Determination of Acetone in Human Breath by Lithium Ion Attachment Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

Lithium (Li) ion attachment mass spectrometry (IAMS) is a highly sensitive method for detecting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) without fragmentation in real-time. We have therefore developed a novel IAMS system for direct determination of trace amounts of VOCs by modifying the sampling cone interface. This technique was successfully applied to in situ analysis of human breath. It was shown that the concentrations of acetone in 7 healthy subjects ranged from 0 (not detectable) to 28.5 ppbv (parts per billion by volume) after a 15-hour overnight fast. The detection limit (3σ) is 0.55 ppbv for acetone and the relative standard deviation (RSD) is less than 9.7%. These results demonstrate that the newly developed IAMS system provides simple, rapid, and sensitive measurements of trace amounts of acetone in human breath, and that the system is promising for early diagnosis of diabetes.