Direct Drug Analysis in Polymeric Implants Using Desorption Electrospray Ionization - Mass Spectrometry Imaging (DESI-MSI).

PURPOSE: Desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging (DESI-MSI) coupled with gas-phase ion mobility spectrometry was used to characterize the drug distribution in polymeric implants before and after exposure to accelerated in vitro release (IVR) media. DESI-MSI provides definitive chemical identification and localization of formulation components, including 2D chemical mapping of individual components with essentially no sample preparation. METHODS: Polymeric implants containing 40% (w/w) entecavir and poly(D,L-lactide) (PLA) were prepared and then exposed to either acidified PBS (pH 2.5) or MeOH:H2O (50:50, v/v) medias during a 7-day IVR test using continuous flow-through (CFT) cell dissolution. The amount of drug released from the polymer matrix during the 7-day IVR test was monitored by online-ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV) and HPLC-UV. After that period, intact implants and radial sections of implants were analyzed by DESI-MSI with ion mobility spectrometry. The active ingredient along with impurities and contaminants were used to generate chemical maps before and after exposure to the release medias. RESULTS: Bi-phasic release profiles were observed for implants during IVR release using both medias. During the second phase of release, implants exposed to PBS, pH 2.5, released the entecavir faster than the implants exposed to MeOH:H2O (50:50, v/v). Radial images of the polymer interior show that entecavir is localized along the central core of the implant after exposure to MeOH:H2O (50:50, v/v) and that the drug is more uniformly distributed throughout the implant after exposure to acidified PBS (pH 2.5). CONCLUSIONS: DESI-MSI coupled with ion mobility analysis produced chemical images of the drug distribution on the exterior and interior of cylindrical polymeric implants before and after exposure to various release medias. These results demonstrated the utility of this technique for rapid characterization of drug and impurity/degradant distribution within polymeric implants with direct implications for formulation development as well as analytical method development activities for various solid parenteral and oral dosage forms. These results are especially meaningful since samples were analyzed with essentially no preparative procedures.

Ion chemistry of VX surrogates and ion energetics properties of VX: new suggestions for VX chemical ionization mass spectrometry detection.

Room temperature rate constants and product ion branching ratios have been measured for the reactions of numerous positive and negative ions with VX chemical warfare agent surrogates representing the amine (triethylamine) and organophosphonate (diethyl methythiomethylphosphonate (DEMTMP)) portions of VX. The measurements have been supplemented by theoretical calculations of the proton affinity, fluoride affinity, and ionization potential of VX and the simulants. The results show that many proton transfer reactions are rapid and that the proton affinity of VX is near the top of the scale. Many proton transfer agents should detect VX selectively and sensitively in chemical ionization mass spectrometers. Charge transfer with NO(+) should also be sensitive and selective since the ionization potential of VX is small. The surrogate studies confirm these trends. Limits of detection for commercial and research grade CIMS instruments are estimated at 80 pptv and 5 ppqv, respectively.

Kinetics of ion-molecule reactions with dimethyl methylphosphonate at 298 K for chemical ionization mass spectrometry detection of GX.

Kinetics studies of a variety of positive and negative ions reacting with the GX surrogate, dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP), were performed. All protonated species reacted rapidly, that is, at the collision limit. The protonated reactant ions created from neutrals with proton affinities (PAs) less than or equal to the PA for ammonia reacted exclusively by nondissociative proton transfer. Hydrated H(3)O(+) ions also reacted rapidly by proton transfer, with 25% of the products from the second hydrate, H(3)O(+)(H(2)O)(2), forming the hydrated form of protonated DMMP. Both methylamine and triethylamine reacted exclusively by clustering. NO(+) also clustered with DMMP at about 70% of the collision rate constant. O(+) and O(2)(+) formed a variety of products in reactions with DMMP, with O(2)(+) forming the nondissociative charge transfer product about 50% of the time. On the other hand, many negative ions were less reactive, particularly, SF(5)(-), SF(6)(-), CO(3)(-), and NO(3)(-). However, F(-), O(-), and O(2)(-) all reacted rapidly to generate m/z = 109 amu anions (PO(3)C(2)H(6)(-)). In addition, product ions with m/z = 122 amu from H(2)(+) loss to form H(2)O were the dominant ions produced in the O(-) reaction. NO(2)(-) underwent a slow association reaction with DMMP at 0.4 Torr. G3(MP2) calculations of the ion energetics properties of DMMP, sarin, and soman were also performed. The calculated ionization potentials, proton affinities, and fluoride affinities were consistent with the trends in the measured kinetics and product ion branching ratios. The experimental results coupled with the calculated ion energetics helped to predict which ion chemistry would be most useful for trace detection of the actual chemical agents.

Kinetics of ion-molecule reactions with 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide at 298 K: a search for CIMS schemes for mustard gas.

The rate constants and product ion branching ratios have been measured in a selected ion flow tube (SIFT) at 298 K for a variety of positive and negative ions reacting with 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (2-CEES), a surrogate for mustard gas (HD). This series of experiments is designed to elucidate ion-molecule reactions that have large rate constants and produce unique product ions to guide the development of chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CIMS) detection methods for the chemical weapon agent using the surrogate instead. The negative ions typically used in CIMS instruments are essentially unreactive with 2-CEES, that is, SF 6 (-), SF 4 (-), CF 3O (-), and CO 3 (-). A few negative ions such as NO 2 (-) and NO 3 (-) undergo three-body association to give a unique product ion, but the bimolecular rate constants are small in the SIFT. Positive ions typically react at the collisional limit, primarily by charge and proton transfer, some of which is dissociative. For ions with high proton binding energies, association with 2-CEES has also been observed. Many of these reactions produced ions with the 2-CEES intact, including the parent cation, the protonated cation, and clusters. G3(MP2) calculations of the thermochemical properties for 2-CEES and mustard have been performed, along with calculations of the structures for the observed product cations. Reacting a series of protonated neutral molecules with 2-CEES brackets the proton affinity (PA) to between 812 ((CH 3) 2CO) and 854 (NH 3) kJ mol (-1). G3(MP2) calculations give a PA for 2-CEES of 823 kJ mol (-1) and a PA for mustard of 796 kJ mol (-1), indicating that the present results for 2-CEES should be directly transferable to mustard to design a CIMS detection scheme.

Analysis of synthetic cathinones and associated psychoactive substances by ion mobility spectrometry.

Synthetic cathinones are a class of designer drugs that have captured the attention of researchers and law enforcement agencies around the world. Driven by heightening legal restrictions, this class of drugs now encompasses a large number of psychoactive substances. The detection and characterization of these drugs is complicated by the ever-growing size of the cathinone family. This has fueled the development of unambiguous identification of these drugs in various matrices. There are, however, very few methods reported for improving presumptive screening of seized materials. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of the standard (63)Ni ionization ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) technique for the screening and identification of representative cathinones and associated psychoactive compounds. We discuss the effectiveness of the instrument as a screening tool for cathinones by the analyses of 13 typical cathinone products marketed as "bath salts". Our results show that the ion mobility spectrometer is an acceptable rapid and efficient screening tool for cathinones, positively detecting at least one cathinone in 77% of the samples tested. In addition, we describe an electrospray ionization (ESI) high performance IMS (HPIMS) method for these compounds. The method offers advantages in direct sample ionization and higher resolution. Mass spectrometry (MS) coupled to the HPIMS technique gives the added benefit of identification of ion peaks in products with mixtures of closely related cathinones.

High-performance ion mobility spectrometry with direct electrospray ionization (ESI-HPIMS) for the detection of additives and contaminants in food.

High-performance ion mobility spectrometry (HPIMS) with an electrospray ionization (ESI) source detected a series of food contaminants and additive compounds identified as critical to monitoring the safety of food samples. These compounds included twelve phthalate plasticizers, legal and illegal food and cosmetic dyes, and artificial sweeteners that were all denoted as detection priorities. HPIMS separated and detected the range of compounds with a resolving power better than 60 in both positive and negative ion modes, comparable to the commonly used high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods, but with most acquisition times under a minute. The reduced mobilities, K0, have been determined, as have the linear response ranges for ESI-HPIMS, which are 1.5-2 orders of magnitude for concentrations down to sub-ng µL(-1) levels. At least one unique mobility peak was seen for two subsets of the phthalates grouped by the country where they were banned. Furthermore, ESI-HPIMS successfully detected low nanogram levels of a phthalate at up to 30 times lower concentration than international detection levels in both a cola matrix and a soy-based bubble tea beverage using only a simplified sample treatment. A newly developed direct ESI source (Directspray) was combined with HPIMS to detect food-grade dyes and industrial dye adulterants, as well as the sweeteners sodium saccharin and sodium cyclamate, with the same good performance as with the phthalates. However, the Directspray method eliminated sources of carryover and decreased the time between sample runs. Limits-of-detection (LOD) for the analyte standards were estimated to be sub-ng µL(-1) levels without extensive sample handling or preparation.

Improved detection of drugs of abuse using high-performance ion mobility spectrometry with electrospray ionization (ESI-HPIMS) for urine matrices.

High-performance ion mobility spectrometry (HPIMS) with electrospray ionization (ESI) has been used to separate drugs of abuse compounds as a function of drift time (ion mobility), which is based on their size, structural shape, and mass-to-charge. HPIMS has also been used to directly detect and identify a variety of the most commonly encountered illegal drugs, as well as a mixture of opiates in a urine matrix without extra sample pretreatment. HPIMS has shown resolving power greater than 65 comparable to that of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with only 1 mL of solvent and sample required using air as the IMS separation medium. The HPIMS method can achieve two-order of magnitude linear response, precise drift times, and high peak area precision with percent relative standard deviations (%RSD) less than 3% for sample quantitation. The reduced mobilities measured agree very well with other IMS measurements, allowing a simple "dilute-and-shoot" method to be used to detect a mixture of codeine and morphine in urine matrix.

Kinetics of sulfur oxide, sulfur fluoride, and sulfur oxyfluoride anions with atomic species at 298 and 500 K.

The rate constants and product-ion branching ratios for the reactions of sulfur dioxide (SO2-), sulfur fluoride (SFn-), and sulfur oxyfluoride anions (SOxFy-) with H, H2, N, N2, NO, and O have been measured in a selected-ion flow tube (SIFT). H atoms were generated through a microwave discharge on a H2/He mixture, whereas O atoms were created via N atoms titrated with NO, where the N had been created by a microwave discharge on N2. None of the ions reacted with H2, N2 or NO; thus, the rate constants are <1 x 10(-12) cm3 s-1. SOxFy- ions react with H by only fluorine-atom abstraction to form HF at 298 and 500 K. Successive F-atom removal does not occur at either temperature, and the rate constants show no temperature dependence over this limited range. SO2- and F- undergo associative detachment with H to form a neutral molecule and an electron. Theoretical calculations of the structures and energetics of HSO2- isomers were performed and showed that structural differences between the ionic and neutral HSO2 species can account for at least part of the reactivity limitations in the SO2- + H reaction. All of the SOxFy- ions react with O; however, only SO2- reacts with both N and O. SOxFy- reactions with N (SO2- excluded) have a rate constant limit of <1 x 10(-11) cm3 s-1. The rate constants for the SOxFy- reactions with H and O are < or =25% of the collision rate constant, as seen previously in the reactions of these ions with O3, consistent with a kinetic bottleneck limiting the reactivity. The only exceptions are the reactions of SO2- with N and O, which are much more efficient. Three pathways were observed with O atoms: F-atom exchange in the reactant ion, F- exchange in the reactant ion, and charge transfer to the O atom. No associative detachment was observed in the N- and O-atom reactions.

Absolute rate coefficients for the reactions of O2- + N(4S(3/2)) and O2- + O(3P) at 298 K in a selected-ion flow tube instrument.

The absolute rate coefficients at 298 K for the reactions of O(2) (-) + N((4)S(3/2)) and O(2) (-) + O((3)P) have been determined in a selected-ion flow tube instrument. O atoms are generated by the quantitative titration of N atoms with NO, where the N atoms are produced by microwave discharge on N(2). The experimental procedure allows for the determination of rate constants for the reaction of the reactant ion with N((4)S(3/2)) and O((3)P). The rate coefficient for O(2) (-) + N is found to be 2.3x10(-10)+/-40% cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1), a factor of 2 slower than previously determined. In addition, it was found that the reaction proceeds by two different reaction channels to give (1) NO(2)+e(-) and (2) O(-)+NO. The second channel was not reported in the previous study and accounts for ca. 35% of the reaction. An overall rate coefficient of 3.9 x 10(-10) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) was determined for O(2) (-) + O, which is slightly faster than previously reported. Branching ratios for this reaction were determined to be <55%O(3) + e(-) and >45%O(-) + O(2).

Absolute rate coefficients and branching percentages for the reactions of POxCly- + N (4S(3/2)) and POxCly- + O (3P) at 298 K in a selected-ion flow tube instrument.

The absolute rate coefficients and product ion branching percentages at 298 K for the reactions of several POxCly- species with atomic nitrogen (N (4S(3/2))) and atomic oxygen (O (3P)) have been determined in a selected-ion flow tube (SIFT) instrument. POxCly- ions are generated by electron impact on POCl3 in a high-pressure source. O atoms are generated by quantitative titration of N atoms with NO, where N atoms are produced by microwave discharge on N2. The experimental procedure allows for the determination of rate coefficients for the reaction of the reactant ion with N (4S(3/2)) and O (3P) as well as with N2 and NO. None of the ions react with N2 or NO, giving an upper limit to the rate coefficient of <5 x 10(-12) cm3 molecules(-1) s(-1). POCl3- and POCl2- do not react with N atoms, giving an upper limit to the rate coefficient of <1 x 10(-11) cm3 molecules(-1) s(-1). The major product ion for POCl3- and POCl2- reacting with O involves loss of Cl from the reactant ion, accounting for >85% of the products. PO2- is a minor product (

A study of the reaction of N+ with O2: experimental quantification of NO+(a 3Sigma+) production (298-500 K) and computational study of the overall reaction pathways.

The product branching ratios for NO+(X 1Sigma+) and NO+(a 3Sigma+) produced from the reaction of N+ with O2 have been measured at 298 and 500 K in a selected ion flow tube. Approximately 0.5% of the total products are in NO+(a) at both temperatures, despite the fact that the reaction to form NO+(a) is 0.3 eV exothermic. High-level ab initio calculations of the potential energy surfaces for the N+ + O2 reaction show that the reaction from N+(3P) + O2(3Sigma(g)) reactants starts with an efficient early stage charge transfer to the N(2D) + O2+(X 2Pi) channel, which gives rise to the O2+(X 2Pi) product and, at the same time, serves as the starting point for all of the reaction channels leading to NO+ and O+ products. Pathways to produce NO+(a 3Sigma+) are found to be less favorable than pathways leading to the major product NO+(X 1Sigma+). Production of N(2D) has implications for the concentration of NO in the mesosphere.

Determination of the CO3- bond strength via the resonant two-photon photodissociation threshold: Electronic and vibrational spectroscopy of CO3-.Ar(n).

We use a two-laser pump-probe technique coupled with messenger atom tagging to determine the bond energy of O(-) to CO(2) in the CO(3) (-) ion, a prevalent species in the upper atmosphere. In this technique, the argon-tagged ion is first electronically excited using a visible laser, then irradiated with a tunable near-infrared beam across the CO(2)...O(-) dissociation threshold while O(-) products are monitored. This method yields a bond energy of 2.79+/-0.05 eV, which is about 0.5 eV higher than previously reported. Combining this with the well-known heats of formation of O(-) and CO(2), 105.6 and -393.1 kJmol, respectively [Thermodynamic Properties of Individual Substances, edited by L. V. Gurvich, I. V. Veyts, and C. B. Alcock (Hemisphere, New York, 1989), Vol. 1 and CODATA Thermodynamic Tables, edited by O. Garvin, V. B. Parker, and J. H. J. White (Hemisphere, New York, 1987)], yields the CO(3) (-) heat of formation: DeltaH(0) (0)=-556.7+/-4.8 kJmol. The one-photon (i.e., linear) infrared and electronic spectra of CO(3) (-) are also presented and compared to those obtained previously. The one-photon electronic spectrum is nearly identical to two-photon spectra, implying that argon does not significantly perturb the ion or its symmetry. The infrared spectrum is drastically different than that obtained in an argon matrix, however, indicating that the ion is likely distorted in the matrix environment.

Reactions of POxCly- ions with H and H2 from 298 to 500 K.

Rate constants and product branching ratios for POxCly- ions reacting with H and H2 were measured in a selected ion flow tube (SIFT) from 298 to 500 K. PO2Cl-, PO2Cl2-, POCl2-, and POCl3- were all unreactive with H2, having a rate constant with an upper limit of <5 x 10(-12) cm3 s(-1). PO2Cl2- did not react with H atoms either, having a similar rate constant limit of <5 x 10(-12) cm3 s(-1). The rate constants for PO2Cl-, POCl2-, and POCl3- reacting with H showed no temperature dependence over the limited range of 298-500 K and were approximately 10-20% of the collision rate constant. Cl abstraction by H to form HCl was the predominant product channel for PO2Cl-, POCl2-, and POCl3-, with a small amount of Cl- observed from POCl2- + H. Reactions of O2 and O3 with the POCl- products ions from the reaction of POCl2- + H were observed to yield predominantly PO3- and PO2-, respectively. POCl- reacted with O2 and O3 with rate constants of 8.9 +/- 1.1 x 10(-11) and 5.2 +/- 3.3 x 10(-10) cm3 s(-1), respectively. No associative electron detachment in the reactions with H atoms was observed with any of the reactant ions; however, detachment was observed with a PO- secondary product ion at high H atom concentrations. Results of new G3 theoretical calculations of optimized geometries and energies for the products observed are discussed.

Reactions of N+, N2+, and N3+ with NO from 300 to 1400 K.

Rate constants have been measured from 300 to 1400 K in a selected ion flow tube (SIFT) and a high temperature flowing afterglow for the reactions of N+, N2+ and N3+ with NO. In all of the systems, the rate constants are substantially less than the collision rate constant. Comparing the high temperature results to kinetics studies as a function of translational energy show that all types of energy (translational, rotational, and vibrational) affect the reactivity approximately equally for all three ions. Branching ratios have also been measured at 300 and 500 K in a SIFT for the N+ and N3+ reactions. An increase in the N2+ product at the expense of NO+ nondissociative charge transfer product occurs at 500 K with N+. The branching ratios for the reaction of N3+ with NO have also been measured in the SIFT, showing that only nondissociative charge transfer giving NO+ occurs up to 500 K. The current results are discussed in the context of the many previous studies of these ions in the literature.

Ion-molecule rate constants and branching ratios for the reaction of N(3) (+)+O(2) from 120 to 1400 K.

The kinetics of the reaction of N(3) (+) with O(2) has been studied from 120 to 1400 K using both a selected ion flow tube and high-temperature flowing afterglow. The rate constant decreases from 120 K to approximately 1200 K and then increases slightly up to the maximum temperature studied, 1400 K. The rate constant compares well to most of the previous measurements in the overlapping temperature range. Comparing the results to drift tube data shows that there is not a large difference between increasing the translational energy available for reaction and increasing the internal energy of the reactants over much of the range, i.e., all types of energies drive the reactivity equally. The reaction produces both NO(+) and NO(2) (+), the latter of which is shown to be the higher energy NOO(+) linear isomer. The ratio of NOO(+) to NO(+) decreases from a value of over 2 at 120 K to less than 0.01 at 1400 K because of dissociation of NOO(+) at the higher temperatures. This ratio decreases exponentially with increasing temperature. High-level theoretical calculations have also been performed to compliment the data. Calculations using multi-reference configuration interaction theory at the MRCISD(Q)/cc-pVTZ level of theory show that singlet NOO(+) is linear and is 4.5 eV higher in energy than ONO(+). A barrier of 0.9 eV prevents dissociation into NO(+) and O((1)D); however, a crossing to a triplet surface connects to NO(+) and O((3)P) products. A singlet and a triplet potential energy surface leading to products have been determined using coupled cluster theory at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVQZ level on structures optimized at the Becke3-Lee, Yang, and Parr (B3LYP)/aug-cc-pVTZ level of theory. The experimental results and reaction mechanism are evaluated using these surfaces.