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Updated: May 29, 2026

Real-time Breath Analysis by Using Secondary Nanoelectrospray Ionization Coupled to High Resolution Mass Spectrometry
Published on: March 9, 2018
A novel microreactor approach for analysis of ketones and aldehydes in breath
Xiao-An Fu1, Mingxiao Li, Souvik Biswas
1Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40208, USA. xiaoan.fu@louiville.edu
Abstract:
We report a fabricated microreactor with thousands of micropillars in channels. Each micropillar surface is chemically functionalized to selectively preconcentrate gaseous ketones and aldehydes of exhaled breath and to enhance ultra-trace, rapid analysis by direct-infusion Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometry (MS). The micropillar reactive coating contains the quaternary ammonium aminooxy salt 2-(aminooxy)ethyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium iodide (ATM) for capturing trace carbonyl VOCs by means of an oximation reaction. We demonstrate the utility of this approach for detection of C(1) to C(12) aldehydes and ketones in exhaled breath, but the approach is applicable to any gaseous sample.
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