Multi-atmospheric pressure ionisation interface for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Mass Spectrometry
• Chromatography

Background:

• Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is a powerful analytical technique.
• Existing atmospheric pressure ionization (API) interfaces have limitations in analyte versatility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a novel multi-API interface for LC-MS.
• To enhance the applicability of LC-MS for a wider range of organic compounds.

Main Methods:

• Development of a multi-API interface integrating five distinct ionization modes: atmospheric pressure spray with electron impact ionization (APEI), atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), atmospheric pressure spray ionization (APSI), electrospray ionization (ESI), and sonic spray ionization (SSI).
• Implementation of an APEI interface and a highly sensitive API interface featuring advanced collision-induced dissociation (CID) in a differential pumping region and an electrostatic ion guide.

Main Results:

• The developed LC-MS system successfully integrates five API modes.
• The system demonstrates capability in analyzing a broad spectrum of organic compounds, including nonpolar hydrocarbons and polar proteins.

Conclusions:

• The novel multi-API interface significantly expands the analytical scope of LC-MS.
• This versatile system offers a unified solution for analyzing diverse organic analytes.