FINGERPRINTING AND PARTIAL QUANTIFICATION OF COMPLEX HYDROCARBON MIXTURES BY CHEMICAL IONIZATION MASS-SPECTROMETRY

A modification of chemical ionization mass spectrometry, which involves photoionization and cyclohexane as the source of the reagent ion, has been used to develop a technique for discriminatory “fingerprinting” of neat liquid fossil fuels. The method provides a 2-min turn-around time between samples and batch introduction, with no requirements for prior separation or fractionation. Depending upon the conditions chosen, the technique may also be extended to the partial quantification of aromatic and olefinic sample components. © 1979, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.