PNNL

Abstract

Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS) is a relatively new field that has attracted a great deal of interest in the last several years. This technique uses H3O+ as a chemical ionization (CI) agent for measuring volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the parts per billion by volume (ppbv) - parts per trillion by volume (pptv) range. PTR-MS mass spectra are simple because the ionization method of proton transfer is “soft”, resulting in little or no fragmentation. Unfortunately, the simplicity of the mass spectra can cause problems in peak identification due to isobaric interferences. A possible solution to this problem is to couple the PTR drift tube to an ion trap mass spectrometer (ITMS). ITMS is appealing because of the ability to perform MS/MS and possibly distinguish between isomers and other isobars. Additionally, the ITMS duty cycle is much higher than that of a linear quadrupole so faster data acquisition rates can be realized for detection of multiple compounds. We present here the first results from a Proton Transfer Reaction Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (PTR-ITMS). The aim of this study was to investigate ion injection and storage efficiency of a simple prototype interface in order to estimate possible detection limits of a second generation instrument. Using this prototype a detection limit of 100 ppbv was demonstrated for the PTR-ITMS. Modifications are suggested that will enable further reduction in detection limits to the low ppbv to pptv range. Furthermore the applicability of MS/MS to differentiate between isobaric species was determined. MS/MS spectra of the isobaric compounds methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) and methacrolein (MACR) are presented and show fragments of different mass making a differentiation possible even when a mixture of both species is present in the same sample. MS/MS spectra of acetone and propanal produce fragments with the same molecular weight but different ratios, allowing quantitative distinction only if one species is predominant. Fragmentation mechanisms are proposed to explain the results.