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DM Hercules

Publications and source records attributed to DM Hercules.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Characterization of polyphosphates by electrospray mass spectrometry

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was applied for the characterization of inorganic polyphosphates [orthophosphate, pyrophosphate, tripolyphosphate, trimetaphosphate, and tetrapolyphosphatel. The high selectivity of ESI-MS allows the detection of different polyphosphate species without preseparation by ion chromatography or capillary electrophoresis. Furthermore, ESI-MS does not require the incorporation of UV-absorbing chromophores into the analytical method for the detection of phosphates, unlike conventional UV-chromatographic methods. Limits of detection by ESI-MS were estimated to range from approximately 1 to 10 ng/mL. The quantification of polyphosphate samples as single-component and multicomponent mixtures was investigated. Linear signal response for single-component samples ranged from the limit of detection to approximately 10 microg/mL Quantification of polyphosphate in streamwater is demonstrated using the standard addition method. The effect of multi-polyphosphate components and salts on signal response was also studied. For concentrations less than 2.0 microg/mL, signal response from a tetrapolyphosphate sample was comparable to those obtained from tetrapolyphosphate-tripolyphosphate mixtures. Signal response obtained from tetrapolyphosphate in the presence of tripolyphosphate or NH4NO3 at higher concentrations (approximately 50 microg/mL and 35 microg/mL, respectively) was significantly lower relative to single-component standards (approximately 40%-70%).

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Interchain ion formation in secondary ion mass spectrometry resulting from the double-helical structure of isotactic poly(methyl methacrylate) in adsorbed monolayers

Results from time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectra (TOF-SIMS) of Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers of various isomers (isotactic and syndiotactic) of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) are reported. A detailed analysis of the repeating pattern of fragment ion clusters yields very different patterns for isotactic PMMA LB layers than for the syndiotactic and atactic forms. This is attributed to the resulting double-helical tertiary structure of isotactic PMMA, a structure that does not form for the syndiotactic and atactic PMMA polymer monolayers. The double-helical structure of isotactic PMMA monolayers is verified using reflection absorption Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The repeating patterns of cluster ions in syndiotactic and atactic PMMA monolayers can be explained using statistical chain-breaking models for fragmentation of single isolated polymer chains. The repeating ion patterns from the TOF-SIMS of the isotactic PMMA monolayers are analyzed by considering bond breaking and ion formation between adjacent polymer chains, resulting in a newly proposed ion formation model due to the tertiary structure of the double-helical form. A rearrangement mechanism consistent with all ions that are formed is proposed.

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Characterization of polyether and polyester polyurethane soft blocks using MALDI mass spectrometry

Selective degradation reactions combined with MALDI analysis have been applied for molecular weight (MW) determination of polyether and polyester polyurethane (PUR) soft blocks. Selective degradation allows recovery of the polyols, and direct observation of the soft block oligomer distribution is possible for the first time by using MALDI. Ethanolamine is applied for polyether PUR degradation. MALDI analysis indicates that the recovered polytetrahydrofuran (pTHF) MW distribution is nearly identical to the unreacted pTHF material. Reduction in the ethanolamine reaction time allows observation of oligomer ions containing the diisocyanate linkage, which provide identification of the diisocyanate. Ethanolamine is not used for polyester PUR's degradation because the ester bonds will be cleaved. Therefore, phenylisocyanate is applied for polyester PUR degradation. Polybutylene adipate (pBA) oligomers were directly observed in the MALDI spectra of the degraded pBA-PUR samples. Comparison of the degraded pBA-PUR oligomer distribution with the unreacted pBA material indicates that low-mass oligomers are less abundant in the degraded pBA-PURs. Oligomer ions containing the diisocyanate linkage are also observed in the spectrum, providing a means for identifying the diisocyanate used for PUR syntheses. Size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) was combined with MALDI to provide accurate MW determination. Narrow MW fractions of the degraded and unreacted polyols were collected and analyzed by MALDI. This method allows precise calibration of the SEC chromatogram. The SEC-MALDI results provide significantly larger Mw and PD values than MALDI alone. Using SEC-MALDI, it was determined that the PD indexes of the pTHF and pBA samples are larger than the assumed values, which are based on the polyol synthesis reactions. The combination of selective degradation with SEC-MALDI, using either ethanolamine or phenylisocyanate, is a viable method for polyurethane polyol characterization.

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Characterization of isopoly metal oxyanions using electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to study dilute (10(-3) M) solutions of tungstate, vanadate and perrhenate oxyanions under acidic and basic conditions. The electrospray mass spectra of tungstate and vanadate solutions indicate the presence of protonated monomeric oxyanions in basic solution (pH approximately 10) and protonated polymeric species in acidic solutions (pH approximately 4). Monomeric perrhenate was the only species detected in both acidic and basic perrhenate solutions. For all three systems, the core metalate species detected by electrospray were consistent with reported speciation in aqueous solutions. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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A novel interface for on-line coupling of liquid capillary chromatography with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization detection

A novel interface has been developed which should allow the direct on-line coupling of liquid capillary chromatography with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry detection. The interface employs continuous analyte/matrix co-crystallization onto a porous frit installed at a capillary end which is used as the target for MALDI. After separation, the analyte effluent is premixed with the MALDI matrix solution and introduced into the interface. The analyte/matrix mixture is co-crystallized onto the frit surface in the vacuum environment of the mass spectrometer. Continuous matrix/analyte crystallization and interface regeneration is accomplished by a combination of solvent flushing and laser ablation. The memory effect is negligible over a dynamic range of ca. 200. Several applications, including analysis of small peptides and combination with gel permeation chromatography (GPC), have indicated that the on-line MALDI interface does not sacrifice chromatographic or mass spectral resolution, and have demonstrated the possibility of a reliable LC-MALDI system. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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