Petroleomics: a test bed for ultra-high-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry.

Within a relative abundance dynamic range of approximately 10,000:1, the world's most compositionally complex organic mixture is petroleum crude oil. As such, it provides the most challenging target for mass spectral resolution and identification of molecules below m/z 2000. The mass "splits" in petroleum include most of those that also appear in proteomics, metabolomics and other complex organic mixture analysis. Therefore, petroleum provides an excellent test bed for optimizing mass spectrometer performance in general. The presence of multiple elemental compositions spanning less than 1 Da in mass facilitates mapping and correction of rf phase variation across a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrum, as well as exposing otherwise inaccessible systematic mass deviations, for additional improvement in mass resolving power and mass accuracy by a factor of up to 5. Internal mass calibration, combined with systematic peak assignment for successive homologous series, enables automated elemental composition assignment of tens of thousands of peaks in a single mass spectrum.

Singlet oxygen in the coupled photochemical and biochemical oxidation of dissolved organic matter.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a significant (>700 Pg) global C pool. Transport of terrestrial DOM to the inland waters and coastal zones represents the largest flux of reduced C from land to water (215 Tg yr(-1)) (Meybeck, M. Am. J. Sci. 1983, 282, 401-450). Oxidation of DOM by interdependent photochemical and biochemical processes largely controls the fate of DOM entering surface waters. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been hypothesized to play a significant role in the photooxidation of DOM, because they may oxidize the fraction of DOM that is inaccessible to direct photochemical degradation by sunlight. We followed the effects of photochemically produced singlet oxygen ((1)O(2)) on DOM by mass spectrometry with (18)O-labeled oxygen, to understand how (1)O(2)-mediated transformations of DOM may lead to altered DOM bioavailability. The photochemical oxygen uptake by DOM attributed to (1)O(2) increased with DOM concentration, yet it remained a minority contributor to photochemical oxygen uptake even at very high DOM concentrations. When DOM samples were exposed to (1)O(2)-generating conditions (Rose Bengal and visible light), increases were observed in DOM constituents with higher oxygen content and release of H(2)O(2) was detected. Differential effects of H(2)O(2) and (1)O(2)-treated DOM showed that (1)O(2)-treated DOM led to slower bacterial growth rates relative to unmodified DOM. Results of this study suggested that the net effect of the reactions between singlet oxygen and DOM may be production of partially oxidized substrates with correspondingly lower potential biological energy yield.

Comprehensive characterization of marine dissolved organic matter by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry with electrospray and atmospheric pressure photoionization.

We compare the ultrahigh resolution 9.4 T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectra of marine dissolved organic matter (DOM) isolated from two sites in the Weddell Sea (Antarctica) obtained by complementary electrospray ionization (ESI) and atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI). Ions produced by APPI extend to higher carbon unsaturation than those produced by ESI, indicated by higher double-bond equivalents (rings plus double bonds) minus oxygen (DBE-O) values, whereas ESI-generated ions are more oxygenated. Moreover, many sulfur-containing compounds were efficiently ionized by ESI but not detected by APPI. Because the mass spectra obtained by ESI and APPI are significantly different, both are necessary to obtain a more complete description of the molecular composition of marine DOM.

Kinetic determination of potassium affinities by IRMPD: elucidation of precursor ion structures.

Dissociation kinetics of the K(+) loss reaction of three potassiated tertiary amino acids (Scheme 1) were studied by infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) in a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT ICR)-MS instrument. The aim of the study was to probe if a kinetic study by IRMPD can yield useful information on the ion structure of the precursor ion species. The measured activation energy values determined by IRMPD are related to the potassium affinity, DeltaH(K(+)), of N-methyl proline determined by threshold collision-induced dissociation experiments. By appropriate scaling with this reference value, the experimentally determined activation energy values for the K(+) loss are transformed into respective potassium affinities, DeltaH(K(+))(IRMPD). These values match the calculated potassium affinity values for salt bridge (SB) structures, DeltaH(K(+))(SB), substantially better than those for canonical structures with a single formal charge site (charge solvation (CS)), thereby allowing structure identification. This conclusion is consistent with other spectroscopic data, which yielded unambiguous evidence of these tertiary amino acids adopting SB structures in the gas phase. This study demonstrates that IRMPD can be applied to determine individual ion structures in the gas phase, given that adequate reference values are available for proper scaling.

Microchip atmospheric pressure photoionization for analysis of petroleum by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry.

Atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) has significantly contributed to the molecular speciation of petroleum. However, a typical APPI source operates at 50 microL/min flow rate and thus causes a considerable mass load to the mass spectrometer. The recently introduced microchip APPI (microAPPI) operates at much lower flow rates (0.05-10 microL/min) providing decreased mass load and therefore decreased contamination in analysis of petroleum by FT-ICR MS. In spite of the 25 times lower flow rate, the signal response with microAPPI was only 40% lower than with a conventional APPI source. It was also shown that microAPPI provides very efficient vaporization of higher molecular weight components in petroleum analysis.

Atmospheric pressure photoionization proton transfer for complex organic mixtures investigated by fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry.

To further clarify the role of dopant solvent in proton transfer in atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI), we employ ultrahigh-resolution FT-ICR mass analysis to identify M(+*), [M + H](+), [M - H](-), and [M + D](+) species in toluene or perdeuterotoluene for an equimolar mixture of five pyrrolic and pyridinic nitrogen heterocyclic model compounds, as well as for a complex organic mixture (Canadian Athabasca bitumen middle distillate). In the petroleum sample, the protons in the [M + H](+) species originate primarily from other components of the mixture itself, rather than from the toluene dopant. In contrast to electrospray ionization, in which basic (e.g., pyridinic) species protonate to form [M + H](+) positive ions and acidic (e.g., pyrrolic) species deprotonate to form [M - H](-) negative ions, APPI generates ions from both basic and acidic species in a single positive-ion mass spectrum. Ultrahigh-resolution mass analysis (in this work, m/Deltam(50%) = 500,000, in which Deltam(50%) is the mass spectral peak full width at half-maximum peak height) is needed to distinguish various close mass doublets: (13)C versus (12)CH (4.5 mDa), (13)CH versus (12)CD (2.9 mDa), and H(2) versus D (1.5 mDa).

Speciation of nitrogen containing aromatics by atmospheric pressure photoionization or electrospray ionization fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry.

We determine the elemental compositions of aromatic nitrogen model compounds as well as a petroleum sample by atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) and electrospray Ionization (ESI) with a 9.4 Tesla Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometer. From the double-bond equivalents calculated for the nitrogen-containing ions from a petroleum sample, we can infer the aromatic core structure (pyridinic versus pyrrolic nitrogen heterocycle) based on the presence of M(+.) (odd-electron) versus [M+H](+) (even-electron) ions. Specifically, nitrogen speciation can be determined from either a single positive-ion APPI spectrum or two ESI (positive- and negative-ion) spectra. APPI operates at comparatively higher temperature than ESI and also produces radical cations that may fragment before detection. However, APPI fragmentation of aromatics can be eliminated by judicious choice of instrumental parameters.

Atmospheric pressure photoionization fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry for complex mixture analysis.

We have coupled atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) to a home-built 9.4-T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometer. Analysis of naphtho[2,3-a]pyrene and crude oil mass spectra reveals that protonated molecules, deprotonated molecules, and radical molecular ions are formed simultaneously in the ion source, thereby complicating the spectra (>12 000 peaks per mass spectrum and up to 63 peaks of the same nominal mass), and eliminating the "nitrogen rule" for nominal mass determination of number of nitrogens. Nevertheless, the ultrahigh mass resolving power and mass accuracy of FT-ICR MS enable definitive elemental composition assignments, even for doublets as closely spaced as 1.1 mDa (SH3(13)C vs (12)C4). APPI efficiently ionizes nonpolar compounds that are unobservable by electrospray and allows nonpolar sulfur speciation of petrochemical mixtures.

Reaction of hydrogen gas with C60 at elevated pressure and temperature: hydrogenation and cage fragmentation.

Products of the reaction of C(60) with H(2) gas have been monitored by high-resolution atmospheric pressure photoionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (APPI FT-ICR MS), X-ray diffraction, and IR spectroscopy as a function of hydrogenation period. Samples were synthesized at 673 K and 120 bar hydrogen pressure for hydrogenation periods between 300 and 5000 min, resulting in the formation of hydrofullerene mixtures with hydrogen content ranging from 1.6 to 5.3 wt %. Highly reduced C(60)H(x) (x > 36-40) and products of their fragmentation were identified in these samples by APPI FT-ICR MS. A sharp change in structure was observed for samples with at least 5.0 wt % of hydrogen. Low-mass (300-500 Da) hydrogenation products not observed by prior field desorption (FD) FT-ICR MS were detected by APPI FT-ICR MS and their elemental compositions obtained for the first time. Synthetic and analytical fragmentation pathways are discussed.