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Emerging flow injection mass spectrometry methods for high-throughput quantitative analysis

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Abstract

Where does flow injection analysis mass spectrometry (FIA-MS) stand relative to ambient mass spectrometry (MS) and chromatography-MS? Improvements in FIA-MS methods have resulted in fast-expanding uses of this technique. Key advantages of FIA-MS over chromatography-MS are fast analysis (typical run time <60 s) and method simplicity, and FIA-MS offers high-throughput without compromising sensitivity, precision and accuracy as much as ambient MS techniques. Consequently, FIA-MS is increasingly becoming recognized as a suitable technique for applications where quantitative screening of chemicals needs to be performed rapidly and reliably. The FIA-MS methods discussed herein have demonstrated quantitation of diverse analytes, including pharmaceuticals, pesticides, environmental contaminants, and endogenous compounds, at levels ranging from parts-per-billion (ppb) to parts-per-million (ppm) in very complex matrices (such as blood, urine, and a variety of foods of plant and animal origin), allowing successful applications of the technique in clinical diagnostics, metabolomics, environmental sciences, toxicology, and detection of adulterated/counterfeited goods. The recent boom in applications of FIA-MS for high-throughput quantitative analysis has been driven in part by (1) the continuous improvements in sensitivity and selectivity of MS instrumentation, (2) the introduction of novel sample preparation procedures compatible with standalone mass spectrometric analysis such as salting out assisted liquid–liquid extraction (SALLE) with volatile solutes and NH4 + QuEChERS, and (3) the need to improve efficiency of laboratories to satisfy increasing analytical demand while lowering operational cost. The advantages and drawbacks of quantitative analysis by FIA-MS are discussed in comparison to chromatography-MS and ambient MS (e.g., DESI, LAESI, DART). Generally, FIA-MS sits ‘in the middle’ between ambient MS and chromatography-MS, offering a balance between analytical capability and sample analysis throughput suitable for broad applications in life sciences, agricultural chemistry, consumer safety, and beyond.

Position of FIA-MS relative to chromatography-MS and ambient MS in terms of analytical figures of merit and sample analysis throughput.

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Abbreviations

APCI:

Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization

API:

Active pharmaceutical ingredient

ASAP:

Atmospheric solids analysis probe

DART:

Direct analysis in real time

DESI:

Desorption electrospray ionization

ESI:

Electrospray ionization

FIA:

Flow injection analysis

FI-MS:

Flow injection mass spectrometry

GC-MS:

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

GC-MS/MS:

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry

GPC:

Gel permeation chromatography

HPLC-MS:

High performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

HPLC-MS/MS:

High performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry

LAESI:

Laser ablation electrospray ionization

LOD:

Limit of detection

LOQ:

Limit of quantitation

MALDI:

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization

MS:

Mass spectrometry (MS is used in this paper as a general abbreviation for mass spectrometry using all types of mass analyzers, including single-stage mass spectrometry, tandem mass spectrometry, etc.)

MS/MS:

Mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry or tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS is used in this paper specifically for two stages of mass analysis)

QuEChERS:

Quick easy cheap effective rugged and safe (a sample preparation method)

SALLE:

Salting out assisted liquid-liquid extraction

SPE:

Solid-phase extraction

Standalone MS:

Mass spectrometry techniques without chromatography, including DESI-MS, DART-MS, FIA-MS, LAESI-MS, MALDI-MS, etc.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Barbara Larsen (DuPont Co.) for helpful discussions and comments.

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  1. DuPont Crop Protection, Stine-Haskell Research Center, 1090 Elkton Road, Newark, DE, 19714, USA

    Sergio C. Nanita & Laura G. Kaldon

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Correspondence to Sergio C. Nanita.

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Nanita, S.C., Kaldon, L.G. Emerging flow injection mass spectrometry methods for high-throughput quantitative analysis. Anal Bioanal Chem 408, 23–33 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-015-9193-1

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