Mass Spectrometry

Ionization of small, large, volatile, and nonvolatile compounds with charge states nearly identical to electrospray ionization are produced from a solid matrix or solution with high sensitivity utilizing the vacuum inherent with any mass spectrometer. With the proper matrix, analytes can be analyzed from ambient conditions or by direct introduction into vacuum.

The production and sale of counterfeit drugs has risen sharply in recent years. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that counterfeit medicines account for approximately 1% of sales in developed countries and well over 10% in developing countries.

Despite the advantages of soft ionization ion-source technologies for improving confidence in the identification of a range of challenging analytes, soft ionization remains a niche technique for gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS).

Here, a method to characterize edible oils and edible oil mixtures through fingerprinting and the isolation of individual analyte differences is reported. Aroma and flavor analytes in extra virgin olive, olive, peanut, grapeseed, and vegetable oils were sampled with headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME).

Correlating biological activity with chemical composition is the Holy Grail of natural product chemists. Is mass spectrometry the right tool for this challenge?

Gas chromatography with electron ionization and mass spectrometry (GC–EI-MS) detection is a workhorse among analytical techniques in metabolomics. A major challenge in the utilization of GC–EI-MS in metabolomics is the identification of unknowns.

Recent advances in sampling techniques in the pharmaceutical industry sparked significant interest in applying improvements to extraction methods for greater analyte detection and quantitation.

A review of possible uses of ion chromatography (IC) in combination with mass spectrometry (MS) detection for environmental research

The method development process required for the accurate quantification of both clopidogrel and its acid metabolite with a lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) of 1 pg/mL in human plasma is discussed.

This article describes how a food testing laboratory can transition routine high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods to microflow LC for improved sensitivity, throughput, and robustness of analysis.

A study of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in river water samples is presented from northeastern United States using ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with TOF-MS for both targeted and nontargeted analytes

This article examines the various effects of phospholipids in liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS-MS) analysis and demonstrates a new phospholipid-removal approach.

This instalment provides a brief overview of some multidimensional approaches targeted at intact protein analysis for life science applications, particularly for biopharmaceutical analysis.

This article reports on the isolation, purification, and characterization of phorbol esters in Jatropha curcas seeds.

Here, the process to build an accurate mass database is thoroughly described and applications are commented on.

Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) techniques offer advantages in separating and confirming the identity of constituents in novel psychoactive substances.

Accurate-mass approaches offer a significant advance over nominal-mass approaches in the arena of qualitative analysis, and some of the analytical approaches can now be conducted in a relatively routine manner.

A study of colony collapse disorder in honey bees illustrates how mass spectrometry–based proteomics techniques can be used to to identify pathogens without any prior knowledge of what is contained in the sample.

A proof-of-concept application for detecting abused steroids in urine samples collected from an antidoping surveillance program

An update on the sample preparation and LC–MS-MS tools available for allergen detection, as well advantages of those techniques.

A summary of the most recent advances in sample preparation, instrumentation, and data-processing techniques for MALDI-IMS

A discussion of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) selection, drug product development, and mass spectrometry instrumentation

A review highlighting the combination, or potential combination, of various separation methods with ambient ionization mass spectrometry

How to create a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS-MS) system using mass spectrometers, a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) binary pump system, and an autosampler

A breakthrough using a microfluidic interface to conduct sensitive time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) analysis and study liquid surfaces in situ under vacuum conditions is described here.

A critical look into the future of imaging mass spectrometry is made by addressing some of the fundamental and technical challenges that still need to be overcome.

A method is illustrated for the simultaneous analysis of ethyl glucuronide and ethyl sulfate in human urine samples.

The combination of GC with time-of-flight (TOF)-MS proves to be a successful approach for the challenging analysis of persistent organic pollutants in complex matrices such as sediment and fish samples.

This study illustrates the versatility of a laser-induced acoustic desorption (LIAD) approach for volatilization of analytes in modern mass spectrometry.

High-definition screening by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) is shown to be a viable option for the reliable identification of odorous compounds in pork.