title: Online concentration by analyte adsorption/laser desorption for application to gas chromatography/resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.
abstract: A novel sample introduction technique, based on online concentration by analyte adsorption/laser desorption, was applied to resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (REMPI-TOFMS). Signal enhancement and optical selectivity, based on supersonic jet spectrometry, were examined by measuring the REMPI spectra. This sample introduction technique was applied at the interface of a gas chromatograph (GC) and a mass spectrometer (MS). The signal intensity was enhanced ca. 80-fold, compared with that of a conventional technique based on continuous sample introduction. The analyte molecule was selectively measured using a tunable laser emitting at a wavelength of the 0-0 transition. With the use of a desorption laser, a linear calibration curve was extended over 4 orders of magnitude. The sensitivity, selectivity, and dynamic range were all superior for this sample introduction system, as were the inherent characteristics, e.g., a near-zero dead volume and thermal durability. This system would provide a useful means for practical trace analysis of aromatic hydrocarbons by GC/REMPI-TOFMS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744, Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakoda
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uchimura
authors.forename: Totaro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Imasaka