Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Laser-based ion mobility spectrometer for the direct analysis of aromatic compounds in liquids

  • Original Research
  • Published:
International Journal for Ion Mobility Spectrometry

Abstract

A laser-based ionization source for the direct analysis of liquid samples in ion mobility (IM) spectrometry is presented and characterized. Ionization of aromatic substances in liquids is achieved, analogous to atmospheric pressure laser ionization (APLI) in mass spectrometry, by vaporizing the liquid and subsequently ionizing the aromatic substances by resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI). The effects of parameters, such as composition and flow rate of the solvent as well as laser wavelength and pulse energy, are systematically investigated. The characterization of the IM spectrometer is carried out by means of selected substances from diverse fields of applications, e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), pesticides, wood preservatives and drug compounds. Limits of detection (LOD) down to 10 fmol and linear ranges up to three orders of magnitude are established. In addition to direct laser ionization, indirect laser ionization via dopants (toluene) for substances with low ionization efficiencies is investigated. Ionization occurs as a result of proton transfer from toluene radical cations to substances of sufficiently high proton affinities. As a result of indirect laser ionization, LOD could be decreased by up to two orders of magnitude. Ionization products are investigated by means of a combination of IM and mass spectrometer. Depending on the substance investigated primary ions (radical cations) and secondary ions (protonated molecules) resulting from ion molecule reactions are formed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Eiceman GA, Karpas Z (2005) Ion mobility spectrometry. CRC Press, Boca Raton

    Book  Google Scholar 

  2. Borsdorf H, Mayer T, Zarejousheghani M, Eiceman GA (2011) Recent developments in ion mobility spectrometry. Appl Spectrosc Rev 46:472–521

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Baumbach JI (2006) Process analysis using ion mobility spectrometry. Anal Bioanal Chem 384:1059–1070

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Tabrizchi M, Ilbeigi V (2010) Detection of explosives by positive corona discharge ion mobility spectrometry. J Hazard Mater 176:692–696

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Ewing RG, Atkinson DA, Eiceman GA, Ewing GJ (2001) A critical review of ion mobility spectro-metry for the detection of explosives and explosive related compounds. Talanta 54:515–529

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Hill HH, St Louis RH, Morrissey MA, Shumate CB, Siems WF, McMinn DG (1992) A detection method for unified chromatography. J High Resolut Chromatogr 15:417–422

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Boesl U (1991) Multiphoton excitation and mass‐selective ion detection for neutral and ion spectroscopy. J Phys Chem 95:2949–2962

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Boesl U (2000) Laser mass spectrometry for environmental and industrial chemical trace analysis. J Mass Spectrom 35:289–304

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Lubman DM, Kronick MN (1983) Multiwavelength-selective ionization of organic compounds in an ion mobility spectrometer. Anal Chem 55:867–873

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Gormally J, Phillips J (1991) The performance of an ion mobility spectrometer for use with laser ionization. Int J Mass Spectrom Ion Process 107:441–451

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Löhmannsröben H-G, Beitz T, Laudien R, Schultze R (2004) Laser-based ion mobility spectro-metry for sensing of aromatic compounds. Proc SPIE 5547:16–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Robb DB, Covey TR, Bruins AP (2000) Atmospheric pressure photoionization: an ionization method for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Anal Chem 72:3653–3659

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Hanold KA, Fischer SM, Cormia PH, Miller CE, Syage JA (2004) Atmospheric pressure photoioni-zation. 1. General properties for LC/MS. Anal Chem 76:2842–2851

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Schiewek R, Lorenz M, Giese R, Brockmann K, Benter T, Gäb S, Schmitz OJ (2008) Development of a multipurpose ion source for LC-MS and GC-API MS. Anal Bioanal Chem 392:87–96

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Schrader W, Panda SK, Brockmann KJ, Benter T (2008) Characterization of non-polar aromatic hydrocarbons in crude oil using atmospheric pressure laser ionization and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (APLI FT-ICR MS). Analyst 133:867–869

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Brendler C, Riebe D, Ritschel T, Beitz T, Löhmannsröben H-G (2013) Investigation of neuroleptics and other aromatic compounds by laser-based ion mobility mass spectrometry. Anal Bioanal Chem 405:7019–7029

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. P.J. Linstrom and W.G. Mallard, Eds., NIST Chemistry WebBook, NIST Standard Reference Database Number 69, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg MD, 20899, http://webbook.nist.gov, (retrieved April 4, 2014)

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for financial support and the PT Jülich for organizational support within the ForMaT project (FKZ: 03FO1042).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physical Chemistry, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany

    Christian Brendler, Daniel Riebe, Karl Zenichowski, Toralf Beitz & Hans-Gerd Löhmannsröben

Authors
  1. Christian Brendler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Daniel Riebe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Karl Zenichowski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Toralf Beitz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Hans-Gerd Löhmannsröben
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hans-Gerd Löhmannsröben.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Brendler, C., Riebe, D., Zenichowski, K. et al. Laser-based ion mobility spectrometer for the direct analysis of aromatic compounds in liquids. Int. J. Ion Mobil. Spec. 17, 105–115 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12127-014-0158-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12127-014-0158-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation