Life and death of a single catalytic cracking particle.

Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) particles account for 40 to 45% of worldwide gasoline production. The hierarchical complex particle pore structure allows access of long-chain feedstock molecules into active catalyst domains where they are cracked into smaller, more valuable hydrocarbon products (for example, gasoline). In this process, metal deposition and intrusion is a major cause for irreversible catalyst deactivation and shifts in product distribution. We used x-ray nanotomography of industrial FCC particles at differing degrees of deactivation to quantify changes in single-particle macroporosity and pore connectivity, correlated to iron and nickel deposition. Our study reveals that these metals are incorporated almost exclusively in near-surface regions, severely limiting macropore accessibility as metal concentrations increase. Because macropore channels are "highways" of the pore network, blocking them prevents feedstock molecules from reaching the catalytically active domains. Consequently, metal deposition reduces conversion with time on stream because the internal pore volume, although itself unobstructed, becomes largely inaccessible.

In situ analysis of agrochemical residues on fruit using ambient ionization on a handheld mass spectrometer.

We describe a rapid in situ method for detecting agrochemicals on the surface or in the tissue of fruit using a portable mass spectrometer equipped with an ambient ionization source. Two such ionization methods, low temperature plasma (LTP) and paper spray (PS), were employed in experiments performed at a local grocery store. LTP was used to detect diphenylamine (DPA) directly from the skin of apples in the store and those treated after harvest with DPA were recognized by MS and MS/MS. These data therefore allowed ready distinction between organic and non-organic apples. DPA was also found within the internal tissue of purchased apples and its distribution was mapped using LTP. Similarly, thiabendazole residues were detected on the skin of treated oranges in a grocery store experiment in which paper spray was performed by wiping the orange surface with a moist commercial lens wipe and then applying a high voltage to ionize the chemicals directly from the wipe. The handheld mass spectrometer used in these measurements is capable of performing several stages of tandem mass spectrometry (up to MS(5)); the compounds on the fruit were identified by their MS/MS fragmentation patterns. Protonated DPA (m/z 170) produced a characteristic MS(2) fragment ion at m/z 92, while thiabendazole was identified by MS(3) using precursor to fragment ion transitions m/z 202 →m/z 175 →m/z 131. These particular examples exemplify the power of in situ analysis of complex samples using ambient ionization and handheld mass spectrometers.

Trace detection of non-uniformly distributed analytes on surfaces using mass transfer and large-area desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) mass spectrometry.

Ambient ionization methods such as desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) allow the analysis of chemicals adsorbed at surfaces without the need for sample (or surface) pretreatment. A limitation of current implementations of these ionization sources is the small size of the area that can be sampled. This makes examination of surfaces of large areas time-consuming because of the need to raster across the surface. This paper describes a DESI source that produces a spray plume with an effective desorption/ionization area of 3.6 cm(2), some 200 times larger than given by conventional DESI sources. Rhodamine 6G and several drugs of abuse (codeine, heroin and diazepam) were used to demonstrate the ability to use large-area DESI MS to perform rapid (a few seconds) representative sampling of areas of the order of several square centimetres without scanning the probe across the surface. The large area ion source displayed high sensitivity (limits of detection in the high nanogram range) and high reproducibility (approximately 20 to 35% relative standard deviation). The rapid analysis of even larger surfaces (hundreds of cm(2)) for traces of explosives is possible using a sorbent surface wipe followed by large-area DESI interrogation performed directly on the wipe material. The performance of this mass transfer dry wipe method was examined by determination of the limits of detection of several explosives. Surfaces with different topographies and compositions were also tested. Using this method, absolute limits of detection observed for HMX and RDX from plastic surfaces and skin were found to be as low as 10 ng cm(-2). The concentration of residue from large surface areas in this technique allowed the detection of 100 ng of explosives from surfaces with areas ranging from 1.00 x 10(3) cm(2) to 1.40 x 10(4) cm(2).

Pharmaceutical cleaning validation using non-proximate large-area desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

Desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) is a droplet-based ionization method that is applied to samples in the ambient environment with little or no sample preparation. Its utility for industrial applications is explored here for the case of pharmaceutical cleaning validation. A non-proximate large-area DESI system was built to examine representative areas of the surfaces of reaction vessels used in active product ingredient (API) manufacturing. A large-area sprayer capable of sampling an area of approximately 2.5 cm(2) was coupled with a transport tube to allow sensitive, representative sampling of APIs from a stainless steel surface 1 m away from the mass spectrometer. The system was used to detect the APIs neostigmine, acebutolol, amiloride, amiodarone, ibuprofen, montelukast, potassium clavulanate, and beta-estradiol, at levels as low as 30-10 ng/cm(2), easily satisfying the general acceptable limits set by the pharmaceutical industry. These levels were achieved from surfaces resembling the equipment used in API manufacturing processes at a rate of 30 s per analysis.