Design and industrial applications of a removable probe interface for direct capillary supercritical-fluid chromatography—mass spectrometry

Abstract

An interface coupling capillary supercritical-fluid chromatography (SFC) with a commercial quardruppole mass spectromer has been assembled and utilized to investigate problems involving separation and identification in the consumer products industry. The design of the interface allowed positive and negative ion chemical ionization mass spectra to be obtained on a Hewlett-Packard 5985 gas chromatography—mass spectrometry (GC—MS) to SFC—MS was accomplished in minutes without the need to remove chromatographic columns or vent the vacuum system. The interface includied provisions for maintaining SFC oven temperature to the ion source region and for independent heating of the flow restrictor terminus. The system. allowed for choices of restrictor design, column flow-rate and chemical ionization reagent gas. Chromatographic conditios developed using SFC with flame ionization detection were readily transferred to the SFC—MS system with only a small change in chromatographic efficiency. No compromises to MS operating parameters were required. Examples of the evaluation and use of the SFC—MS system on samples and problems of concern in the consumer products industry are described.