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Mass Spectrometry and Environmental Analysis

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2012) | Viewed by 44711

Special Issue Editor

Senior Research Scientist, Lab for Environmental Analysis, Center for Applied Isotope Studies, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
Interests: chemical analysis; instrumental analysis; environmental analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ever since world awareness of the problems caused by anthropogenic pollutants on the environment, analytical chemists have been striving to develop methodologies to look for ever smaller quantities of new or emerging chemicals. One of the big challenges facing environmental analysts is the complexity and variability of matrices associated with varying sources of collected samples.

Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique that consists of ionizing chemical compounds to generate charged molecules or molecule fragments and measuring their mass-to-charge ratios. MS is now in very common use in analytical laboratories for both qualitative and quantitative purposes. Its hyphenation to gas chromatography (GC) and later to liquid chromatography (LC) provided powerful tools for determination of organic pollutants in complex environmental matrices thanks to the increased resolution capabilities of chromatography and unprecedented selectivity and sensitivity of the MS.

Environmental analysis aims commonly to monitor and study levels of pollutants in the atmosphere, rivers, soils, and other specific settings. Nowadays, it seems clear to all in the environmental community that, without such development of the capabilities of GC-MS and LC-MS over the past sixty years, it would not be possible to detect and accurately determine many harmful compounds at levels that have never been thought possible.

For this special issue on Mass Spectrometry and Environmental Analysis, I’m eager to entertain papers on instrumental analysis involving mass spectrometer as a detector. These include GC-MS, LC-MS, ICP-MS and applications in environmental and biological studies.

Dr. Sayed M. Hassan
Guest Editor

Keywords

  • GC-MS
  • LC-MS
  • ICP-MS
  • environmental analysis
  • mass spectrometric analysis
  • instrumental coupling
  • instrumental analysis

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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221 KiB  
Article
Ion Exchange Chromatography and Mass Spectrometric Methods for Analysis of Cadmium-Phytochelatin (II) Complexes
by Miguel Angel Merlos Rodrigo, Natalia Cernei, Marketa Kominkova, Ondrej Zitka, Miroslava Beklova, Josef Zehnalek, Rene Kizek and Vojtech Adam
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2013, 10(4), 1304-1311; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph10041304 - 28 Mar 2013
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 8783
Abstract
In this study, in vitro formed Cd-phytochelatin (PC2) complexes were characterized using ion exchange chromatography (IEC) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. The ratio of both studied compounds as well as experimental conditions were optimized. The highest yield of the complex [...] Read more.
In this study, in vitro formed Cd-phytochelatin (PC2) complexes were characterized using ion exchange chromatography (IEC) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. The ratio of both studied compounds as well as experimental conditions were optimized. The highest yield of the complex was observed under an applied concentration of 100 µg·mL−1 PC2 and 100 µg·mL−1 of CdCl2. The data obtained show that IEC in combination with MALDI-TOF is a reliable and fast method for the determination of these complexes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mass Spectrometry and Environmental Analysis)
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569 KiB  
Article
Use of a Deuterated Internal Standard with Pyrolysis-GC/MS Dimeric Marker Analysis to Quantify Tire Tread Particles in the Environment
by Kenneth M. Unice, Marisa L. Kreider and Julie M. Panko
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2012, 9(11), 4033-4055; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph9114033 - 08 Nov 2012
Cited by 86 | Viewed by 13283
Abstract
Pyrolysis(pyr)-GC/MS analysis of characteristic thermal decomposition fragments has been previously used for qualitative fingerprinting of organic sources in environmental samples. A quantitative pyr-GC/MS method based on characteristic tire polymer pyrolysis products was developed for tread particle quantification in environmental matrices including soil, sediment, [...] Read more.
Pyrolysis(pyr)-GC/MS analysis of characteristic thermal decomposition fragments has been previously used for qualitative fingerprinting of organic sources in environmental samples. A quantitative pyr-GC/MS method based on characteristic tire polymer pyrolysis products was developed for tread particle quantification in environmental matrices including soil, sediment, and air. The feasibility of quantitative pyr-GC/MS analysis of tread was confirmed in a method evaluation study using artificial soil spiked with known amounts of cryogenically generated tread. Tread concentration determined by blinded analyses was highly correlated (r2 ³ 0.88) with the known tread spike concentration. Two critical refinements to the initial pyrolysis protocol were identified including use of an internal standard and quantification by the dimeric markers vinylcyclohexene and dipentene, which have good specificity for rubber polymer with no other appreciable environmental sources. A novel use of deuterated internal standards of similar polymeric structure was developed to correct the variable analyte recovery caused by sample size, matrix effects, and ion source variability. The resultant quantitative pyr-GC/MS protocol is reliable and transferable between laboratories. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mass Spectrometry and Environmental Analysis)
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488 KiB  
Article
Determination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Industrial Harbor Sediments by GC-MS
by Cheng-Di Dong, Chih-Feng Chen and Chiu-Wen Chen
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2012, 9(6), 2175-2188; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph9062175 - 11 Jun 2012
Cited by 107 | Viewed by 10447
Abstract
Analysis of the 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) of the US Environmental Protection Agency priority pollutant list was carried out in sediment samples of an industrial port in the southern Kaohsiung Harbor of Taiwan which is supposed to be extensively polluted by industrial [...] Read more.
Analysis of the 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) of the US Environmental Protection Agency priority pollutant list was carried out in sediment samples of an industrial port in the southern Kaohsiung Harbor of Taiwan which is supposed to be extensively polluted by industrial wastewater discharges. The determination and quantification of PAHs in sediment samples were performed using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with the aid of deuterated PAH internal standards and surrogate standards. The total concentrations of the 16 PAHs varied from 4,425 to 51,261 ng/g dw, with a mean concentration of 13,196 ng/g dw. The PAHs concentration is relatively high in the river mouth region, and gradually diminishes toward the harbor region. Diagnostic ratios showed that the possible source of PAHs in the industrial port area could be coal combustion. As compared with the US Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQGs), the various observed levels of PAHs exceeded the effects range median (ERM), and could thus cause acute biological damages. The results can be used for regular monitoring, and future pollution prevention and management should target the various industries in this region for reducing pollution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mass Spectrometry and Environmental Analysis)
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Review

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350 KiB  
Review
Analysis of Endocrine Disrupting Pesticides by Capillary GC with Mass Spectrometric Detection
by Eva Matisová and Svetlana Hrouzková
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2012, 9(9), 3166-3196; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph9093166 - 04 Sep 2012
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 11226
Abstract
Endocrine disrupting chemicals, among them many pesticides, alter the normal functioning of the endocrine system of both wildlife and humans at very low concentration levels. Therefore, the importance of method development for their analysis in food and the environment is increasing. This also [...] Read more.
Endocrine disrupting chemicals, among them many pesticides, alter the normal functioning of the endocrine system of both wildlife and humans at very low concentration levels. Therefore, the importance of method development for their analysis in food and the environment is increasing. This also covers contributions in the field of ultra-trace analysis of multicomponent mixtures of organic pollutants in complex matrices. With this fact conventional capillary gas chromatography (CGC) and fast CGC with mass spectrometric detection (MS) has acquired a real importance in the analysis of endocrine disrupting pesticide (EDP) residues. This paper provides an overview of GC methods, including sample preparation steps, for analysis of EDPs in a variety of matrices at ultra-trace concentration levels. Emphasis is put on separation method, mode of MS detection and ionization and obtained limits of detection and quantification. Analysis time is one of the most important aspects that should be considered in the choice of analytical methods for routine analysis. Therefore, the benefits of developed fast GC methods are important. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mass Spectrometry and Environmental Analysis)
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