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Ron I, Sharabi H, Zaltsman A, Leibman A, Hotoveli M, Pevzner A, Kendler S. Non-Contact, Continuous Sampling of Porous Surfaces for the Detection of Particulate and Adsorbed Organic Contaminations by Low-Temperature Plasma Coupled to Ion Mobility Spectrometer. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 23:2253. [PMID: 36850851 PMCID: PMC9961393 DOI: 10.3390/s23042253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Chemical analysis of hazardous surface contaminations, such as hazardous substances, explosives or illicit drugs, is an essential task in security, environmental and safety applications. This task is mostly based on the collection of particles with swabs, followed by thermal desorption into a vapor analyzer, usually a detector based on ion mobility spectrometry (IMS). While this methodology is well established for several civil applications, such as border control, it is still not efficient enough for various conditions, as in sampling rough and porous surfaces. Additionally, the process of thermal desorption is energetically inefficient, requires bulky hardware and introduces device contamination memory effects. Low-temperature plasma (LTP) has been demonstrated as an ionization and desorption source for sample preparation-free analysis, mostly at the inlet of a mass spectrometer analyzer, and in rare cases in conjunction with an ion mobility spectrometer. Herein, we demonstrate, for the first time, the operation of a simple, low cost, home-built LTP apparatus for desorbing non-volatile analytes from various porous surfaces into the inlet of a handheld IMS vapor analyzer. We show ion mobility spectra that originate from operating the LTP jet on porous surfaces such as asphalt and shoes, contaminated with model amine-containing organic compounds. The spectra are in good correlation with spectra measured for thermally desorbed species. We verify through LC-MS analysis of the collected vapors that the sampled species are not fragmented, and can thus be identified by commercial IMS detectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Izhar Ron
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona 74100, Israel
| | - Hagay Sharabi
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona 74100, Israel
| | - Amalia Zaltsman
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona 74100, Israel
| | - Amir Leibman
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona 74100, Israel
| | - Mordi Hotoveli
- Department of Environmental, Water and Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| | - Alexander Pevzner
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona 74100, Israel
| | - Shai Kendler
- Department of Environmental, Water and Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
- Department of Environmental Physics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona 74100, Israel
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Baghernia H, Seyed Golestan SMJ, Hajiani S, Shokri B, Ghassempour A. Increasing DESI-MS Ion Signal by Plasma Treatment. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY 2022; 33:907-916. [PMID: 35522602 DOI: 10.1021/jasms.1c00337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Many studies are focused on using plasma in mass spectrometry as an ionization source or postionization method. In this study, the effect of plasma treatment in the sample preparation step of desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) has been investigated. The plasma treatment of polar samples, including morphine, codeine, captopril, theophylline, fructose, and amphiphilic compounds such as phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in E. coli bacteria, as well as nonpolar compounds, including thebaine, papaverine, and noscapine, has been followed for ionization efficiency in DESI technique. An atmospheric-pressure glow discharge plasma (GDP) along with the electrospray ionization technique is examined. Plasma treatment before ambient ionization has a dramatic effect on polar and nonpolar sample signals in DESI-TOF mass spectrometry. The intensity of the mass spectrum shows an increase of 1.9-3.4 times for polar compounds, 2.1-2.5 times for nonpolar compounds, and 3.0 times for PE in E. coli bacteria (N = 4). Plasma is a source of reactive atoms, molecules, ions, radicals, and ultraviolet radiation. Plasma surface treatment before DESI analysis by energetic species through momentum/energy transfer yields higher energy surface molecules, leading to more/easier desorption. Under optimal treatment conditions, an improved ion signal intensity is observed without any fragmentation, decomposition, or chemical changes. Ion signals are increased possibly by both increased ionization through protonation of molecules and enhanced subsequent desorption during DESI analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hasan Baghernia
- Medicinal Plants and Drugs Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, G.C., Evin, Tehran 1983969411, Iran
| | | | - Shahedeh Hajiani
- Department of Physics, Shahid Beheshti University, G.C., Evin, Tehran 1983969411, Iran
| | - Babak Shokri
- Department of Physics, Shahid Beheshti University, G.C., Evin, Tehran 1983969411, Iran
- Laser and Plasma Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, G.C., Evin, Tehran 1983969411, Iran
| | - Alireza Ghassempour
- Medicinal Plants and Drugs Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, G.C., Evin, Tehran 1983969411, Iran
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Kiontke A, Roudini M, Billig S, Fakhfouri A, Winkler A, Birkemeyer C. Surface acoustic wave nebulization improves compound selectivity of low-temperature plasma ionization for mass spectrometry. Sci Rep 2021; 11:2948. [PMID: 33536450 PMCID: PMC7858570 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82423-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Mass spectrometry coupled to low-temperature plasma ionization (LTPI) allows for immediate and easy analysis of compounds from the surface of a sample at ambient conditions. The efficiency of this process, however, strongly depends on the successful desorption of the analyte from the surface to the gas phase. Whilst conventional sample heating can improve analyte desorption, heating is not desirable with respect to the stability of thermally labile analytes. In this study using aromatic amines as model compounds, we demonstrate that (1) surface acoustic wave nebulization (SAWN) can significantly improve compound desorption for LTPI without heating the sample. Furthermore, (2) SAWN-assisted LTPI shows a response enhancement up to a factor of 8 for polar compounds such as aminophenols and phenylenediamines suggesting a paradigm shift in the ionization mechanism. Additional assets of the new technique demonstrated here are (3) a reduced analyte selectivity (the interquartile range of the response decreased by a factor of 7)—a significant benefit in non-targeted analysis of complex samples—and (4) the possibility for automated online monitoring using an autosampler. Finally, (5) the small size of the microfluidic SAWN-chip enables the implementation of the method into miniaturized, mobile LTPI probes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Kiontke
- Institute of Analytical Chemistry, University of Leipzig, Linnéstraße 3, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mehrzad Roudini
- Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research IFW Dresden, Institute for Complex Materials (IKM), SAWLab Saxony, 01069, Dresden, Germany
| | - Susan Billig
- Institute of Analytical Chemistry, University of Leipzig, Linnéstraße 3, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Armaghan Fakhfouri
- Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research IFW Dresden, Institute for Complex Materials (IKM), SAWLab Saxony, 01069, Dresden, Germany
| | - Andreas Winkler
- Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research IFW Dresden, Institute for Complex Materials (IKM), SAWLab Saxony, 01069, Dresden, Germany
| | - Claudia Birkemeyer
- Institute of Analytical Chemistry, University of Leipzig, Linnéstraße 3, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
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Jayasundara K, Li C, DeBastiani A, Sharif D, Li P, Valentine SJ. Physicochemical Property Correlations with Ionization Efficiency in Capillary Vibrating Sharp-Edge Spray Ionization (cVSSI). JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY 2021; 32:84-94. [PMID: 32856909 PMCID: PMC8130659 DOI: 10.1021/jasms.0c00100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The relative contributions to ionization efficiency by three molecular chemical properties have been examined for field-free and field-enabled capillary vibrating sharp-edge spray ionization (cVSSI) using mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. Ion intensities have been recorded for model compounds under each operational ionization mode as well as for aqueous and nonaqueous (methanol) solvent systems. Multiple regression analysis suggests that for field-free cVSSI, ion intensity is mostly associated with the log of the base dissociation constant (pKb) and proton affinity (PA) for both aqueous and methanol solutions. Comparatively, for field-enabled cVSSI using aqueous solutions, the dominant factor correlated with ion intensity is the log of the partition coefficient (log P). To a lesser degree, this is observed for methanol solutions as well. For ESI, pKb is the dominant factor associated with ion signal levels from methanol and aqueous solutions. These results are supported by studies conducted on two different mass spectrometers employing different cVSSI emitter tips. The relationship of ion intensity and pKb in ESI is supported by multiple studies; however, the shift to other chemical properties with the addition of cVSSI suggests the possibility that a different (or combinations of) ionization mechanism(s) may be operative for these ionization modes. These results are briefly considered in light of the different ESI mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Peng Li
- To whom correspondence should be addressed: , and .
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Brown HM, McDaniel TJ, Fedick PW, Mulligan CC. The current role of mass spectrometry in forensics and future prospects. ANALYTICAL METHODS : ADVANCING METHODS AND APPLICATIONS 2020; 12:3974-3997. [PMID: 32720670 DOI: 10.1039/d0ay01113d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Mass spectrometry (MS) techniques are highly prevalent in crime laboratories, particularly those coupled to chromatographic separations like gas chromatography (GC) and liquid chromatography (LC). These methods are considered "gold standard" analytical techniques for forensic analysis and have been extensively validated for producing prosecutorial evidentiary data. However, factors such as growing evidence backlogs and problematic evidence types (e.g., novel psychoactive substance (NPS) classes) have exposed limitations of these stalwart techniques. This critical review serves to delineate the current role of MS methods across the broad sub-disciplines of forensic science, providing insight on how governmental steering committees guide their implementation. Novel, developing techniques that seek to broaden applicability and enhance performance will also be highlighted, from unique modifications to traditional hyphenated MS methods to the newer "ambient" MS techniques that show promise for forensic analysis, but need further validation before incorporation into routine forensic workflows. This review also expounds on how recent improvements to MS instrumental design, scan modes, and data processing could cause a paradigm shift in how the future forensic practitioner collects and processes target evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hilary M Brown
- Chemistry Division, Research Department, Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division (NAWCWD), United States Navy Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), China Lake, California 93555, USA.
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