Thermal analysis of polyethylene glycol: evolved gas analysis with ion attachment mass spectrometry

The thermal decomposition of polyethylene glycol was investigated by using a technique combining evolved gas analysis (time-resolved pyrolysis) with ion-attachment mass spectrometry. This technique allows the detection of intact pyrolysis products and, therefore, offers the opportunity for direct real-time monitoring of thermal by-products. Unstable products can thus be detected; for instance, many highly reactive organic peroxides, such as CH(3)OOH and HOCH(2)OOH, were found in this study. Classification analysis revealed 10 major compositional formulas among the product species: C(n)H(2)(n)(+2)O, C(n)H(2)(n)(+2)O(2), C(n)H(2)(n)(+2)O(3), C(n)H(2)(n)(+2)O(4), C(n)H(2)(n)(+2)O(5), C(n)H(2)(n)(+2)O(6), C(n)H(2)(n)(+2)O(7), C(n)H(2)(n)O, C(n)H(2)(n)O(2), and HO(CH(2)CH(2)O)(n)H ethylene glycol oligomers. The Li(+) ion adduct mass spectra showed a characteristic profile in terms of both the appearance of unique components and the distribution of pyrolysis products. Among the products of the thermal decomposition of PEG, formaldehyde (HCHO) and organic peroxides were particularly interesting. Formaldehyde, one of the 10 most abundant products, is a known human carcinogen. The detection of peroxides suggests that they may form during the incineration of PEG, which may have important environmental implications. The existence of peroxide products may have implications for chemical evolution in incinerator systems.

Thermal decomposition of pyridoxine: an evolved gas analysis-ion attachment mass spectrometry study

RATIONALE

Pyridoxine is an important vitamer in food and pharmaceutical products. Heat treatments applied during preparation or storage of the products cause the decomposition of pyridoxine. Identification and understanding of the degradation products of pyridoxine and studying its decomposition kinetics are essential in the preparation and preservation of pyridoxine-containing foods and pharmaceuticals.

METHODS

Real-time, non-isothermal decomposition of pyridoxine was studied using evolved gas analysis-Li(+) ion attachment mass spectrometry (EGA-Li(+) IAMS). Arrhenius parameters for the thermal decomposition of pyridoxine were obtained via the total ion monitoring (TIM) curve.

RESULTS

Most of the pyridoxine evaporated in molecular form, but the formation of pyridoxal and o-quinone methide, both biologically important species, was also observed from the solid-phase degradation of pyridoxine. The observation of o-quinone methide, a species possessing anticancer activity, was particularly noteworthy due to its chemical instability. The activation energy (E(a) ) for pyridoxine decomposition determined by EGA-IAMS was found to be 20.0 kcal mol(-1) , and the pre-exponential factor (A) was 5.7 × 10(9)  min(-1) .

CONCLUSIONS

The calculated kinetic parameters are important for predicting the thermal stability of pyridoxine vitamer. The estimated lifetime (t(90%,25°C) ) of 1.7 × 10(-2)  years in nitrogen was also obtained from the EGA-IAMS experiment.

Design and performance of a compact Li+ ion attachment mass spectrometry system with an atmospheric sampling device

This report describes the development of a compact ion attachment mass spectrometry system. A single turbomolecular pump was employed to fill the basic requirements for vacuum conditions simply and cost-effectively, without the need for a differential pumping stage. A Li(+) ion source was placed in the first of two vacuum chambers; a 0.4 mm aperture allowed the product ions to enter the second chamber for mass analysis. With the present system, any chemical species, including radical intermediates, can be detected at atmospheric pressure in real-time. The minimum detectable amount (at S/N = 3) of toluene was around 1.3 × 10(-12) g/s with a linearity greater than 10(4). For illustrative purposes, we tested the system on laboratory air and on aroma compounds in the headspace of the Yuzu plant, Citrus junos.

Evolved gas analysis of Ti(C5H5)2Cl2 by means of Li+ ion attachment mass spectrometry

Characterization of the compound Ti(C(5)H(5))(2)Cl(2) was studied using Li(+) ion attachment mass spectrometry (IAMS) as an analytical methodology. Since this target compound is used as an anticancer drug in the treatment of leukemia, accurate and rapid monitoring methods for the determination of titanium drugs in a hospital environment are desirable. A quadrupole mass spectrometry system along with a Li(+) ion attachment technique and a direct inlet probe (DIP) produced the Li(+) adduct of Ti(C(5)H(5))(2)Cl(2), Ti(C(5)H(5))(2)Cl(2)Li(+). The DIP also was used to study the temperature-resolved behavior of this compound. The slope of the plot of signal intensity of Ti(C(5)H(5))(2)Cl(2)Li(+) versus temperature for Ti(C(5)H(5))(2)Cl(2) sublimation from 60 to 100 °C was used to determine an apparent activation energy (E(a)) of 124.43 kJ/mol for the sublimation of Ti(C(5)H(5))(2)Cl(2). This value is comparable to the reported value of 118.8 kJ/mol for molar enthalpy of sublimation of Ti(C(5)H(5))(2)Cl(2). These results demonstrate that the IAMS methodology can be used to study the enthalpy of sublimation for d-metal complex materials.