Semester

Fall

Date of Graduation

2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Chemistry

Committee Chair

Lisa A. Holland

Committee Member

Stephen J. Valentine

Committee Member

Peng Li

Abstract

Capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry is a powerful technique for high-throughput and high efficiency separations combined with structural identification. Electrospray ionization is the primary interface used to couple capillary electrophoresis to mass analyzers; however, improved designs continue to be reported. A new interfacing method based on vibrating sharp-edge spray ionization is presented in this work to overcome the challenges of decoupling applied voltages and to enhance the compatibility with separations performed at near-neutral pH. The versatility and ease of use of this ionization source is demonstrated using β-blockers, peptides, and proteins. The cationic β-blocker pindolol was injected electrokinetically and detected at concentrations ranging from 10 nM to 5 μM, with an estimated detection limit of 2 nM. The vibrating sharp-edge spray ionization functions with flow rates from 70 to 200 nL/min and did not perturb the capillary electrophoresis separation electroosmotic flow as evidenced by the observation that most migration times differed less than 7% (n = 3) across a lab-built system interfaced to mass spectrometry and a commercial system that utilizes absorbance detection. For cationic βblockers the theoretical plates achieved in the capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry setup were 80% to 95% of that observed with a commercial capillary electrophoresis-UV absorbance detection system.

Embargo Reason

Patent Pending

Share

COinS