Spectral accuracy of a new hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer: application to ranking small molecule elemental compositions

An algorithm to calibrate ionic isotopes using data mining strategy in hyphenated chromatographic datasets from herbal samples

The bottleneck of analytical instrument itself and non-ideal instrumental performance will produce a certain degree of drifts between the measured isotopes and the true values. An AAID-IC algorithm was thereby proposed to keep the isotopic distributions more accurate in hyphenated instruments, e.g. Gas Chromatography (GC)/ Liquid Chromatography (LC) - Mass Spectrometry (MS). During this data mining process, chemical information will be fully used from dozens of data points in retention time (rt) dimension: the target isotopes were firstly re-constructed in mass charge ratio (m/z) dimension; their re-calculation values were then averaged from an interesting rt zone; the calibration functions were followed established based on a well-defined series of calibration ions. It is worth mentioning that natural metabolites in complex samples can be identified as reference materials to amend the target isotopes. Next, the corrected mass axes (m/z values)/isotope abundances were transformed into an ionic isotopic curve using Gaussian box. Taking herbal sample as an example, AAID-IC can better reduce the systematic and random errors of the m/z ions in one run environment, whether it's profile or bar graph from any type of MS and any ionization method employed. Finally, the calibrated values can be utilized to deduce the elemental compositions of molecular (fragment) ions in GC/LC-MS determination.

Restricted spectral accuracy analysis to identify the single correct organic compound elemental-composition from Orbitrap accurate mass data lists obtained at very high resolution

Restricted spectral accuracy is applied to Orbitrap data (240 000 resolution at m/z 400) to more clearly break out the scoring and ranking of allowable elemental compositions (ECs) in a candidate list. The correct EC is usually top ranked and separated from other answers by 10 to 40% within the dimensionless 0 to 100% scale, providing a single, definitive EC. The A + 2 position (where A denotes the monoisotopic line position) is especially advantageous in restricted spectral accuracy. It has enough intensity and more complexity than (A + 1) fine lines and is like a fingerprint. Avoidance of coalescence phenomena and careful ion population control are essential.

Product ion isotopologue pattern: A tool to improve the reliability of elemental composition elucidations of unknown compounds in complex matrices

RATIONALE

Elucidation of the elemental compositions of unknown compounds (e.g., in metabolomics) generally relies on the availability of accurate masses and isotopic ratios. This study focuses on the information provided by the abundance ratio within a product ion pair (monoisotopic versus the first isotopic peak) when isolating and fragmenting the first isotopic ion (first isotopic mass spectrum) of the precursor.

METHODS

This process relies on the capability of the quadrupole within the Q Orbitrap instrument to isolate a very narrow mass window. Selecting only the first isotopic peak (first isotopic mass spectrum) leads to the observation of a unique product ion pair. The lighter ion within such an isotopologue pair is monoisotopic, while the heavier ion contains a single carbon isotope. The observed abundance ratio is governed by the percentage of carbon atoms lost during the fragmentation and can be described by a hypergeometric distribution.

RESULTS

The observed carbon isotopologue abundance ratio (product ion isotopologue pattern) gives reliable information regarding the percentage of carbon atoms lost in the fragmentation process. It therefore facilitates the elucidation of the involved precursor and product ions. Unlike conventional isotopic abundances, the product ion isotopologue pattern is hardly affected by isobaric interferences. Furthermore, the appearance of these pairs greatly aids in cleaning up a 'matrix-contaminated' product ion spectrum.

CONCLUSIONS

The product ion isotopologue pattern is a valuable tool for structural elucidation. It increases confidence in results and permits structural elucidations for heavier ions. This tool is also very useful in elucidating the elemental composition of product ions. Such information is highly valued in the field of multi-residue analysis, where the accurate mass of product ions is required for the confirmation process. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

High resolution mass spectrometry based techniques at the crossroads of metabolic pathways

The metabolome is the set of small molecular mass compounds found in biological media, and metabolomics, which refers to as the analysis of metabolome in a given biological condition, deals with the large scale detection and quantification of metabolites in biological media. It is a data driven and multidisciplinary approach combining analytical chemistry for data acquisition, and biostatistics, informatics and biochemistry for mining and interpretation of these data. Since the middle of the 2000s, high resolution mass spectrometry is widely used in metabolomics, mainly because the detection and identification of metabolites are improved compared to low resolution instruments. As the field of HRMS is quickly and permanently evolving, the aim of this work is to review its use in different aspects of metabolomics, including data acquisition, metabolite annotation, identification and quantification. At last, we would like to show that, thanks to their versatility, HRMS instruments are the most appropriate to achieve optimal metabolome coverage, at the border of other omics fields such as lipidomics and glycomics.

Mass accuracy and isotopic abundance measurements for HR-MS instrumentation: capabilities for non-targeted analyses

The development of automated non-targeted workflows for small molecule analyses is highly desirable in many areas of research and diagnostics. Sufficient mass and chromatographic resolution is necessary for the detectability of compounds and subsequent componentization and interpretation of ions. The mass accuracy and relative isotopic abundance are critical in correct molecular formulae generation for unknown compounds. While high-resolution instrumentation provides accurate mass information, sample complexity can greatly influence data quality and the measurement of compounds of interest. Two high-resolution instruments, an Orbitrap and a Q-TOF, were evaluated for mass accuracy and relative isotopic abundance with various concentrations of a standard mixture in four complex sample matrices. The overall average ± standard deviation of the mass accuracy was 1.06 ± 0.76 ppm and 1.62 ± 1.88 ppm for the Orbitrap and the Q-TOF, respectively; however, individual measurements were ± 5 ppm for the Orbitrap and greater than 10 ppm for the Q-TOF. Relative isotopic abundance measurements for A + 1 were within 5% of the theoretical value if the intensity of the monoisotopic peak was greater than 1E7 for the Orbitrap and 1E5 for the Q-TOF, where an increase in error is observed with a decrease in intensity. Furthermore, complicating factors were found in the data that would impact automated data analysis strategies, including coeluting species that interfere with detectability and relative isotopic abundance measurements. The implications of these findings will be discussed with an emphasis on reasonable expectations from these instruments, guidelines for experimental workflows, data analysis considerations, and software design for non-targeted analyses.

Identification of low molecular weight organic acids by ion chromatography/hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry during Uniblu-A ozonation

RATIONALE

The balance of organic nitrogen and sulfur during ozonation of organic pollutants often shows a lack of complete mineralization. It follows that polar and ionic by-products are likely to be present that are difficult to identify by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS).

METHODS

The structural elucidation of low molecular weight organic acids arising from Uniblu-OH ozonation has been investigated by ion chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (IC/ESI-MS/MS) employing a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Unequivocal elemental composition of the by-products was determined by a combination of mass accuracy and high spectral accuracy.

RESULTS

The employed identification strategy was demonstrated to be a powerful method of unequivocally assigning a single chemical composition to each identified compound. The exact mass measurements of [M-H](-) ions allowed the elemental formulae and related structures of eighteen by-products to be determined confidently. The main degradation pathways were found to be decarboxylation and oxidation. The experimental procedure allowed the identification of both nitrogen- and sulfur-containing organic acid by-products arising from Uniblu-OH ozonation.

CONCLUSIONS

The obtained results are of environmental relevance for the balance of organic nitrogen and sulfur during the ozonation of organic pollutants due to the lack of complete mineralization of the compounds containing these atoms.