Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry for Microstructure and Pyrolysis Pathway of Polyester-Polyether Multiblock Copolymer

The composition and sequence distribution of monomeric units in polyester polyether multiblock copolymer were studied by pyrolysis? gas chromatography (PGC) and pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (PGC/MS). PGC was applied to study the F t curve of the multiblock copolymer and PGC/MS was used to separate and identify the pyrolyzates. DTA experiment was used to study the decomposition temperature. The results show that the beginning point of elastomer’s decomposition was about 300?℃ and the decomposition temperature of most of the sample was 550?℃. Many pyrolyzates were produced because of the breaking of weak bonds in the sample. The possible microstructure was verified and the pyrolysis pathway of the copolymer was investigated.

Analyzing crude oils from the Junggar Basin(NW China) using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry(GC×GC-TOFMS)

As a new technology of analyzing crude oils, comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography cou- pled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry （GCxGC- TOFMS） has received much research attention. Here we present a case study in the Junggar Basin of NW China. Results show that the hydrocarbons, including saturates and aromatics, were all well-separated without large co- elution, which cannot be realized by conventional one-dimensional GC-MS. The GC×GC technique is especially effective for analyzing aromatics and low-to-middle- molecular-weight hydrocarbons, such as diamondoids. The geochemical characteristics of crude oils in the study area were investigated through geochemical parameters extracted by GC×GC-TOFMS, improving upon the understanding obtained by GC-MS. Thus, the work here represents a new successful application of GC×GC- TOFMS, showing its broad usefulness in petroleum geochemistry.

The Detection of THCA Using 2-Dimensional Gas Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry in Human Fingernail Clippings: Method Validation and Comparison with Head Hair

Marijuana use as well as abuse is a significant public health and public safety concern in the United States and using hair to identify marijuana users and abusers has been gaining acceptance in a number of venues including workplace, court ordered, and substance abuse treatment monitoring. After the presentation of a fully validated 2-dimensional gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the detection of 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THCA), the chief metabolite of the main psychoactive compound in marijuana, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), we evaluated the usefulness of fingernail clippings as an alternative specimen type to hair by the analysis of a set of 60 matched pairs of head hair and fingernail clippings. The limit of detection was 10 fg/mg, the limit of quantitation was 20 fg/mg, and the assay was linear from 20 fg/mg to 500 fg/mg. The intra- and inter-assay imprecision and bias studies at 4 different concentrations (50, 100, 500, and 1000 fg/mg) were acceptable where all % Target observations were within 16% of their expected concentrations and all %CV calculations were less than 13.5%. THCA was detectable in more fingernail specimens (53.3%) than hair specimens (46.7%) and the mean concentrations in nails were on average 4.9 times higher than in hair (1813 fg/mg and 364 fg/mg, respectively). The THCA concentrations in hair and nail were strongly associated (r = 0.974, P < 0.01, n = 60) and the association was significant. The study demonstrated that fingernail clippings are a suitable alternative specimen type to hair to monitor for marijuana use and abuse.

Metabolomics of gastric cancer metastasis detected by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry

AIM:To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of metastasis and to identify the metabolomic markers of gastric cancer metastasis.METHODS:Gastric tumors from metastatic and nonmetastatic groups were used in this study.Metabolites and different metabolic patterns were analyzed by gas chromatography,mass spectrometry and principal components analysis (PCA),respectively.Differentiation performance was validated by the area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curves.RESULTS:Twenty-nine metabolites were differentially expressed in animal models of human gastric cancer.Of the 29 metabolites,20 were up-regulated and 9 were down-regulated in metastasis group compared to non-metastasis group.PCA models from the metabolite profiles could differentiate the metastatic from the nonmetastatic specimens with an AUC value of 1.0.These metabolites were mainly involved in several metabolic pathways,including glycolysis (lactic acid,alaline),serine metabolism (serine,phosphoserine),proline metabolism (proline),glutamic acid metabolism,tricarboxylic acid cycle (succinate,malic acid),nucleotide metabolism (pyrimidine),fatty acid metabolism (docosanoic acid,and octadecanoic acid),and methylation(glycine).The serine and proline metabolisms were highlighted during the progression of metastasis.CONCLUSION:Proline and serine metabolisms play an important role in metastasis.The metabolic profiling of tumor tissue can provide new biomarkers for the treatment of gastric cancer metastasis.

Extraction of essential oil from shaddock peel and analysis of its components by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Essential oil, with more than thirty kinds of compounds separated and identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, was extracted from Shatian shaddock peel and Sweet shaddock peel by squeeze-steam distillation and direct steam distillation method. Among their composition, the main components are terpene compounds, which account for 93.926% (mass fraction, the same below) and 85.843% of essential oils extracted from Shatian shaddock peel and Sweet shaddock peel, respectively. Although nootkatone is the major contributor of shaddock characteristic scent, and its contents are 1.069% and 1.749% of essential oils from Sweet shaddock peel and Shatian shaddock peel, respectively. The results show that squeeze-steam distillation gives higher yield and good quality of essential oil and the compositions of essential oils from two kinds of shaddock peels are different, but the main contributors of the shaddock scent are the same.

Determination of 8 Diuretics and Probenecid in Human Urine by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry: Confirmation Procedure

A fast and sensitive method for determination of 8 diuretics (acetazolamide, bendroflumethiazide, bumetanide, chlorthalidone, furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide, metolazone, triamterene) and masking agent (probenecid) in human urine using gas-chromatography with mass spectrometric detection is described. The extraction of the substances as function of the nature of organic solvent, mixing time and pH of aqueous phase was studied. The tandem mass spectrometry was used to increase selectivity of diuretics determination due to elimination of background interferences. Fragmentation reactions were studied for each compound and their collision energies were optimized to obtain the best selectivity. The results of method’s validation demonstrate its suitability in routine analysis for confirmation purposes.

Occurrence of <i>N</i>-Acyl Homoserine Lactones in Extracts of Bacterial Strain of <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>and in Sputum Sample Evaluated by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

This study presents a fast, accurate and sensitive technique using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for the identification and quantification of N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) in the extracts of bacterial strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and sputum sample of a cystic fibrosis patient. This method involves direct separation and determination of AHLs by using GC-MS as simultaneous separation and characterization of AHLs were possible without any prior derivatiza-tion. Electron ionization resulted in a common fragmentation pattern with the most common fragment ion at m/z 143 and other minor peaks at 73, 57 and 43. The limit of detection for N-butanoyl, N-hexanoyl, N-octanoyl, N-decanoyl, N-dodecanoyl and N-tetradecanoyl homoserine lactones was 2.14, 3.59, 2.71, 2.10, 2.45 and 2.34 μg/L, respectively. The presence of AHLs in the culture of P. aeruginosa strain and spu-tum of a cystic fibrosis patient was achieved in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode by using the prominent fragment at m/z 143.

Rapid Screening of 26 Organophosphorus Pesticides in Fresh Milk by Ultra Liquid Chromatography Coupled With Quadrupole-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry

[Objectives]A rapid screening and analysis method for 26 organophosphorus agrochemicals in fresh milk was established using ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry.[Methods]Raw milk was extracted with acetonitrile solution containing 0.2%formic acid by volume,and purified with a Dikma ProElut QuECHERS solid phase extraction cartridge.Target compounds were separated on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC HSS T3 chromatographic column(2.1 mm×50 mm,1.8μm)with methanol-water solution as a mobile phase for gradient elution,and through scanning with an electrospray ion source in positive ion mode,26 kinds of organophosphorus agrochemicals could be accurately qualitatively determined within 10 min.[Results]When using formic acid acetonitrile with a volume fraction of 0.2%,there were more types of detected compounds and a greater recovery;and using B cartridge could effectively eliminate the interference of non-polar substances such as phospholipids,achieve higher number of detected compounds than those of A and C,and well separate the 26 kinds of agrochemical residues.[Conclusions]This study provides a reference method for the rapid screening of agrochemical residues in dairy cows in the future.

Speciation of Volatile Selenium Species in Plants Using Gas Chromatography/Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

Gas chromatography/inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (GC/ICP-MS) coupled with solid phase micro-extraction can provide a simple, extremely selective and sensitive technique for the analysis of volatile sulfur and selenium compounds in the headspace of growing plants. In this work, the technique was used to evaluate the volatilization of selenium in wild-type and genetically-modified Brassica juncea seedlings. By converting toxic inorganic selenium in the soil to less toxic, volatile organic selenium, B. juncea might be useful in bioremediation of selenium contaminated soil.

Lysophosphatidylcholine Biomarkers of Lung Cancer Detected by Ultra-performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Quadrupole Time-of-flight Mass Spectrometry

Centrifugal ultrafiltration after methanol extraction of whole plasma was used as an optimal condition for the preparation of blood plasma before metabonomic studies. The plasma samples from 102 lung cancer patients and 34 healthy volunteers were prepared with this approach. With ultra-performance liquid chromatography（UPLC） coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry（Q-TOF MS） analysis, the samples were investigated in order to find potential disease biomarkers. After data acquisition, orthogonal signal correction partial least squares models were built to differentiate the healthy volunteers from lung cancer patients and to identify metabolites that showed significantly different expression between the two groups. Several metabolite ions were identified as potential biomarkers according to the variable importance in the project（VIP） value in both ion modes. Five lysophosphatidylcholines were further identified as specifically lysoPC 16：0, isomer of lysoPC 16：0, lysoPC 18：0, lysoPC 18：1 and lysoPC 18：2. These results suggest that UPLC coupled with Q-TOF MS is an effective technique for the analysis of plasma metabolites in metabonomic studies.

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry based metabolomic study in a murine model of irritable bowel syndrome

AIM To study the role of microbial metabolites in the modulation of biochemical and physiological processes in irritable bowel syndrome(IBS).METHODS In the current study, using a metabolomic approach, we analyzed the key metabolites differentially excreted in the feces of control mice and mice with IBS, with or without Clostridium butyricum(C. butyricum) treatment. C57 BL/6 mice were divided into control, IBS, and IBS + C. butyricum groups. In the IBS and IBS + C. butyricum groups, the mice were subjected to water avoidance stress(WAS) for 1 h/d for ten days. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry(GC-MS) together with multivariate analysis was employed to compare the fecal samples between groups. RESULTS WAS exposure established an appropriate model of IBS in mice, with symptoms of visceral hyperalgesia and diarrhea. The differences in the metabolite profiles between the control group and IBS group significantly changed with the progression of IBS(days 0, 5, 10, and 17). A total of 14 differentially excreted metabolites were identified between the control and IBS groups, and phenylethylamine was a major metabolite induced by stress. In addition, phenylalanine metabolism was found to be the most relevant metabolic pathway. Between the IBS group and IBS + C. butyricum group, 10 differentially excreted metabolites were identified. Among these, pantothenate and coenzyme A(Co A) biosynthesis metabolites, as well as steroid hormone biosynthesis metabolites were identified as significantly relevant metabolic pathways.CONCLUSION The metabolic profile of IBS mice is significantly altered compared to control mice. Supplementation with C. butyricum to IBS mice may provide a considerable benefit by modulating host metabolism.

Measurement of Arsenic Species in Infant Rice Cereals by Liquid Chromatography Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

Infant rice cereals were analyzed for total arsenic, inorganic arsenic (i-As) and the organic arsenic species monomethylarsonoic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) using liquid chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LC-ICP-MS). Total arsenic concentrations in the samples ranged from 110 ng/gup to 420 ng/g. The i-As in the rice cereals accounted for 33% to 77% of the total arsenic. The observed variability between infant rice cereals makes a dietary survey approach to accessing arsenic exposures difficult.

Headspace Solid-Phase Micro-Extraction Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry(HS-SPME-GC/MS)-Based Untargeted Metabolomics Analysis for Comparing the Volatile Components from 12 Panax Herbal Medicines

Quality control of ginseng currently is mainly based on ginsenoside analysis,but rarely focuses on the volatile organic components.In the current work,an untargeted metabolomics approach,by headspace solid-phase micro-extraction gas chromatography/mass spectrometry(HS-SPME-GC/MS),was elaborated and further employed to holistically compare the compositional difference of the volatile components simultaneously from 12 Panax herbal medicines,which included P.ginseng(PG),P.quinquefolius(PQ),P.notoginseng(PN),red ginseng(PGR),P.ginseng leaf(PGL),P.quinquefolius leaf(PQL),P.notoginseng leaf(PNL),P.ginseng flower(PGF),P.quinquefolius flower(PQF),P.notoginseng flower(PNF),P.japonicus(PJ),and P.japonicus var.major(PJvm).Chromatographic separation was performed on an HP-5MS elastic quartz capillary column using helium as the carrier gas,enabling good resolution within 1 h.We were able to characterize totally 259 volatile compounds,including 82 terpenes(T),46 alcohols(Alc),29 ketones(K),25 aldehydes(Ald),21 esters(E),and the others.By analyzing 90 batches of ginseng samples based on the untargeted metabolomics workflows,236 differential ions were unveiled,and accordingly 36 differential volatile components were discovered.It is the first report that simultaneously compares the compositional difference of volatile components among 12 Panax herbal medicines,and useful information is provided for the quality control of ginseng aside from the well-known ginsenosides.

Pyrolysis of Polytrimethylene Terephthalate(PTT) Fiber by Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy

Pyrolysis of polytrimethylene terephthalate(PTT) fiber has been investigated by pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy in the temperature range from 400℃ to 750℃ in order to observe the possible effect of the temperature on its composition of pyrolysates.At 400℃,pyrolysis of molecular chain could occur,only 13 pyrolysates could be identified.The trimethylene moieties bound to the macromolecular core by ester bonds are cleaved at around 400℃.At 550℃-750℃,pyrolysis of molecular chain could completely take place,46 pyrolysates could be found.As the temperature increases,the compositions of pyrolysate are distinctly increased.Several compounds,especially benzoic acid,monopropenyl-p-phthalate,2-propenyl benzoate,di-2-propenyl ester,1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid,benzene,1,5-hexadiene,biphenyl and 1,3-propanediol dibenzoate could be formed.The thermal degradation mechanism,which is determined by structure and amount of the thermal decomposition products,are described.During pyrolysis of polytrimethylene terephthalate,polymeric chain scissions take place a peeling reaction as a successive removal of the dimer units from the polymeric chain.The chain scissions are followed by the elimination reaction,linkage action and secondary reactions,which bring about a variety fragment.

Structure Elucidation of a New Toxin from the Mushroom Cortinarius rubellus Using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)

Cortinarius orellanus (Fries) and C. rubellus (Cooke),which were formerly also known as C. speciosissimus, are poisonous mushrooms containing the toxin orellanine and several degradation products of orellanine,includingorelline and orellinine. Mass intoxication by poisonous mushrooms was observed in Poland in 1952-1957 [1]. In 1957, the cause of these outbreaks was described by Grzymala as poisoning by a member of the Cortinarius family. The toxin orellanine was first isolated from C. orellanusby Grzymala in 1962;the chemical structure of orellanine was later determined to be 3,3',4,4'-tetrahydroxy-2,2'-bipyridine-N,N'-dioxide. Poisoning with C. orellanus and C. rubellus has a very specific character. The first symptoms of intoxication usually do not appear until 2-3 days after ingestion, but in some cases intoxication appears after three weeks. The target organ for the toxin is the kidney. Histologically, it is easy to record the specific damage. The presence of degradation products of orellanine in kidney can be confirmed chromatographically, suggesting that the cause of poisoning is orellanine. However, the presence of orellanine in the blood of intoxicated persons has not been directly detected. A specific model was developed by Brondz et al. for the detection of orellanine, orelline, and orellininein animal stomach fluids [2-4]. The hypothesis that the fungal toxin orellanine as a diglucoside can be transported from the digestive system by the blood to the kidney could not be supported. The toxin orellanine as a diglucoside is very unstable in an aqueous acidic environment.[i1]?However, in the present study, it was possible to record an additional substance in animal stomach fluids using GC-MSafter ingestion ofC. rubellus. This substance, which has been namedrubelline, is part of a toxic mixture inC. orellanusandC. rubellusand is closely related to orellanine. The structure of rubelline is more suitable than orellanine for absorptionfromthe digestive tract and for transport in the blood. The presented hypothesis is that rubellineis absorbed in the digestive tract and transportedin the blood to the kidney, where it is biotransformed to orellanine and accumulatedto toxic levels. The process of biotransformationis in itself also damaging for the kidney and liver.[i2]?GC-MS instrumentation enables the separation of substances in biological samples and in the extract fromC. rubellus. The GC-MS with SMB technique was used to record the mass ion and to record a detailed fragmentation picture.

ANALYSIS OF VOLATILE CONSTITUENTS OF CHINESE MEDICINAL HERBS BY FLASH DISTILLATION/CAPILLARY GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY/MASS SPECTROMETRY

In present work,the volatile constituents of Curcuma longa L.,A.lancea (Thunb.) DC.,Foeniculum vulgare Mill,and Cinnamomun cassia Presl.have been analyzed by flash distillation/capillary gas chro-matography/mass spectrometry.The results are consistent with those obtained by conventional steam distillation extraction method.The optimum condition of flash distillation has been studied.The experimental results showed that this new technique proved to be a simple,rapid and efficient tool for microanalysis of volatile constituents of Chinese medicinal herbs.

Coupling a Gas Chromatography Unit to an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer

Although the eminent threat of a terrorist group detonating an improvised nuclear device (IND) in an urban environment is low, it is crucial that countries develop modern nuclear forensic capabilities to expedite response in a post-detonation scenario. In particular, new instruments need to be created to shorten dissolution time, expedite chemical separation, and improve forensic analysis of the nuclear melt glass that is created during the detonation of the device. To expedite this process, an instrument was designed to thermally couple a gas chromatograph (GC) to a time-of-flight inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ICPTOFMS) In order to couple these two instruments, another instrument was designed to provide an isothermal atmosphere between the GC and TOFICPMS to expedite rapid gas separations processes. By using gas separations instead of the current wet chemistry processes, the required separation and analysis time of the melt glass significantly decreases. The new instrument would also provide a more detailed analysis of the elemental and isotopic composition of the melt glass. By completing these tasks simultaneously, this significantly decreases the required time to conduct these separations and improves the elemental and isotopic analysis.

Effect of pediatric tuina on hypothalamic metabolites in young rabbits using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Objective: To investigate the changes in the hypothalamic metabolites of lipopolysaccharide(LPS) febrile young rabbits after the treatment with pediatric tuina.Methods: A total of 30 young rabbits were randomly assigned into three groups: the normal group, the model group, and the tuina group. Both the model group and the tuina group were injected intravenously with LPS. “Six antipyretic manipulations”(pushing Tianmen, pushing Kangong, kneading Taiyang,kneading Erhougaogu, clearing Tianheshui, and pushing Jizhu) were administered 1 h after the LPS injection in the tuina group. The rectal temperatures of the young rabbits were monitored during the experiment to explore the antipyretic effect. Three hours after the injection, the content of interleukin-1β(IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-a, and prostaglandin E;(PGE;) in the serum was detected. In addition, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS) was used for the hypothalamus metabolomics.Results: Compared with the model group, the rectal temperature of the tuina group was decreased at 2 h and 3 h after the LPS injection(P =.04, P =.03, respectively), and the content of IL-1β, TNF-a, and PGE2was decreased(P =.03, P =.003, and P =.008, respectively). The metabolomics results showed that there were 23 potential biomarkers after the tuina intervention, enriching 27 pathways. Lipid metabolites,especially glycerophospholipids, were a majority of the altered metabolites. The primary metabolic pathways affected by tuina included the arachidonic acid metabolism, the GABAergic synapse, D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism, and the glutamatergic synapse.Conclusion: Pediatric tuina reduced the temperature of the febrile rabbits and downregulated the expression of IL-1β, TNF-a, and PGE2, and the antipyretic mechanism may be related to changes in metabolites and metabolic pathways in the hypothalamus.

Analysis of nitrobenzene compounds in water and soil samples by graphene composite-based solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

In this work, solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was developed to determine trace levels of nitrobenzene compounds in water and soil samples. Graphene was chosen as the extraction material and its composite was coated on a stainless steel wire through sol–gel technique for the solid phase microextraction. The key parameters influencing the extraction efficiency were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the linearity for the compounds was observed in the range of 0.02–15.0 mg/L for water samples, and 0.2–60.0 mg/kg for soil samples, with the correlation coefficients（r） of 0.9966–0.9987. The limits of detection of the method were 0.0025–0.005 mg/L for water samples, and 0.02–0.04 mg/kg for soil samples. The recoveries for the spiked samples were in the range of 72.0%–113.2%, and the precision, expressed as the relative standard deviations, was less than 12.1%.

Separation and identification of moxifloxacin impurities in drug substance by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet detection and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

In this paper, a high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet detection and Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry （HPLC-UV/FrICRMS） method was described for the investigation of impurity profile in moxifloxacin （MOX） drug substance and chemical reference substance. Ten impurities were detected by HPLC-UV, while eight impurities were identified by using the high accurate molecular mass combined with multiple-stage mass spectrometric data and fragmentation rules. In addition, to our knowledge, five impurities were founded for the first time in MOX drug substance.