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 coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry(GC×GCTOFMS) 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 coelution,which cannot be realized by conventional one-dimensional GC-MS.The GC×GC technique is especially effective for analyzing aromatics and low-to-middlemolecular-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×GCTOFMS,showing its broad usefulness in petroleum geochemistry.

Offline two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled with ion mobility-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry enabling fourdimensional separation and characterization of the multicomponents from white ginseng and red ginseng

Inherent complexity of plant metabolites necessitates the use of multi-dimensional information to accomplish comprehensive profiling and confirmative identification.A dimension-enhanced strategy,by offline two-dimensional liquid chromatography/ion mobility-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(2 D-LC/IM-QTOF-MS)enabling four-dimensional separations(2 D-LC,IM,and MS),is proposed.In combination with in-house database-driven automated peak annotation,this strategy was utilized to characterize ginsenosides simultaneously from white ginseng(WG)and red ginseng(RG).An offline 2 DLC system configuring an Xbridge Amide column and an HSS T3 column showed orthogonality 0.76 in the resolution of ginsenosides.Ginsenoside analysis was performed by data-independent high-definition MSE(HDMSE)in the negative ESI mode on a Vion?IMS-QTOF hybrid high-resolution mass spectrometer,which could better resolve ginsenosides than MSEand directly give the CCS information.An in-house ginsenoside database recording 504 known ginsenosides and 58 reference compounds,was established to assist the identification of ginsenosides.Streamlined workflows,by applying UNIFI?to automatedly annotate the HDMSEdata,were proposed.We could separate and characterize 323 ginsenosides(including 286 from WG and 306 from RG),and 125 thereof may have not been isolated from the Panax genus.The established 2 D-LC/IM-QTOF-HDMSEapproach could also act as a magnifier to probe differentiated components between WG and RG.Compared with conventional approaches,this dimensionenhanced strategy could better resolve coeluting herbal components and more efficiently,more reliably identify the multicomponents,which,we believe,offers more possibilities for the systematic exposure and confirmative identification of plant metabolites.

Identification of petroleum aromatic fraction by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry(GC×GC-TOFMS) is commercially available in the 1990s,with the characteristics of large peak capacity,high resolution,high sensitivity,etc.However,its application to the petroleum and geological analyses is just emerging in China and overseas.In this research,the analytical method for petroleum aromatic fraction using GC×GC-TOFMS is set up,via the choice of the column system and optimization of setting parameters,such as temperature programming,modulation time,hot pulse time,flow rate of carrier gas,data acquisition rate and data processing.The results indicate that different polar compounds of aromatic fraction distribute as bands on structured GC×GC chromatogram.Within each band,homologous compounds appear as a roof-tile structure based on the number of substituent residues.The aromatic compounds are identified and characterized according to the GC×GC chromatogram and mass spectra.According to the polarity and the number of rings,aromatic compounds are spatially present on one chromatogram,which directly reflects the distribution characteristics of complex compounds of aromatic hydrocarbons.In addition,quantitative analysis is favored as some overlapped peaks on traditional GC-MS chromatogram have been separated completely on GC×GC.Some heterocyclic atom aromatic compounds at trace level can be clearly identified using this method,for polarity differences from other interfered aromatic compounds.The development of this method and chromatogram recognition offer petroleum geologists a practical example for the application performance of GC×GC-TOFMS.

Un raveling the acetals as ageing markers of Chinese Highland Qingke Baijiu using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with metabolomics approach

Objectives:The ageing process has a significant impact on the aroma of Chinese Baijiu,which could strengthen the desirable flavor characteristics and reduce the undesirable ones.The aim of this study was to observe the in itiation of mean in gful cha nges in volatile fracti on and locate the ageing markers during ageing storage of Chinese Highland Qingke Baijiu.Materials and Methods:Samples of Chinese Qingke Baijiu were aged for 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,and 11 mon ths before an alysis.The samples were isolated by liquid-liquid extraction and then analyzed by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry.The acquired data were processed by untargeted and targeted metabolomics approach to locate the ageing markers.Results:The untargeted metabolomics analysis(hierarchical clustering analysis,HCA)shows that the chemical composition of Qingke Baijiu presents a statistically sigrdficant deviation from the reference scenario after 5 mon ths.Subsequently,supervised statistics analysis(orthogo nal partial least squares discrimination analysis)was performed to locate the markers,which changed sigrdficantly during ageing.Fifteen markers were located,and seven of them were acetals.Notably,1,1-diethoxy-propane,1,1-diethoxy-butane,and 1,1-diethoxy-3-methyl-butane are important contributors to the flavor of Chinese Baijiu.The identified markers were applied for the untargeted metabolomics(HCA),and the results revealed that these markers could divide the Qingke Baijiu into two ageing stages,0-5 months and 6-11 months.Conclusion:The results suggest that it is a valuable tool for monitoring the changes of volatile compounds and locating the age markers in Chinese Baijiu.

Qualitative Analysis of A Sulfur-fumigated Chinese Herbal Medicine by Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography and High-Resolution Time of Flight MassSpectrometry Using Colorized Fuzzy Difference Data Processing

To investigate the chemical transformation of volatile compounds in sulfur-fumigated Radix Angelicae Sinensis. A comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GCxGC) and high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HR-TOF/MS) with colorized fuzzy difference (CFD) method was used to investigate the effect of sulfur-fumigation on the volatile components from Radix Angelicae Sinensis. Twenty-five compounds that were found in sun-dried samples disappeared in sulfur-fumigated samples. Seventeen volatile components including two sulfur-containing compounds were newly generated for the first time in volatile oils of sulfur-fumigated Radix Angelicae Sinensis. The strategy can be successfully applied to rapidly and holistically discriminate sun-dried and sulfur-fumigated Radix Angelicae Sinensis. GCxGC-HR-TOF/MS based CFD is a powerful and feasible approach for the global quality evaluation of Radix Angelicae Sinensis as well as other herbal medicines.

COMPREHENSIVE TWO-DIMENSIONAL LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY COUPLED WITH QUADRUPLE TIME-OF-FLIGHT MASS SPECTROMETRY FOR CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS ANALYSIS OF TRIPTERYGIUM GLYCOSIDES TABLETS

Comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography platform(LC×LC)coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight(QTOF)mass spectrometry(MS)is developed to separate,identify and relatively determine the chemical constituents of two types of tripterygium glycosides tablets(TGT).The types and relative contents of the constituents discovered in two kinds of TGT tablets were subsequently compared.C8andC18 column were used for the separation of the first

Using cell membrane chromatography and HPLC-TOF/MS method for in vivo study of active components from roots of Aconitum carmichaeli

An offline two-dimensional system combining a rat cardiac mascle cell membrane chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry （CMC-TOF/MS） with a high performance liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry （HPLC-TOF/MS） was established for investigating the parent components and metabolites in rat urine samples after administration of the roots of Aconitum carmichaeli. On the basis of the analysis of the first dimension, retention components of the urine sample were collected into 30 fractions （one fraction per minute）. Then offline analysis of the second dimension was carried out. 34 compounds including 24 parent alkaloids and 10 potential metabolites were identified from the dosed rat urine, and then binding affinities of different compounds on cell membranes were compared and influences of some functional groups on activity were estimated with the semi-quantification and curve fitting method. As a result, binding affinities decreased along with the process of deacylation, debenzoylation and demethylation, which may be related to the alleviation of toxicity in the procedure of herb processing or metabolism. Moreover, some minor components in rat urine （Songorine, 14-benzoylneoline, Deoxyaconitine, etc. ） exerted relatively strong affinity on cell membranes are worth exploring. The results delivered by the system suggest that the CMC can be applied to in vivo study.

A GC×GC-ToFMS Investigation of the Unresolved Complex Mixture and Associated Biomarkers in Biodegraded Petroleum

Heavy biodegraded crude oils have larger numbers of coeluting compounds than nonbiodegraded oils, and they are typically not resolved with conventional gas chromatography（GC）. This unresolved complex mixture（UCM） has been investigated using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry（GC×GC-To FMS） within a set of biodegraded petroleums derived from distinct sedimentary basins, including northwestern Sichuan（Neoproterozoic, marine）, Tarim（Early Paleozoic, marine）, Bohai Bay（Eocene, saline/brackish） and Pearl River Mouth（Eocene, freshwater）. In general, the hydrocarbons that constitute the UCM in petroleum saturate fractions can be classified into three catalogues based on the distributions of resolved compounds on two dimensional chromatograms. Group 1 is composed mainly of normal and branched alkanes, isoprenoid alkanes and monocyclic alkanes; Group 2 comprises primarily terpanes ranging from two to five rings, and Group 3 is dominated by monoaromatic hydrocarbons such as tetralins and monoaromatic steranes. In addition, the UCM is source dependent and varies between oil populations. i.e., the UCM of petroleum derived from Precambrian and Early Paleozoic marine, Eocene saline/brackish and freshwater source rocks is specifically rich in higher homologues of A-norsteranes, series of 1,1,3-trimethyl-2-alkylcyclohexanes（carotenoid-derived alkanes）, and tetralin and indane compounds, respectively.

Analysis of black-streak defects on food-container screw caps

The cause of black-streak defects on food-container screw caps is analyzed by two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry,morphological analysis,and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.An immersion experiment was conducted with the cap immersed in different concentrations of acetic acid to simulate the growth of black streaks.The experimental results show that the acetic acid concentration in food is closely related to the appearance of the black-streak defects.Acetic acid is speculated to permeate into the gaps of the cap,followed by the formation of ferric acetate(light brown solid).The ferric acetate then breaks through the paint surface and its color coincides with that of the paint,which leads to the formation of the black-streak defects.

Use of the Metabolomics Approach to Characterize Chinese Medicinal Material Huangqi

Integration of the genetic and metabolic fingerprinting can provide a new approach to differentiate similar Traditional Chinese Medical （TCM） materials. Two leguminous plants, Mojia Huangqi and Menggu Huangqi, are important medical herbs and share great similarities in morphology, chemical constituent, and genomic DNA sequence. The taxonomy of Mojia Huangqi and Menggu Huangqi has been debated for more than 50 years and discrimination of TCM materials directly affects the pharmacological and clinical effects. AFLP based genetic fingerprinting and GC-TOF/MS-based meta- bolic fingerprinting were used to successfully discriminate the two species. The results of AFLP supported the opinion that Menggu Huangqi was a variant of Mojia Huangqi. The metabolic fingerprinting showed growth locations have greater impacts on the metabolite composition and quantity than the genotypes （cultivated versus wild） in Menggu Huangqi. The difference of some soluble sugars, fatty acids, proline, and polyamine reflected plant adaptation to different growth environments. Using multivariate and univariate statistical analysis, three AFLP markers and eight metabolites were identified as candidate DNA and metabolic markers to distinguish the two herb materials. The correlation network between AFLP markers and metabolites revealed a complex correlation network, which indicated the special metabolic pathways and the regulation networks of Huangqi.