title: A direct sensitivity comparison between flow-modulated comprehensive 2D and 1D GC in untargeted and targeted MS-based experiments.
abstract: The present contribution is focused on the measurement of the analytical sensitivity attained in untargeted/targeted MS/MS experiments, performed using flow-modulator comprehensive 2D and 1D GC. The comprehensive 2D experiment was performed by diverting part of the high flow (circa 80%) to flush the accumulation loop (about 28 mL/min) to waste, to reduce the gas flow entering the ion source. 1D analyses were performed through: (i) unmodulated and (ii) single column applications. An equivalent temperature program was applied in the modulated and unmodulated analyses, while a faster one was employed in the single column one. In all application types, the (same) triple quadrupole instrument was operated in the full-scan and multiple reaction monitoring modes. A genuine sweet orange oil and the same sample spiked with 20 phytosanitary compounds were employed to reach the research objective. The results highlight the problems related to the flow modulation-MS combination. Specifically, it was found that sensitivity was on average three to four times higher in unmodulated and optimized single-column applications.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco e dei Prodotti per la Salute, Università degli Studi di Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Peter Q
authors.initials: PQ
authors.lastname: Tranchida
authors.forename: Flavio A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Franchina
authors.forename: Mariosimone
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zoccali
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bonaccorsi
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cacciola
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mondello
mesh_terms: D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D057230:Limit of Detection; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods
keywords: Citrus essential oil; Comprehensive GC; Flow modulation; Pesticide analysis; Triple quadrupole MS