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Recent developments of proton‐transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR‐MS) and its applications in medical research
Author(s) -
Zhan Xuefang,
Duan Jiana,
Duan Yixiang
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
mass spectrometry reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.035
H-Index - 126
eISSN - 1098-2787
pISSN - 0277-7037
DOI - 10.1002/mas.21357
Subject(s) - chemistry , isobaric process , mass spectrometry , ion , proton , detection limit , analytical chemistry (journal) , chromatography , organic chemistry , thermodynamics , nuclear physics , physics
Proton‐transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR‐MS) allows for real‐time, on‐line determination of absolute concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with a high sensitivity and low detection limits (in the pptv range). The technique utilizes H 3 O + ions for proton‐transfer reactions with many common VOCs while having little to no reaction with any constituents commonly present in air. Over the past decades, research has greatly improved the applications and instrumental design of PTR‐MS. In this article, we give an overview of the development of PTR‐MS in recent years and its application in medical research. The theory of PTR‐MS and various methods for discriminating isobaric VOCs are also described. We also show several specialized designs of sample inlet system, some of those may make PTR‐MS suitable for the detection of aqueous solution and/or non‐volatile samples. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., Mass Spec Rev 32:143–165, 2013