Mass Spectrometry Flashcards
What type of techniques does GCMS combine?
Chromatographic and spectral
where is the column directly inserted into?
MS ionization chamber
Why do all interface devices contain a heat source?
To prevent analyte condensation within the transfer line
What must this heat not cause?
Thermal decomposition of analyte
Name 3 advantages of direct capillary interface?
Low cost, no dead volume, no selectivity
What are 3 disadvantages of direct capillary interface?
limits flow range that column can use, limits ID of column that can be used, part of column is ‘lost’ - serves as a flow restrictor
volatile substances can be ionised by electron impact ionisation by interacting with what?
an electron beam generated by a heated filament in the ion
why are internal standards necessary in GC?
due to the need for normalisation due to volume changes
What does adding a fixed concentration of IS to each standard mean for calibration?
calibration can be carried out using peak area ratio and thus ignores changes in injection volume
What is the injection volume of LC?
10-50uL
Why is the precision better in LC than GC?
a fixed volume loop is filled with sample and only this amount goes on every time
why is it common in both LC and GC to extract samples prior to analysis?
due to a need for preconcentration or because the sample matrix is not appropriate for chromatographic system
What is commonly done prior to extraction to compensate for the sample being lost?
addition of an internal standard
What is the advantage of considering peak area ratios instead of peak area?
normalisation is achieved and precision and accuracy are better
In LC and GC, why must the internal standard be separated from the analyte?
For an internal standard to be of use otherwise you could not distinguish area representing each
why is this one of the most difficult tasks for a chromatographer?
because the internal standard must have similair chromatographic properties as the analyte and be able to be detected in the same way
what is deuterium
a stable isotope of hydrogen depicted as 2H, has a mass of 2
what are 2 important characteristics a deuterated standard should have
should coelute with compound to be quantified, should also contain enough mass to show a signal outside the natural mass distribution of the analyte
what are the 2 most common interfaces used in HPLC?
electrospray ionisation and atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation
what is the more recently used interface in HPLC?
Atmospheric pressure photo ionisation
in electrospray ionisation, what flow rate is the analyte typically intoduced at?
1uL min-1
The analyte solution flow passes through the electrospray needle that has high potential difference applied to it - what does this cause?
This forces the spraying of charged droplets from the needle with a surface charge of the same polarity to the charge on the needle
what are the droplets repelled towards from the needle?
source sampling cone on counter electrode
What occurs as the droples traverse the space between the needle tip and cone?
solvent evaporation
What happens to the droplet as solvent evaporation occurs?
it shrinks until it reaches the point that surface tension can no longer sustain the charge (rayleigh limit)
This causes a ‘coulombic explosion’ to occur, what does this do to the droplet?
it is ripped apart, causing smaller droplets which can repeat the process
what makes this method of ionisation very soft?
very little residual energy is retained by the analyte upon ionisation
what is a major disadvantage to electrospray ionisation?
very little fragmentation is produced
how might this be overcome?
with the use of tandem mass spectrometric techniques such as MS/MS
What is Atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation suitable/not suitable for?
suitable for low mass compounds, not suitable for thermally liable compounds.
In APCI, what is the analyte solution introduced to?
a pneumatic nebulizer
What is the analyte then desolvated in?
heated quartz tube
What does the analyte then interact with? What does this create?
The corona discharge - creates ions
what does the corona discharge replace in Cl?
the electron filament
what does this produce?
Primary ions; N2 and N4 by electron ionisation
What do these primary ions collide with to form secondary reactant gas ions; H3O and (H2O)nH+?
the vaporized solvent
What causes the formation of analyte ions
reactant gas ions colliding with analyte
What does high frequency of collisions result in? 2
High ionisation efficiency and thermalisation of the analyte ions
What will the resulting spectra look like?
predominently molecular species and adduct ions with very little fragmentation