A. A. Grechnikov

Gas Chromatography/Surface-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometry of Amphetamine-like Compounds

A variety of amphetamine-like compounds were analyzed by gas chromatography/surface-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry, GC/SALDI-MS. In the SALDI method, compounds are adsorbed on a solid SALDI substrate and directly ionized from the substrate by means of a laser pulse. The interfacing of a SALDI ion source with a gas chromatograph is presented here for the first time. The end of the GC column is situated 20 mm from the silicon substrate in the vacuum of the ion source of a time-of-flight mass spectrometer, and the compounds eluted from the GC capillary are adsorbed onto the nanostructured silicon surface. The mass spectra show very low levels of background noise and no reagent ions. GC/SALDI-MS detection limits are several orders of magnitude lower than those previously reported for GC/MS analysis of amphetamine-like compounds. The extent of fragmentation is under experimental control by changing the laser fluence.

Gas-phase basicity: Parameter determining the efficiency of laser desorption/ionization from silicon surfaces

The efficiency of laser desorption/ionization of twenty compounds from the surface of amorphous silicon is studied as a function of proton affinity (PA) and gas-phase basicity (GB). The values of GB and PA are obtained from quantum-chemical calculations using the density functional theory in the B3LYP model with the 6–311++G(3df,3pd) basis set. The values of GB lie in the range from 845 to 977 kJ/mol. The efficiency of laser desorption/ionization exponentially depends on the GB and PA values and for the studied compounds varies from 7 × 10−6 to 1.4 × 10−2.

Determination of rhenium and osmium complexes by surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization coupled to Orbitrap mass analyzer

AbstractA surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization (SALDI) source is coupled to the Orbitrap mass analyzer; the instrumental approach is tested for the analysis of rhenium (Re) and osmium (Os) complexes with 8-mercaptoquinoline. Silicon (Si) material obtained by laser treatment of monocrystalline Si is used as SALDI substrate. All studied complexes are detected as radical cations, with no protonated molecules. The comparison of SALDI, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI), and direct laser desorption/ionization (LDI) on metal plates in the same instrumental setup demonstrated that the detection of the studied complexes using SALDI provides the highest sensitivity. The ability to analyze samples rapidly, high purity of spectra, and good analytical parameters make SALDI coupled to the Orbitrap mass analyzer a potentially powerful tool for the detection of Re and Os complexes and related organic, UV-absorbing compounds. Figureᅟ

Investigation of thin ZnO layers in view of laser desorption-ionization

Thin zinc oxide films (ZnO) were developed as a matrix-free platform for surface assisted laser desorption-ionization (SALDI) time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The ZnO films were deposited by RF magnetron sputtering of ZnO ceramic targets in Ar atmospheres on monocrystalline silicon. The generation under UV (355 nm) laser irradiation of positive ions of atenolol, reserpine and gramicidin S from the ZnO layers deposited was studied. All analytes tested were detected as protonated molecules with no or very structure-specific fragmentation. The mass spectra obtained showed low levels of chemical background noise. All ZnO films studied exhibited high stability and good reproducibility. The detection limits for test analytes are in the 10 femtomol range.

On the Mechanism of Ion Desorption in the Process of Laser Desorption/Ionization from Silicon Surfaces

The mechanism of ion desorption in the process of laser desorption/ionization from silicon surfaces is studied using pyridine and N,N-dimethyl-1-phenylethylamine as examples. Based on the experimental and theoretical results, dependences of ion signal on the surface temperature are obtained for two different wavelengths of laser radiation, 355 nm and 532 nm. The theoretical part of the work includes numerical calculations of surface temperatures of amorphous silicon using the SLIM software package and quantum-chemical calculations of binding energy between the ions and silicon surface using the Hartree-Fock method and Firefly software package. It is demonstrated that the ions are desorbed via a thermal mechanism at temperatures much lower than the melting point of amorphous silicon.

Analytical capabilities of surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization in the determination of low-molecular-weight volatile compounds

Main approaches to the determination of low-molecular-weight chemical compounds by surfaceassisted laser desorption/ionization (SALDI) are considered. Analytes are adsorbed from a gas phase on the surface of a specially prepared solid-state substrate. Then, the surface is exposed to pulse laser radiation, which leads to ionization and desorption of ions to be detected with a mass analyzer. The factors responsible for the efficiency of ionization are examined, the instrumental versions of SALDI are presented, and the metrological characteristics of this method are given. The high ionization efficiency of basic compounds, which is higher than the efficiency of traditional ionization methods by orders of magnitude, the mild conditions of ionization, the simplicity of performance, and the possibility of combinations with analyte separation systems characterize SALDI as an exceptionally promising method for the determination of low-molecular-weight volatile compounds.

The Orbitrap mass analyzer with direct ion injection interfaced to a laser desorption/ionization ion source

The results of a study on interfacing an Orbitrap mass analyzer with direct ion injection to a surface assisted laser desorption/ionization (SALDI) ion source are presented. Osmium complexes with 8-mercaptoquinoline were studied. Titanium oxide thin films prepared by electron beam evaporation were found an effective emitter of the ions of the test complexes. It was demonstrated that interfacing the Orbitrap mass analyzer to a SALDI source can significantly improve the analytical performance of this method in comparison to a typical combination of SALDI/time-of-flight mass spectrometer.

Rapid screening of pharmaceutical drugs using thermal desorption ? SALDI mass spectrometry

A novel approach to the rapid screening of pharmaceutical drugs by surface assisted laser desorption-ionization (SALDI) mass spectrometry with the rotating ball interface coupled with temperature programmed thermal desorption has been developed. Analytes were thermally desorbed and deposited onto the surface of amorphous silicon substrate attached to the rotating ball. The ball was rotated and the deposited analytes were analyzed using SALDI. The effectiveness of coupling SALDI mass spectrometry with thermal desorption was evaluated by the direct and rapid analysis of tablets containing lidocaine, diphenhydramine and propranolol without any sample pretreatment. The overall duration of the screening procedure was 30÷40 sec. Real urine samples were studied for drug analysis. It is shown that with simple preparation steps, urine samples can be quantitatively analyzed using the proposed technique with the detection limits in the range of 0.2÷0.5 ng/ml.

Atmospheric pressure imaging mass spectrometry of drugs with various ablating lasers

The atmospheric pressure mass spectrometric detection efficiency of organic species (tofisopam and verapamil) was measured by means of the laser ablation of dried solution drops containing known amount of the analyte. Ablated molecules were ionized by an atmospheric pressure laser plasma cell and then introduced in the TOF mass-spectrometer. The spot was formed by dripping 2 μl of solution on the stainless steel substrate and consequent drying. Then it was scanned by an intense ablating beam of various lasers (CO2, Nd:YAG and femtosecond fiber laser) until the spot was completely eroded during the non-stop MS-analysis of ablated material. The sensitivity was defined as the ratio of the total ion current integral of the relevant mass peaks to the amount of molecules in the spot. All the tested lasers are suitable for the ablation and subsequent MS-detection of organic species in dried solution spots given enough power deposition is provided. The measured sensitivity values reach 0.1 ions/fg of tested analytes.

Novel Technique for Ultra Sensitive Detection of Organic Compounds

State-of-art mass spectrometric methods are among the most successful analytical techniques for high sensitivity detection of organic compounds. However, there are also obvious problems. High-performance, commercial instruments are relatively complex and expensive and can be used only under laboratory conditions. Furthermore, sampling is generally complex and time-consuming. It has not yet been possible to adapt high-performance mass spectrometric methods to field conditions. For example, it is well recognized that a trained dog’s nose has superior sensitivity for some compounds under field conditions. Adaption of mass spectrometric methods for field use and the development of portable instruments for ultra-sensitive detection and quantitative analysis of trace compounds in ambient air is an extremely important goal.