Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 13, 2026

Analysis of Volatile and Oxidation Sensitive Compounds Using a Cold Inlet System and Electron Impact Mass Spectrometry
Published on: September 5, 2014
Analysis of oxidizer salt mixtures by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry
Michael E Sigman1, Paul Armstrong
1Department of Chemistry and National Center for Forensic Science, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA. msigman@mail.ucf.edu
Abstract:
Binary aqueous mixtures of NaNO3, KNO3 and NaClO4 oxidizers were analyzed using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Sodium nitrate solutions were observed to form doubly charged clusters of the type [(NaNO3)n2Na]2+ and [(NaNO3)n2NO3]2-, where n = 11, 13, 15, etc., in addition to singly charged cluster ions that have been reported previously. The identity of the doubly charged clusters was determined by tandem mass spectrometry. Two-component NaNO3-KNO3 salt solutions were observed to form cluster ions of the type [(NaNO3)i(KNO3)jNO3]- in the negative ion mode and [(NaNO3)i(KNO3)jNa]+ and [(NaNO3)i(KNO3)jK]+ in the positive ion mode, where i + j = 1, 2, 3 ... 10. Two-component solutions of KNO3-NaClO4 formed ions of the type [(KNO3)i(NaClO4)j(KClO4)k(NaNO3)lK](+) and [(KNO3)i(NaClO4)j(KClO4)k(NaNO3)lNa]+ in the positive ion mode, where i + j + k + l = 1, 2, 3 ... 10. Similar clusters containing excess nitrate and perchlorate to provide the charge are formed in the negative ion mode. In each case, the maximum number of spectral lines for a cluster of size n can be calculated as the number of combinations of n(th) order (where n = i + j) of N different cation-anion pairs taken with replication and without regard for the ordering of the N cation-anion pairs. The actual number of lines observed may be reduced due to degeneracy of nominal m/z values for some ions.
Related Concept Videos
Electrospray Ionization (ESI) Mass Spectrometry
ESI utilizes electrical energy to transfer ions from the liquid phase of the sample into the...
Mass Spectrometry: Complex Analysis
GC–MS is a powerful hyphenated method commonly used in forensics and environmental...
Mass Spectrometry: Overview
Mass Spectrometers
Mass Spectrum: Interpretation
Tandem Mass Spectrometry

