title: Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry for the analysis of diallyldimethylammonium chloride in water.
abstract: We report a selective, sensitive and fast liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method for the determination of diallyldimethylammonium chloride (DADMAC) in water. Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) was used to avoid ion-pairing reagents, which are generally employed to retain cationic compounds. The complementary information obtained in a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer and in an ion trap Orbitrap has been used to study the fragmentation of the DADMAC cation [M](+) and for the correct assignment of the products ions. The HILIC/MS/MS method developed, using electrospray ionization in positive ion mode and selected reaction monitoring (SRM) acquisition mode, led to a reliable determination and confirmation of the DADMAC cation in water samples down to 50 ng L(-1). The low detection limit achieved, in combination with the absence of matrix effects, allowed the direct analysis of samples without any pretreatment, preconcentration or clean-up step. DADMAC was determined in samples collected in a drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) in Barcelona (Spain) and it was found in the influent at the µg L(-1) level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 647, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Esparza
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moyano
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ventura
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Galceran