On-line Electrochemistry Electrospray Ionisation Mass Spectrometry Method Development and Applications

Sammanfattning: This thesis deals with studies of on-line electrochemistry electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (EC/ESI-MS). It is shown that the use of EC/ESI-MS demands optimal coupling characteristics.Pre-concentration and desalting, due to matrix exchange, were demonstrated for the model substance 1-hexanethiol in an EC/ESI-MS setup. The setup was also used for investigations of the oxidation states of the manganese complex [Mn2(bpmp)(µ-OAc)2][ClO4], where bpmp is a 2,6-bis[[N,N-di(2-pyridylmethyl)amino]methyl]-4-methylphenol compound. The manganese complex, which is relevant to artificial photosynthesis, was found to be a good model compound for the EC/ESI-MS studies, thanks to its many oxidation states. For the first time, the presence of the Mn(III,IV) state of the manganese complex was demonstrated in the studies.During the experimental work, the importance of the electrode positioning within the electrochemical cell was investigated. Different EC cell configurations were studied using the manganese complex as a model substance. It was clearly shown that the EC cell design influences the distribution between the peaks in the mass spectra - not only for manganese complexes and Olsalazine but also for 4-chloroaniline.A previously unknown comproportionation reaction was found for 4-chloroaniline involving the oxidised dimer, 4-[(4-chlorophenyl)imino]-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-imine. This reaction explained the unexpected presence of the signal due to the reduced dimer, 4-amino-4'-chlorodiphenylamine, in the mass spectra.Furthermore, it was shown that EC/ESI-MS was successful in conjunction with miniaturised gold wire electrodes in a PDMS chip within which dopamine was oxidised with a conversion efficiency of 30%. The oxidation products of dopamine were detected after 0.6-1.2 seconds for 1.0 and 0.5 µl/min, respectively. The combination of electrochemically controlled solid-phase extraction (EC-SPE) with ESI-MS was found to be less straightforward than detecting anions pre-concentrated on a polypyrrole coated electrode with EC-SPE/ICP-MS.The on-line combination of liquid chromatography with EC/ESI-MS/MS for studying antioxidants in yellow onion extracts was shown to be fast and a relatively easy complement to classical antioxidant activity determinations.