Atmospheric Pressure Photoionization with Halogen Anion Attachment for Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Hydrocarbons and Hydrocarbon-Based Polymers

Aliphatic hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon-based synthetic polymers are of interest in many fields, but their characterization by mass spectrometric methods is generally limited due to their poor ionizability. Recently, atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI), combined with halogen anion attachment in negative-ion mode, has drawn attention as a potential method for ionizing various polymers without extensive fragmentation or other unwanted side reactions. In this work, the applicability of halogen anion attachment with APPI was studied using several synthetic polymers, including polyethylene, polypropylene, polyisoprene, and polystyrene, as well as simple n-alkanes of various chain lengths. For hydrocarbon-based polymers, the method produced clear distributions of intact polymer adduct ions when different halogen anions were used. It was found that increasing the halogen anion size decreased ionization efficiency, particularly in the absence of π-bonds in the polymer structure. Testing with simple n-alkanes showed that only molecules containing fifty or more carbon atoms formed detectable halogen adducts, possibly due to the low gas-phase stabilities of the lighter n-alkane adduct ions. In conclusion, halogen anion attachment with negative-ion APPI appears to be a highly promising method for polymer analysis, providing structural data and clean polymer mass spectra with minimal fragmentation, which can be useful for the identification of unknown samples.

Thermal Conductivity Calculation in Organic Liquids: Application to Poly-α-Olefin

In this work, we aim to understand and predict the thermal properties of automotive lubricants using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics. After a previous study on model materials for the mechanical parts of a car engine, we now focus on the thermal conductivity κ of the poly-α-olefin base oil (PAO4) using the well-known sink and source method to study the response of the system to an imposed heat flux. We present a detailed methodology for the calculation of κ, taking into account specific constraints related to the system under study, such as large steady-state fluctuations and rapidly growing stationarization times. We provide thermal conductivity results using four different force fields, including OPLS-AA, PCFF and COMPASS, in a temperature range of 300 to 500 K, which corresponds to the typical operating range of a car engine. The results are compared to experimental measurements performed on the commercial compound using the laser flash method. Agreement at room temperature is shown to be excellent for our in-house force field.

Characterization of Mineral and Synthetic Base Oils by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry

Base oil is a main component of engine oil that enables smooth operation of an internal combustion engine. There are two types of base oils, such as mineral oil and synthetic oil. In this study, Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to characterize the base oils. One difficulty in analyzing base oils using MS is that the ionization of alkanes can be problematic due to low ionization efficiencies and the predominance of fragmentation. Despite these limitations, the combination of GC-MS and FT-ICR MS data can provide qualitative insights into the composition differences for these various sample types. The distinctive total ion chromatogram obtained by GC-MS of the different base oils allowed the classification of mineral oil from synthetic oil. The additional structural characteristics of paraffinic compounds were also inferred by GC-MS. FT-ICR MS coupled to two different ionization methods, atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), was tested for the analysis of base oils. It was determined that APPI was suitable for the analysis of aliphatic hydrocarbon compounds, where APPI minimizes the decomposition of hydrocarbon compounds compared to atmospheric pressure chemical ionization. Using APPI FT-ICR MS, the components of the oils were characterized, including not only paraffinic compounds but also cyclic compounds. In addition, the alpha olefin monomer of the synthetic oil was determined, and the homogeneity of the branched compound of the synthetic base oil was confirmed using GC-MS and FT-ICR MS results.

Molecular Characterization of Formulated Lubricants and Additive Packages Using Kendrick Mass Defect Determined by Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry

Formulated lubricants correspond to high value products used for several applications in automotive, industrial, medicinal, and agro-food sectors. They correspond to complex matrices composed of approximately 80% of base oils (mineral or synthetic) and of about 20% of additives. Additives are generally low molecular weight polymeric molecules with a great diversity of elements. To characterize such complex compositions at the molecular level, ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometers are required. Two formulated lubricants and two additive packages were analyzed by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry in direct infusion. Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and electrospray ionization (ESI) sources were used to have an exhaustive characterization of the samples. The Kendrick mass defects (KMD) plot is a widespread representation to characterize polymeric molecules. Here, the terms apparent mass defect and apparent Kendrick mass defects (aKMD) values were introduced to consider the uncertainty on nominal mass determination. Several additive families including alkyldiphenylamines, trisalkylphenylthiophosphoric acid, zinc dithiophosphates, bisuccinimide dispersants, and their derivatives were observed by APCI(+). ESI(-) also presented a use for the selective ionization of acidic compounds including sulfonates, phenates, and sulfur phenate molecules. The specific aKMD values and polydispersity of many additive families have been reported to create a database of additives. Overall, this study demonstrated the great utility of the aKMD approach and the use of the ESI/APCI combination for a simple and fast characterization of formulated lubricant and additive package samples.

Competitive Adsorption of Ionic Liquids Versus Friction Modifier and Anti-Wear Additive at Solid/Lubricant Interface—Speciation with Vibrational Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy

A modern lubricant contains various additives with different functionalities and the interactions or reactions between these additives could induce synergistic or antagonistic effects in tribological performance. In this study, sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy was used to investigate competitive adsorption of lubricant additives at a solid/base oil interface. A silica substrate was used as a model solid surface. The lubricant additives studied here included two oil-soluble ionic liquids (ILs, [N888H][DEHP] and [P8888][DEHP]), an antiwear additive (secondary ZDDP), an organic friction modifier (OFM), and a dispersant (PIBSI). Our results showed that for mixtures of ZDDP and IL in a base oil (PAO4), the silica surface is dominated by the IL molecules. In the cases of base oils containing OFM and IL, the silica/lubricant interface is dominated by OFM over [N888H][DEHP], while it is preferentially occupied by [P8888][DEHP] over OFM. The presence of PIBSI in the mixture of PAO4 and IL leads to the formation of a mixed surface layer at the silica surface with PIBSI as a major component. The SFG results in this investigation provide fundamental insights that are helpful to design the formulation of new lubricant additives of desired properties.

Ion mobility spectrometry - Mass spectrometry coupling for synthetic polymers

This review covers applications of ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) hyphenated to mass spectrometry (MS) in the field of synthetic polymers. MS has become an essential technique in polymer science, but increasingly complex samples produced to provide desirable macroscopic properties of high-performance materials often require separation of species prior to their mass analysis. Similar to liquid chromatography, the IMS dimension introduces shape selectivity but enables separation at a much faster rate (milliseconds vs minutes). As a post-ionization technique, IMS can be hyphenated to MS to perform a double separation dimension of gas-phase ions, first as a function on their mobility (determined by their charge state and collision cross section, CCS), then as a function of their m/z ratio. Implemented with a variety of ionization techniques, such coupling permits the spectral complexity to be reduced, to enhance the dynamic range of detection, or to achieve separation of isobaric ions prior to their activation in MS/MS experiments. Coupling IMS to MS also provides valuable information regarding the 3D structure of polymer ions in the gas phase and regarding how to address the question of how charges are distributed within the structure. Moreover, the ability of IMS to separate multiply charged species generated by electrospray ionization yields typical IMS-MS 2D maps that permit the conformational dynamics of synthetic polymer chains to be described as a function of their length.

Competitive Adsorption of Lubricant Base Oil and Ionic Liquid Additives at Air/Liquid and Solid/Liquid Interfaces

Oil-soluble ionic liquids (ILs) have been proved as effective additives in lubricant oils through tribological experiments and post-test analytical analyses. In this study, surface structures of lubricant base oil, oil-soluble ILs, and their mixtures at the air/liquid and solid/liquid interfaces have been studied using sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy. At the air/base oil and air/IL interfaces, the alkyl chains of the studied compounds were shown to be conformationally disordered and their terminal methyl groups point outward at the liquid surface. The base oil dominates the air/(base oil + IL) interface due to its higher surface excess propensity and larger bulk concentration. At the solid (silica) surface, ILs adopt a structure with their charged headgroups in contact with the silica surface, while their alkyl chains are more conformationally ordered or packed compared to the air/IL interface. At the interface between silica and (base oil + IL) mixtures, ILs also preferentially adsorb to the silica surface with their layer structures somewhat different from those of ILs alone. These results showed that ILs can adsorb onto the solid surface even before tribological contacts are made. The insights obtained from this SFG study provide a better understanding of the role of ionic liquids in lubrication.

Development of an ammonium chloride-enhanced thermal-assisted-ESI LC-HRMS method for the characterization of chlorinated paraffins

Simultaneous quantification of short-, medium-, and long-chain chlorinated paraffins (CPs) in environmental matrices is challenging and has received much attention from environmental chemists. In this study, ammonium-chloride-enhanced liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) was developed for the first time to quantify CPs in sediments and aqueous samples. Three ionization sources, including atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), electrospray ionization (ESI), and thermal-assisted-ESI, were employed to examine the performance of ammonium chloride as the chloride ion supply reagent in comparison with traditional chloride ion supply reagent, dichloromethane. Ammonium chloride can be easily used with reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC), whereas dichloromethane is not compatible with aqueous LC mobile phase. Furthermore, other anion-supply reagents, such as ammonium formate, ammonium acetate, and ammonium bromide, were also tested. It was concluded that the adducts of the CPs with the anions were reversible and could partially dissociate into deprotonated CP ions. The yield of deprotonated CP ions was associated with the gas-phase basicity of the deprotonated CP ions and the corresponding anions. Furthermore, collision-induced dissociation curves were drawn to quantify the stability of anionic CP adducts. The ammonium-chloride-enhanced LC-HRMS was further employed for identifying CPs in sediment samples and coupled with an online SPE method for detecting CPs in aqueous samples. This study may significantly contribute to the qualification and quantification of CPs in environmental matrices.

Structural analysis of heavy oil fractions after hydrodenitrogenation by high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry

The purpose of this study was to identify and characterize compounds that are refractory to the hydrodenitrogenation process.