Quantitative determination of compounds in tobacco essential oils by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry

A quantitative analysis of the individual compounds in tobacco essential oils is performed by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC x GC) combined with flame ionization detector (FID). A time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOF/MS) was coupled to GC x GC for the identification of the resolved peaks. The response of a flame ionization detector to different compound classes was calibrated using multiple internal standards. In total, 172 compounds were identified with good match and 61 compounds with high probability value were reliably quantified. For comparative purposes, the essential oil sample was also quantified by one-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) with multiple internal standards method. The results showed that there was close agreement between the two analysis methods when the peak purity and match quality in one-dimensional GC/MS are high enough. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cluster-assistant generation of multiply charged atomic ions in nanosecond laser ionization of seeded methyl iodide beam

The photoionization of methyl iodide beam seeded in argon and helium is studied by time-of-flight mass spectrometry using a 25 ns, 532 nm Nd-YAG laser with intensities in the range of 2 x 10(10)-2 x 10(11) W/cm(2). Multiply charged ions Of Iq+ (q = 2-3) and C2+ with tens of eV kinetic energies have been observed when laser interacts with the middle part of the pulsed molecular beam, whose peak profiles are independent on the laser polarization directions. Strong evidences show that these ions are coming from the Coulomb explosion of multiply charged CH3I clusters, and laser induced inverse bremsstrahlung absorption of caged electrons plays a key role in the formation of multiply charged ions. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cluster-assisted multiple ionization of xenon and krypton by a nanosecond laser

Multicharged xenon and krypton ions with charge states up to Xe11+ and Kr11+ have been observed in laser ionization of a pulsed xenon or krypton beam by a 25 ns Nd-YAG laser with laser intensity of 10(10)-10(11) W cm(-2) at 532 nm. There is strong evidence to support that those multicharged ions come from cluster-assisted electron recolliding ionizations inside the cluster after multiphoton ionization of atoms in the cluster, the electron can gain its kinetic energy by inverse bremsstrahlung absorption from a laser field quickly.

Interface of chip-based capillary electrophoresis-inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (CE-ICP-AES)

An interface of chip-based capillary electrophoresis (CE)-inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) that is based on cross-flow nebulization has been developed. A polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) CE-chip with conventional cross channel layout was used. A stainless steel tube was placed orthogonal to the exit of the CE separation channel for cross flow nebulization. A supplementary flow of buffer solution at the channel exit was used to improve nebulization efficiency. Two capillaries were inserted into the CE chip near the inlet of the separation channel for sample and buffer solution injection. Syringe pumps were used to manipulate the flow rate and flow direction of the sample, buffer, and supplementary buffer solution. Peak broadening due to the shape (bulb and tube-shaped) and size of the spray chambers was studied. The smaller tube-shaped spray chamber was used because of smaller peak broadening effect due to aerosol transport. The nebulization and transport efficiency of the CE-ICP interface was approximately 10%. Ba2+ and Mg2+ ions were eluted from the CE-chip within 30 s. Resolution of the Ba2+ and Mg2+ peaks was 0.7 using the chip-based CE-ICP-AES system.