Analysis of metals in solution using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

摘要

Electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ES-MS) has gained most of its recent attention because of the ability to produce multiply charged ions from very large biomolecules making them amenable to analysis by most modern mass spectrometers. However, ES-MS is equally well suited for compounds of low or moderate molecular weight that are difficult to volatilize intact by others methods. Moreover, the early work of Fenn and co-workers (1,2) and recent reports by Kebarle and co-workers (3,4) attest to the applicability of ES-MS to the study of the gas-phase chemistry of multiply solvated or coordinated metal ions. The utility of ES-MS for the analysis of metals in solution derives in part from the facility with which the metal ions are solvated by or form complexes with the ES solvent or other reagents added to the solvent. Solvation and complexation can be a hindrance, however, in the analytical application of ES-MS to the analysis of metals in solution, especially solutions of metals in water. The data presented here demonstrate that many of the problems in the ES-MS analysis of metals can be overcome by complexing the metals with crown ethers and/or extracting the metals from water into an organic phase using crown ethers. 5 refs., 4 figs.