Electrochemically assisted fast-atom-bombardment mass spectrometry

The hybridization of electrochemistry and fast atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrometry (MS) creates a new hyphenated technique, referred to as electrochemically assisted FAB (EFAB) MS, which improves the applicability of FAB MS in selectivity and extends the range of compounds to include low polarity molecules, and also reduces mass spectral complications due to matrix-related artifacts. FAB MS has proven to be indispensable in analysis of samples that are otherwise too intractable for conventional MS, such as peptides, oligosaccharides, and oligonucleotides, due to low volatility and ready thermal degradation. There are limits on its applicability, however, in that it works best with samples that are already ionic, or predisposed to become so by simple proton transfer to or from the matrix. A wide range of chemical substances can be ionized/analyzed by electrochemical methods. Therefore, a possible approach towards improving applicability of FAB MS is through its hybridization with electrochemistry. Samples are activated by electrolysis, carried out directly in the sample matrix through use of a modified FAB sample probe which was constructed containing a small electrolytic cell on the tip. In operation, one electrode is held at normal sample-probe/ion-source voltage, while the other electrode can be continuously varied ±15 volts to create electrochemical potentials. Several chemical substances, known to be unresponsive to FAB MS, have been examined by EFAB MS. Resultant spectra generally show a dramatic increases in signal/chemical noise ratio of structurally significant ions when compared to normal FAB spectra