New Spectral Deconvolution Algorithms for the Analysis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Sulfur Heterocycles by Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography-Quadrupole Mass Spectrometery

Photoluminescence spectroscopy of anthrathiophenes and benzonaphthothiophenes in Shpol'skii matrixes

The dispersion of harmful oil components into the ocean waters could pose long-term risks to flora and fauna. Due to the complexity of oil-contaminated sites, the unambiguous identification and quantitation of environmental pollutants often requires the sequence of high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A classic example is the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This article tackles a different aspect of environmental analysis as it focuses on the Shpol'skii spectroscopy of polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles, specifically those belonging to the subgroups often known as anthrathiophenes and benzonaphthothiophenes. Photoluminescence measurements were made with a commercial spectrofluorimeter equipped with a continuous wave excitation source for steady state measurements and a pulsed excitation source for time-resolved measurements in the phosphorescence time domain. To the extent of our literature search, this is the first report on the 4.2 K fluorescence and phosphorescence spectra of anthrathiophenes and benzonaphthothiophenes, and the 77 K and 4.2 K phosphorescence lifetimes of benzonaphthothiophenes. 77 K and 4.2 K analytical figures of merit revealed the possibility to detect the studied compounds at the parts-per-billion (ng mL^-1) concentration levels. The spectral and lifetime data gathered in this article provides the required information to choose an appropriate photoluminescence technique for the analysis of four-ring polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles in complex environmental extracts.

Chromatographic Retention Assisted Deconvolution of Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Chromatogram of Natural Products

A chromatographic retention assisted denoising and peak picking algorithm (CRAD) is developed for preprocessing liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) datasets of natural products. The retention behaviors of ions with the same m/z value are investigated under a series of elution conditions. The detected ions are identified as real compounds if their chromatographic retention behaviors fit well with the Snyder-Soczewinski model. Further, the ions with similar retention behaviors and isotope ratios are clustered. This method enables rapid identification of precursor ions when chemical standards or databases are unavailable. It also helps eliminate unexpected baseline disturbances and improve the resolution of LC-MS chromatograms. Unlike conventional deconvolution strategies, this method distinguishes the chemical properties of precursor ions through their dynamic retention behaviors. The algorithm is demonstrated with LC-MS datasets of control samples. In the application of such algorithms on a more complicated natural extract from Lycium ruthenicum Murr., 206 precursor ions were facilely determined.

Analysis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Ambient Aerosols by Using One-Dimensional and Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography Combined with Mass Spectrometric Method: A Comparative Study

Advanced separation technology paired with mass spectrometry is an ideal method for the analysis of atmospheric samples having complex chemical compositions. Due to the huge variety of both natural and anthropogenic sources of organic compounds, simultaneous quantification and identification of organic compounds in aerosol samples represents a demanding analytical challenge. In this regard, comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS) has become an effective analytical method. However, verification and validation approaches to quantify these analytes have not been critically evaluated. We compared the performance of gas chromatography with quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-qMS) and GC×GC-TOFMS for quantitative analysis of eighteen target polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The quantitative obtained results such as limits of detection (LODs), limits of quantification (LOQs), and recoveries of target PAHs were approximately equivalent based on both analytical methods. Furthermore, a larger number of analytes were consistently identified from the aerosol samples by GC×GC-TOFMS compared to GC-qMS. Our findings suggest that GC×GC-TOFMS would be widely applicable to the atmospheric and related sciences with simultaneous target and nontarget analysis in a single run.

Optimizing targeted/untargeted metabolomics by automating gas chromatography/mass spectrometry workflows

New database building and MS subtraction algorithms have been developed for automated, sequential two-dimensional gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-GC/MS). This paper reports the first use of a database building tool, with full mass spectrum subtraction, that does not rely on high resolution MS data. The software was used to automatically inspect GC-GC/MS data of high elevation tea from Yunnan, China, to build a database of 350 target compounds. The database was then used with spectral deconvolution to identify 285 compounds by GC/MS of the same tea. Targeted analysis of low elevation tea by GC/MS resulted in the detection of 275 compounds. Non-targeted analysis, using MS subtraction, yielded an additional eight metabolites, unique to low elevation tea.

Retention behavior of isomeric polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles in reversed-phase liquid chromatography

Retention indices for 70 polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles (PASHs) were determined using reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC) on a monomeric and a polymeric C18 stationary phase. Molecular shape parameters [length, breadth, thickness (T), and length-to-breadth ratio (L/B)] were calculated for all the compounds studied. Correlations between the retention on the polymeric C18 phase and PASH geometry (L/B and T) were investigated for six specific PASH isomer groups with molecular mass (MM) 184Da, 234Da, 258Da, 284Da, 334Da, and 384Da. Similar to previous studies for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), PASH elution order on the polymeric C18 phase was generally found to follow increasing L/B values. Correlation coefficients for retention vs L/B ranged from r=0.45 (MM 184Da) to r=0.89 (MM 284Da). In the case of smaller PASHs (MM≤258Da), the location of the sulfur atom in the bay-region of the structure resulted in later than expected elution of these isomers based on L/B. In the case of the larger PASHs (MM≥284Da), nonplanarity had a significant influence on earlier than predicted elution based on L/B values.

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry: Recent evolution and current trends

The present contribution is focused on the evolution and current trends of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC × GC-MS), with respect to a review that described this specific methodology published at the beginning of 2008 (Mondello et al., 2008). In fact, since then there has been considerable evolution in the MS field, certainly exceeding that observed in GC × GC. In particular, the present paper will cover the combination of novel MS machines [single quadrupole (Q) and triple quadrupole, isotope ratio, low- and high-resolution time-of-flight (ToF), hybrid (Q-ToF)] to GC × GC systems, and will position comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography within the wider context of separation science. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Mass Spec Rev 35:524-534, 2016.