Fluoroalcohols as novel buffer components for basic buffer solutions for liquid chromatography electrospray...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Chromatography
• Mass Spectrometry

Background:

• Basic mobile phases in LC-ESI-MS have limited buffer options.
• Fluoroalcohols offer potential as novel buffer components.

Purpose of the Study:

• Evaluate two fluoroalcohols, HFIP and HFTB, as volatile buffer acids in basic mobile phases for LC-ESI-MS.
• Investigate their impact on retention behavior and ionization of acidic and basic compounds.
• Compare their performance with traditional buffer systems.

Main Methods:

• Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) was employed.
• Two fluoroalcohols, 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) and 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-methyl-2-propanol (HFTB), were used as volatile buffer acids.
• Retention mechanisms of acidic and basic analytes were evaluated.

Main Results:

• HFIP and HFTB did not suppress analyte ionization; ionization enhancement was observed for some analytes.
• Fluoroalcohols adjusted retention behavior of acidic and basic compounds.
• Retention trends were explained by a model involving fluoroalcohol retention on the stationary phase and ion-pairing in the mobile phase.

Conclusions:

• Fluoroalcohols are effective volatile buffer acids for LC-ESI-MS.
• They expand the range of ESI-compatible buffer systems for basic mobile phases.
• They provide a means to modulate analyte retention and ionization.