Membrane introduction proton-transfer reaction mass spectrometry

The combination of membrane introduction mass spectrometry (MIMS) and proton-transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) is explored. The PTR-MS is used to measure properties of a well-characterized membrane material, poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS). It is found that the ability of the PTR-MS to measure absolute concentrations in real-time makes it an ideal tool for the characterization of membrane properties and the interaction of the membrane with multiple organic species. Values for the diffusion coefficients of several molecules are measured and found to be in agreement with literature values. Time modulation of the analyte across the membrane is explored as a method of resolving isobaric interferences for different chemical species. This is demonstrated for acetone and propanal. Finally, the benefit of combining MIMS with PTR-MS is demonstrated by the direct analysis of organic species in the headspace of a hot water solution where the high humidity would not allow analysis using the PTR-MS alone. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.