosol species

Atmospheric Measurement Techniques ◽

10.5194/amt-9-3245-2016 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 9 (7) ◽

pp. 3245-3262 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Jordan E. Krechmer ◽

Michael Groessl ◽

Xuan Zhang ◽

Heikki Junninen ◽

Paola Massoli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mass Spectrometry ◽

Ion Mobility Spectrometry ◽

Ion Mobility ◽

Measurement Techniques ◽

Molecular Ions ◽

Molecular Structures ◽

Water Soluble ◽

Oxidation Products ◽

Time Resolved ◽

Organic Species

Abstract. Measurement techniques that provide molecular-level information are needed to elucidate the multiphase processes that produce secondary organic aerosol (SOA) species in the atmosphere. Here we demonstrate the application of ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (IMS–MS) to the simultaneous characterization of the elemental composition and molecular structures of organic species in the gas and particulate phases. Molecular ions of gas-phase organic species are measured online with IMS–MS after ionization with a custom-built nitrate chemical ionization (CI) source. This CI–IMS–MS technique is used to obtain time-resolved measurements (5 min) of highly oxidized organic molecules during the 2013 Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) ambient field campaign in the forested SE US. The ambient IMS–MS signals are consistent with laboratory IMS–MS spectra obtained from single-component carboxylic acids and multicomponent mixtures of isoprene and monoterpene oxidation products. Mass-mobility correlations in the 2-D IMS–MS space provide a means of identifying ions with similar molecular structures within complex mass spectra and are used to separate and identify monoterpene oxidation products in the ambient data that are produced from different chemical pathways. Water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) constituents of fine aerosol particles that are not resolvable with standard analytical separation methods, such as liquid chromatography (LC), are shown to be separable with IMS–MS coupled to an electrospray ionization (ESI) source. The capability to use ion mobility to differentiate between isomers is demonstrated for organosulfates derived from the reactive uptake of isomers of isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX) onto wet acidic sulfate aerosol. Controlled fragmentation of precursor ions by collisionally induced dissociation (CID) in the transfer region between the IMS and the MS is used to validate MS peak assignments, elucidate structures of oligomers, and confirm the presence of the organosulfate functional group.

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Use of Cyclic Ion Mobility Spectrometry (cIM)-Mass Spectrometry to Study the Intramolecular Transacylation of Diclofenac Acyl Glucuronide

Analytical Chemistry ◽

10.1021/acs.analchem.0c04487 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

David Higton ◽

Martin E. Palmer ◽

Johannes P. C. Vissers ◽

Lauren G. Mullin ◽

Robert S. Plumb ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mass Spectrometry ◽

Ion Mobility Spectrometry ◽

Ion Mobility ◽

Acyl Glucuronide

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Ion Mobility–Mass Spectrometry for Bioanalysis

Separations ◽

10.3390/separations8030033 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 33

Author(s):

Xavier Garcia ◽

Maria del Mar Sabaté ◽

Jorge Aubets ◽

Josep Maria Jansat ◽

Sonia Sentellas

Keyword(s):

Mass Spectrometry ◽

Liquid Chromatography ◽

Ion Mobility Spectrometry ◽

Ion Mobility ◽

Biological Samples ◽

Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry ◽

Exogenous Compounds ◽

Analytical Separation

This paper aims to cover the main strategies based on ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) for the analysis of biological samples. The determination of endogenous and exogenous compounds in such samples is important for the understanding of the health status of individuals. For this reason, the development of new approaches that can be complementary to the ones already established (mainly based on liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry) is welcomed. In this regard, ion mobility spectrometry has appeared in the analytical scenario as a powerful technique for the separation and characterization of compounds based on their mobility. IMS has been used in several areas taking advantage of its orthogonality with other analytical separation techniques, such as liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, or supercritical fluid chromatography. Bioanalysis is not one of the areas where IMS has been more extensively applied. However, over the last years, the interest in using this approach for the analysis of biological samples has clearly increased. This paper introduces the reader to the principles controlling the separation in IMS and reviews recent applications using this technique in the field of bioanalysis.

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