title: Gel permeation chromatography coupled to fourier transform mass spectrometry for polymer characterization.
abstract: We report an on-line coupling of gel permeation chromatography (GPC) to Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS) using a modified commercial electrospray ionization (ESI) interface. Selected oligomer profiles for the sodiated (1+ through 5+ charge states) oligomer ions of a narrow-molecular-weight poly(methyl methacrylate) were generated and used for obtaining a calibration curve. Using the MS-generated calibration curve and the refractive index response for quantification, an accurate molecular weight distribution was calculated and showed an excellent agreement with the value specified by the supplier. GPC/ESI/FTMS also allowed for an unequivocal end-group determination and characterization of a secondary distribution due to the formation of cyclic reaction products. We analyzed a glycidyl methacrylate/butyl methacrylate copolymer with a broad molecular weight distribution, where fractionation and high resolving power were required for adequate characterization. Molecular weight distribution data showed the advantage of coupling high-resolution MS and GPC to overcome the difficulty of analyzing polydisperse polymers with MS alone.
authors.affiliation: DuPont Marshall R & D Laboratory, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19146, and Center for Drug Discovery, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Aaserud
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Prokai
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Simonsick