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A new processing scheme for ultra-high resolution direct infusion mass spectrometry data

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

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Authors

Zielinski, AT 
Kourtchev, Ivan 
Bortolini, Claudio 
Fuller, Stephen J 

Abstract

High resolution, high accuracy mass spectrometry is widely used to characterise environmental or biological samples with highly complex composition enabling the identification of chemical composition of often unknown compounds. Despite instrumental advancements, the accurate molecular assignment of compounds acquired in high resolution mass spectra remains time consuming and requires automated algorithms, especially for samples covering a wide mass range and large numbers of compounds. A new processing scheme is introduced implementing filtering methods based on element assignment, instrumental error, and blank subtraction. Optional post-processing incorporates common ion selection across replicate measurements and shoulder ion removal. The scheme allows both positive and negative direct infusion electrospray ionisation (ESI) and atmospheric pressure photoionisation (APPI) acquisition with the same programs. An example application to atmospheric organic aerosol samples using an Orbitrap mass spectrometer is reported for both ionisation techniques resulting in final spectra with 0.8% and 8.4% of the peaks retained from the raw spectra for APPI positive and ESI negative acquisition, respectively.

Description

Keywords

UHRMS, ESI, APPI, Environmental samples, direct infusion, Orbitrap

Journal Title

Atmospheric Environment

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1352-2310
1873-2844

Volume Title

178

Publisher

Elsevier
Sponsorship
European Research Council (279405)
European Commission (254319)
This work was supported by the European Research Council (ERC starting grant 279405) and by the U.K. Natural Environment Research Council (NERC grant NE/H52449X/1). ATZ thanks the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Sir Winston Churchill Society of Edmonton, and the Cambridge Trust for PhD funding. IK was supported by a M. Curie Intra-European fellowship (project no. 254319)
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