RESUMO
The sorption of vapor molecules onto pre-existing nanometer sized clusters is of importance in understanding particle formation and growth in gas phase environments and devising gas phase separation schemes. Here, we apply a differential mobility analyzer-mass spectrometer based approach to observe directly the sorption of vapor molecules onto iodide cluster ions of the form (MI)xM(+) (x = 1-13, M = Na, K, Rb, or Cs) in air at 300 K and with water saturation ratios in the 0.01-0.64 range. The extent of vapor sorption is quantified in measurements by the shift in collision cross section (CCS) for each ion. We find that CCS measurements are sensitive enough to detect the transient binding of several vapor molecules to clusters, which shift CCSs by only several percent. At the same time, for the highest saturation ratios examined, we observed CCS shifts of up to 45%. For x < 4, cesium, rubidium, and potassium iodide cluster ions are found to uptake water to a similar extent, while sodium iodide clusters uptake less water. For x ≥ 4, sodium iodide cluster ions uptake proportionally more water vapor than rubidium and potassium iodide cluster ions, while cesium iodide ions exhibit less uptake. Measured CCS shifts are compared to predictions based upon a Kelvin-Thomson-Raoult (KTR) model as well as a Langmuir adsorption model. We find that the Langmuir adsorption model can be fit well to measurements. Meanwhile, KTR predictions deviate from measurements, which suggests that the earliest stages of vapor uptake by nanometer scale species are not well described by the KTR model.
RESUMO
Low field ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) techniques exhibit low orthogonality, as inverse mobility often scales with mass to charge ratio. This inadequacy can be mitigated by adding vapor dopants, which may cluster with analyte ions and shift their mobilities by amounts independent of both mass and mobility of the ion. It is therefore important to understand the interactions of vapor dopants with ions, to better quantify the extent of dopant facilitated mobility shifts. Here, we develop predictive models of vapor dopant facilitated mobility shifts, and compare model calculations to measurements of mobility shifts for peptide ions exposed to variable gas phase concentrations of isopropanol. Mobility measurements were made at atmospheric pressure and room temperature using a recently developed transversal modulation ion mobility spectrometer (TMIMS). Results are compared to three separate models, wherein mobility shifts due to vapor dopants are attributed to changes in gas composition and (I) no vapor dopant uptake is assumed, (II) site-specific dopant uptake by the ion is assumed (approximated via a Langmuir adsorption model), and (III) site-unspecific dopant uptake by the ion is assumed (approximated via a classical nucleation model). We find that mobility shifts in peptide ions are in excellent agreement with model II, site-specific binding predictions. Conversely, mobility shifts of tetraalkylammonium ions from previous measurements were compared with these models and best agreement was found with model III predictions, i.e. site-unspecific dopant uptake.
