Multidimensional GC-fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance MS analyses: Utilizing gas-phase basicities to characterize multicomponent gasoline samples

Abstract

Hydrocarbon isomers, present in crude petroleum, may yield similar gas chromatography (GC) retention times and indistinguishable mass spectral patterns. Hence, conventional GC-mass spectrometry (MS) may not provide sufficient data for identification of hydrocarbon isomers. Real-time proton affinity or gas-phase basicity "bracketing" provides an additional dimension to GC-MS analyses. Our GC-fourier transform (FT)-ion cyclotron resonance (ICR)-MS yielded an average mass measurement error of less than 3 ppm for components of a retail gasoline sample. The combined use of concurrent thermo-chemical measurements with GC-FT-ICR-MS data analysis allowed differentiation of various isomers such as C8H10 species.