title: On-line coupling of liquid chromatography at critical conditions with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry for the characterization of a nitroxide-mediated poly(ethylene oxide)/polystyrene block copolymer.
abstract: Coupling of liquid chromatography at critical conditions (LCCC) with on-line mass spectrometry (MS) detection was implemented via an electrospray ionization (ESI) interface, using a mobile phase containing the cationizing agent. Critical conditions established for poly(ethylene oxide) were used to characterize a poly(ethylene oxide)/polystyrene block copolymer (PEO-b-PS) in both MS and MS/MS modes. As co-oligomer molecules were successfully separated according to the PS block size, structural information could be reached from simplified MS spectra. The microstructure of this copolymer, synthesized by nitroxide-mediated polymerization, could further be unambiguously characterized in LCCC/ESI-MS/MS experiments since the PS block size could be reached by both the co-oligomer chromatographic behavior and its MS/MS pattern.
authors.affiliation: Universités Aix-Marseille I, II & III - CNRS, UMR 6264, Spectrométries Appliquées à la Chimie Structurale, F-13397 Marseille Cedex 20, France.
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Girod
authors.forename: Trang N T
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Phan
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Charles