Publication details
Use of Nafion as a membrane separator in membrane introduction mass spectrometry
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2009 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | European Journal of Mass Spectrometry |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Physical chemistry and theoretical chemistry |
| Keywords | Membrane introduction mass spectrometry; Nafion membrane; Teflon membrane; EI spectra; volatile; semi-volatile; nonvolatile organic compounds |
| Description | Nafion is a commercially available perfluorosulphonate cation exchange membrane commonly used as a perm selective separator in chlor alkali electrolysers and as the electrolyte in solid polymer fuel cells. In our experiments, a Nafion sheet membrane serves as the interface between the aqueous sample and the vacuum in membrane introduction of the mass spectrometer (MIMS). The penetration by volatile polar compounds (VOC methanol, ethanol, 1propanol), volatile nonpolar compounds (VOC benzene, toluene, pxylene), semivolatile low polar compounds (SVOC fluorobenzene, chlorobenzene, bromobenzene) and non-volatile polar compounds (ortho chlorophenol, meta chlorophenol, para chlorophenol) in aqueous solution through the Nafion membrane to the mass spectrometer was studied. In all cases, a simple fragmentation pattern of the intact molecule was observed, typically with m/z = nominal mass+1 as the most intensive ion current, what suggests that the ionization process takes part in which water acts as the chemical ionization reagent. No additional gases were needed for chemical ionization. We also measured detection limits and linear dynamic ranges of all observed compounds with Nafion membrane MIMS. The observed detection limits were in order of ppb for the group of alcohols and aromatics, for the groups of halogenbenzenes and monochlorophenols were in order of ppm. Linear dynamic ranges for all tested compounds were one order of magnitude. |
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