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Direct Detection of Solid Inorganic Mercury Salts at Ambient Pressure by Electron-Capture and Reaction-Assisted HePI Mass Spectrometry

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Journal of The American Society for Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

Solid HgCl2 is readily detected at ambient conditions by electron capture in a HePI-MS source. The captured electron occupies the empty 6 s orbital of the Hg atom. The resulting radical-anion HgCl2 −• can exist as three “flexomers” of different Cl-Hg-Cl angle. The facile in-source formation of HgCl2 −• and the adduct [HgCl3]–- is exploited to detect other solid Hg compounds by exposing them to an external chloride source, such as HCl, NaCl, or vapors emanating from solid TiCl3. In situ oxidation of Hg2Cl2 with H2O2 generated signals for HgCl2 −• and [HgCl3] –, suggesting that oxidation makes Hg 6 s orbital available for electron capture.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Mass Spectrometry, Department of Chemistry, Chemical Biology and Biomedical Engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology, Castle Point on the Hudson, Hoboken, NJ, 07030, USA

    Sathis S. Weerasinghe, Julius Pavlov, Yong Zhang & Athula B. Attygalle

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  1. Sathis S. Weerasinghe
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  2. Julius Pavlov
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  3. Yong Zhang
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  4. Athula B. Attygalle
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Correspondence to Athula B. Attygalle.

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Weerasinghe, S.S., Pavlov, J., Zhang, Y. et al. Direct Detection of Solid Inorganic Mercury Salts at Ambient Pressure by Electron-Capture and Reaction-Assisted HePI Mass Spectrometry. J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 25, 149–153 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13361-013-0746-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13361-013-0746-2

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