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Electron ionization in LC-MS: recent developments and applications of the direct-EI LC-MS interface

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Abstract

The purpose of this article is to underline the possibility of efficiently using electron ionization (EI) in liquid chromatography (LC) and mass spectrometry (MS). From a historical perspective, EI accompanied the first attempts in LC-MS but, owing to several technical shortcomings, it was soon outshined by soft, atmospheric pressure ionization (API) techniques. Nowadays, two modern approaches, supersonic molecular beam LC-MS and direct-EI LC-MS, offer a valid alterative to API, and preserve the advantages of EI also in LC-MS applications. These advantages can be summarized in three crucial aspects: automated library identification; identification of unknown compounds, owing to EI extensive fragment information; inertness to coeluted matrix interferences owing to very unlikely ion–ion and ion–molecule interactions in the EI gas-phase environment. The direct-EI LC-MS interface is a simple and efficient solution able to produce high-quality, interpretable EI spectra from a wide range of low molecular weight molecules of different polarity. Because of the low operative flow rates, this interface relies on a nano-LC technology that helps in reducing the impact of the mobile phase on the gas-phase environment of EI. This review provides an extensive discussion on the role of EI in LC-MS interfacing, and presents in detail several performance aspects of the direct-EI LC-MS interface, especially in terms of response, mass-spectral quality, and matrix effects. In addition, several key applications are also reported.

Range of HPLC amenable compound classes by LC-EIMS

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Acknowledgement

The authors acknowledge Agilent Technologies for supplying the instrumentation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento GeoTeCA, Laboratorio LC-MS, Università di Urbino, Piazza Rinascimento 6, 61029, Urbino, Italy

    Pierangela Palma, Giorgio Famiglini, Helga Trufelli, Elisabetta Pierini, Veronica Termopoli & Achille Cappiello

Authors
  1. Pierangela Palma
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  2. Giorgio Famiglini
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  3. Helga Trufelli
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  4. Elisabetta Pierini
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  5. Veronica Termopoli
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  6. Achille Cappiello
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Achille Cappiello.

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Published in the special issue Advances in Analytical Mass Spectrometry with Guest Editor Maria Careri.

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Palma, P., Famiglini, G., Trufelli, H. et al. Electron ionization in LC-MS: recent developments and applications of the direct-EI LC-MS interface. Anal Bioanal Chem 399, 2683–2693 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-010-4637-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-010-4637-0

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