TY - JOUR

T1 - Detection of Triacetone Triperoxide by High Kinetic Energy Ion Mobility Spectrometry

AU - Schaefer, Christoph

AU - Lippmann, Martin

AU - Beukers, Michiel

AU - Beijer, Niels

AU - van de Kamp, Ben

AU - Knotter, Jaap

AU - Zimmermann, Stefan

N1 - Funding Information: This work was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation)–318063177 and 390583968.

PY - 2023/11/21

Y1 - 2023/11/21

N2 - High Kinetic Energy Ion Mobility Spectrometry (HiKE-IMS) is a versatile technique for the detection of gaseous target molecules that is particularly useful in complex chemical environments, while the instrumental effort is low. Operating HiKE-IMS at reduced pressures from 10 to 60 mbar results in fewer ion-neutral collisions than at ambient pressure, reducing chemical cross-sensitivities and eliminating the need for a preceding separation dimension, e.g., by gas chromatography. In addition, HiKE-IMS allows operation over a wide range of reduced electric field strengths E/N up to 120 Td, allowing separation of ions by low-field ion mobility and exploiting the field dependence of ion mobility, potentially allowing separation of ion species at high E/N despite similar low-field ion mobilities. Given these advantages, HiKE-IMS can be a useful tool for trace gas analysis such as triacetone triperoxide (TATP) detection. In this study, we employed HiKE-IMS to detect TATP. We explore the ionization of TATP and the field-dependent ion mobilities, providing a database of the ion mobilities depending on E/N. Confirming the literature results, ionization of TATP by proton transfer with H3O+ in HiKE-IMS generates fragments, but using NH4+ as the primary reactant ion leads to the TATP·NH4+ adduct. This adduct fragments at high E/N, which could provide additional information for reliable detection of TATP. Thus, operating HiKE-IMS at variable E/N in the drift region generates a unique fingerprint of TATP made of all ion species related to TATP and their ion mobilities depending on E/N, potentially reducing the rate of false positives.

AB - High Kinetic Energy Ion Mobility Spectrometry (HiKE-IMS) is a versatile technique for the detection of gaseous target molecules that is particularly useful in complex chemical environments, while the instrumental effort is low. Operating HiKE-IMS at reduced pressures from 10 to 60 mbar results in fewer ion-neutral collisions than at ambient pressure, reducing chemical cross-sensitivities and eliminating the need for a preceding separation dimension, e.g., by gas chromatography. In addition, HiKE-IMS allows operation over a wide range of reduced electric field strengths E/N up to 120 Td, allowing separation of ions by low-field ion mobility and exploiting the field dependence of ion mobility, potentially allowing separation of ion species at high E/N despite similar low-field ion mobilities. Given these advantages, HiKE-IMS can be a useful tool for trace gas analysis such as triacetone triperoxide (TATP) detection. In this study, we employed HiKE-IMS to detect TATP. We explore the ionization of TATP and the field-dependent ion mobilities, providing a database of the ion mobilities depending on E/N. Confirming the literature results, ionization of TATP by proton transfer with H3O+ in HiKE-IMS generates fragments, but using NH4+ as the primary reactant ion leads to the TATP·NH4+ adduct. This adduct fragments at high E/N, which could provide additional information for reliable detection of TATP. Thus, operating HiKE-IMS at variable E/N in the drift region generates a unique fingerprint of TATP made of all ion species related to TATP and their ion mobilities depending on E/N, potentially reducing the rate of false positives.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85178357746&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c04101

DO - 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c04101

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85178357746

VL - 95

SP - 17099

EP - 17107

JO - Analytical chemistry

JF - Analytical chemistry

SN - 0003-2700

IS - 46

ER -