Differentiation of (Mixed) Halogenated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins by Negative Ion Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization.

Brominated and mixed halogenated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PBDDs and PXDDs) may well be as toxic as 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-dibenzo-p-dioxin (2378-TCDD), a compound reputed as one of the most toxic chemicals known to exist. However, studies on the occurrence of PXDDs have been hampered by a lack of authentic standards as well as separation techniques capable of resolving the enormous number of potential isomers. Electron ionization (EI) mass spectrometry based methods are of limited value due to the lack of isomer specific fragmentation. Negative ion atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI(-)) of 2378-TCDD was described in this journal over 30 years ago. Under these conditions, the reaction between O2(-•) and 2378-TCDD results in structure diagnostic cleavages of the C-O bonds, which can distinguish TCDD isomers on the basis of Cl distribution between the two aromatic rings. In the present study, the analogous ether cleavages of PBDDs and PXDDs were studied using a gas chromatograph-quadrupole time-of-flight (GC-QTOF) mass spectrometer coupled using APCI. The results indicate comparable detection limits for the radical cations [M(•+)] and negative pseudomolecular ions [M-Cl+O](-): approximately 5 fg and 10 fg, respectively, for 2378-TCDD and 5-10 fg and 10-30 fg, respectively, for the 2,3,7,8-substituted PXDDs. Detection limits obtained by monitoring the ether cleavage products were somewhat higher (between 100 and 600 fg) but still acceptable for trace analysis of PXDDs. Such reactions may resolve coeluting isomers, which is crucial for the identification of PXDDs. The technique is demonstrated by differentiating PXDD isomer classes in a sample obtained from a major industrial fire that would not be feasible using EI or positive ion APCI(+).

Toward Part-per-Million Precision in the Determination of an Ion's Collision Cross Section Using Multipass Cyclic Ion Mobility.

In cyclic ion mobility (cIMS), ions are permitted to travel multiple passes around the drift cell, increasing the distance traveled and the relative separation between ions. This study tests the hypothesis that multiple passes around the cell can also result in improved precision when measuring an ion's mobility and the collision cross section (TWCCS) derived therefrom. Experiments were performed with a diverse set of compounds, including 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using gas chromatographic atmospheric pressure chemical ionization and a set of drug molecules by direct infusion electrospray ionization. The average periodic drift time, viz., the average time required for the ion to travel around the cIMS cell once, shifts dramatically, approaching part-per-million (ppm) precision as the number of passes increases to ∼100. Extrapolation of the precision of the CCS values with respect to the number of passes led to the prediction that the precision will reach 1000 ppm after 50 passes, 100 ppm after 100 passes, and <10 ppm after 150 passes. Experiments wherein the number of passes exceeded 100 produced TWCCS values having within-run precisions ranging between 15 and 117 ppm. The improved precision with an increasing number of passes may be a consequence of mitigating space-charge effects by allowing the ions to occupy a larger region of the cIMS cell. A method is proposed to enable practical measurements of TWCCS with ppm precision and is demonstrated to characterize an unknown drug mixture.