Jens Riedel

Insight into the Formation of Molecular Species in Laser-Induced Plasma of Isotopically Labeled Organic Samples

Recently, the detection of molecular species in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has gained increasing interest, particularly for isotopic analysis. In LIBS of organic materials, it is predominantly CN and C2 species that are formed, and multiple mechanisms may contribute to their formation. To gain deeper insight into the formation of these species, laser-induced plasma of (13)C and (15)N labeled organic materials was investigated in a temporally and spatially resolved manner. LIBS on fumaric acid with a (13)C labeled double bond allowed the formation mechanism of C2 to be investigated by analyzing relative signal intensities of (12)C2, (12)C(13)C, and (13)C2 molecules. In the early plasma (<5 μs), the majority of C2 originates from association of completely atomized target molecules, whereas in the late plasma, the increased concentration of (13)C2 is due to incomplete dissociation of the carbon double bond. The degree of this fragmentation was found to be up to 80% and to depend on the type of the atmospheric gas. Spatial distributions of C2 revealed distinct differences for plasma generated in nitrogen and argon. A study of the interaction of ablated organics with ambient nitrogen showed that the ambient nitrogen contributed mainly to CN formation. The pronounced anisotropy of the C(15)N to C(14)N ratio across the diameter of the plasma was observed in the early plasma, indicating poor initial mixing of the plasma with the ambient gas. Overall, for accurate isotope analysis of organics, LIBS in argon with relatively short integration times (<10 μs) provides the most robust results. On the other hand, if information about the original molecular structure is of interest, then experiments in nitrogen (or air) with long integration times appear to be the most promising.

Experimental and numerical characterization of the sound pressure in standing wave acoustic levitators.

A novel method for predictions of the sound pressure distribution in acoustic levitators is based on a matrix representation of the Rayleigh integral. This method allows for a fast calculation of the acoustic field within the resonator. To make sure that the underlying assumptions and simplifications are justified, this approach was tested by a direct comparison to experimental data. The experimental sound pressure distributions were recorded by high spatially resolved frequency selective microphone scanning. To emphasize the general applicability of the two approaches, the comparative studies were conducted for four different resonator geometries. In all cases, the results show an excellent agreement, demonstrating the accuracy of the matrix method.

Mass spectrometry of levitated droplets by thermally unconfined infrared-laser desorption.

An ionization scheme for fast online mass spectrometric interrogation of levitated droplets is presented. That renewed method comprises the output of an a Er:YAG laser at λ = 2.94 μm which is in resonance with the OH stretch vibration band of solvents like water and alcohols. A temporal pulse width larger than the time needed for pressure redistribution and also above the temperature redistribution time constant was found to lead to soft evaporation/ionization. Despite these mild desorption conditions, no additional postionization is found to be needed. Accordingly, the ionization is found to be very soft resulting in entirely intact analyte ions and concentration dependent cluster ions. Resulting mass spectra of small amino acids and large antibiotics are presented showing the versatility of the introduced technique. Above a critical mass of m ≈ 1 kDa, the formed ions carry multiple charges as it is typical for thermospray or electrospray ionization. The detection technique enables fast contactless analysis of the chemical composition of levitated microreactors and, thus, paves the way for future contactless reaction monitoring.

CO2 laser ionization of acoustically levitated droplets

AbstractFor many analytical purposes, direct laser ionization of liquids is desirable. Several studies on supported droplets, free liquid jets, and ballistically dispensed microdroplets have been conducted, yet detailed knowledge of the underlying mechanistics in ion formation is still missing. This contribution introduces a simple combination of IR-MALDI mass spectrometry and an acoustical levitation device for contactless confinement of the liquid sample. The homebuilt ultrasonic levitator supports droplets of several millimeters in diameter. These droplets are vaporized by a carbon dioxide laser in the vicinity of the atmospheric pressure interface of a time of flight mass spectrometer. The evaporation process is studied by high repetition rate shadowgraphy experiments elucidating the ballistic evaporation of the sample and revealing strong confinement of the vapor by the ultrasonic field of the trap. Finally, typical mass spectra for pure glycerol/water matrix and lysine as an analyte are presented with and without the addition of trifluoracetic acid, and the ionization mechanism is briefly discussed. The technique is a promising candidate for a reproducible mass spectrometric detection scheme for the field of microfluidics. FigureCO2 laser evaporation of an acoustic levitated droplet followed by time of flight mass analysis

Time-resolved mass-spectral characterization of ion formation from a low-frequency, low-temperature plasma probe ambient ionization source

New-found interest in the development of ionization sources for mass spectrometry, inspired by the advent of ambient desorption/ionization mass spectrometry, has led to a resurgence in plasma-source development and characterization. Dielectric-barrier discharges, particularly the low-temperature plasma (LTP) probe format, have been at the forefront of this field due to their low power consumption and relatively simple design. However, better fundamental understanding of this desorption/ionization source is needed to improve the analytical capabilities of such a device. Here, we use relatively fast (2.5 ms per spectrum) time-resolved mass spectrometry to characterize the temporal reagent-ion distribution from a low-frequency LTP probe. Different voltage waveforms were found to heavily influence the discharge properties and, consequently, ion production. Ion signals from short discharge pulses, ca. 40 μs, were found to be significantly broadened, ca. 10 ms, prior to extraction into the mass spectrometer. Additionally, higher frequencies of a sine-wave LTP produced the largest flux of reagent ions, which existed for most of the voltage waveforms. Finally, temporal signals for reagent and analyte ions were measured and related to specific ionization processes: proton transfer and charge transfer.

Characterization of two modes in a dielectric barrier discharge probe by optical emission spectroscopy and time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Among the large number of new ambient ionization schemes in the last few years, dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) has witnessed special attention. In this contribution a versatile dual mode DBD is introduced and characterized by means of optical emission spectroscopy and time-of-flight mass spectrometry. A direct comparison of the individual results from spectroscopy, spectrometry and transient current/voltage consumption gives evidence for the existence of two individual operational mechanisms. The first is driven by rapid transient changes in the potential difference between the two electrodes over time (usually denoted as the homogeneous mode), while the second is caused at high static potential differences (leading to filamentary discharges). The transient versus steady-state characteristics of the individual discharge origin suggest the driving force for the current flow to be inductive and capacitive, respectively. In most cases of dielectric barrier plasmas both discharge types coexist as competitive ion formation channels, however, detailed plasma characteristics of DBDs operated under different conditions allow for a clear distinction of the individual contributions. In this way, two characteristic product channels for the ionization of ambient water could be observed resulting in the generation of either preferentially protonated water clusters or ammonium water clusters. Careful tuning of the operation parameters of the discharge device allows an operation predominated by either of the two modes. As a consequence, facile switching into the desired operational mode results in either protonated molecules or ammoniated molecules of the analyte. Plasma characteristics for both moieties were evaluated and cross-correlated on the basis of several factors including: the production of reagent ions, the individual appearance of current/voltage profiles, UV/Vis spectroscopy, voltage and flux dependence and the individual response to test compounds. Although the filamentary mode has been already discussed in the literature to induce fragmentation processes, no experimental evidence for analyte dissociation could be found in the case of the test compounds used.

High repetition rate laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy using acousto-optically gated detection

This contribution introduces a new type of setup for fast sample analysis using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The novel design combines a high repetition rate laser (up to 50 kHz) as excitation source and an acousto-optical modulator (AOM) as a fast switch for temporally gating the detection of the emitted light. The plasma radiation is led through the active medium of the AOM where it is diffracted on the transient ultrasonic Bragg grid. The diffracted radiation is detected by a compact Czerny-Turner spectrometer equipped with a CCD line detector. Utilizing the new combination of high repetition rate lasers and AOM gated detection, rapid measurements with total integration times of only 10 ms resulted in a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.13 wt.% for magnesium in aluminum alloys. This short integration time corresponds to 100 analyses/s. Temporal gating of LIP radiation results in improved LODs and consecutively higher sensitivity of the LIBS setup. Therefore, an AOM could be beneficially utilized to temporally detect plasmas induced by high repetition rate lasers. The AOM in combination with miniaturized Czerny-Turner spectrometers equipped with CCD line detectors and small footprint diode pumped solid state lasers results in temporally gateable compact LIBS setups.

High-repetition rate laser ablation coupled to dielectric barrier discharge postionization for ambient mass spectrometry.

Most ambient sample introduction and ionization techniques for native mass spectrometry are highly selective for polar agents. To achieve a more general sensitivity for a wider range of target analytes, a novel laser ablation dielectric barrier discharge (LA DBD) ionization scheme was developed. The approach employs a two-step mechanism with subsequent sample desorption and post-ionization. Effective ablation was achieved by the second harmonic output (λ=532nm) of a diode pumped Nd:YVO4 laser operating at a high-repetition rate of several kHz and pulse energies below 100μJ. The ejected analyte-containing aerosol was consecutively vaporized and ionized in the afterglow of a DBD plasma jet. Depending on their proton affinity the superexcited helium species in this afterglow produced analyte ions as protonated and ammoniated species, as well as radical cations. The optimization procedure could corroborate underlying conceptual consideration on the ablation, desorption and ionization mechanisms. A successful detection of a variety of target molecules could be shown from the pharmaceutical ibuprofen, urea, the amino acids l-arginine, l-lysine, the polymer polyethylene glycol, the organometallic compound ferrocene and the technical mixture wild mint oil. For a reliable evaluation of the introduced detection procedure spectra from the naturally abundant alkaloid capsaicin in dried capsicum fruits were recorded.

Characterisation of an inexpensive sonic spray ionisation source using laser-induced fluorescence imaging and mass spectrometry.

A commercially available airbrush gun as a new source for spray ionisation is presented. It is best operated employing moderate stagnation pressures, resulting in a sonic gas flow. A mass spectrometric investigation on the amino acid lysine and several peptides reveals that this inexpensive approach results in reproducible mass spectra. The ion patterns strongly resemble the results from other studies obtained with custom-made sonic spray vaporisers. The patterns also resemble the mass spectra recorded with electrospray devices. For a better understanding of the vaporisation process, the mass spectrometry experiments are accompanied by laser-induced fluorescence experiments. Inverse Abel Transform of the obtained fluorescence maps allows the determination of the full three-dimensional distribution of the spray cone. Furthermore, via exploitation of the solvatochromism of the used dye the solvation-state distribution can be visualised. In addition, expansion parameters, such as droplet size and velocity, are obtained by laser stroboscopy. The experiments demonstrate that the analyte hardly desolvates throughout the expansion. This indicates a subsequent vaporisation of the residual solvent in the intermediate pressure region of the mass spectrometer.

Airborne Laser-Spark for Ambient Desorption/Ionisation

A novel direct sampling ionisation scheme for ambient mass spectrometry is presented. Desorption and ionisation are achieved by a quasi-continuous laser-induced plasma in air. Since there are no solid or liquid electrodes involved, the ion source does not suffer from chemical interferences or fatigue originating from erosive burning or from electrode consumption. The overall plasma maintains electro-neutrality, minimising charge effects and accompanying long-term drift of the charged particles trajectories. In the airborne plasma approach the ambient air not only serves as the plasma medium, but at the same time also slows down the nascent ions via collisional cooling. Ionisation of the analyte molecules does not occur in the plasma itself but is induced by interaction with nascent ionic fragments, electrons and/or far ultraviolet photons in the plasma vicinity. At each individual air-spark an audible shockwave is formed, providing new reactive species, which expands concentrically and, thus, prevents direct contact of the analyte with the hot region inside the plasma itself. As a consequence the interaction volume between plasma and analyte does not exceed the threshold temperature for thermal dissociation or fragmentation. Experimentally this indirect ionisation scheme is demonstrated to be widely unspecific to the chemical nature of the analyte and to hardly result in any fragmentation of the studied molecules. A vast ensemble of different test analytes including polar and non-polar hydrocarbons, sugars, low mass active ingredients of pharmaceuticals, as well as natural biomolecules in food samples directly out of their complex matrices could be shown to yield easily accessible yet meaningful spectra. Since the plasma medium is humid air, the chemical reaction mechanism of the ionisation is likely to be similar to other ambient ionisation techniques.