High-Resolution Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometer for Complex Mixture Analysis

• Subject Area: Chemical Solid State and Surface Research
• Term: Funded in 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 537609375

Mass spectrometry (MS) is one of the most powerful analytical techniques. In particular, high-resolution MS (HRMS) has become an indispensable technique providing in-depth chemical composition knowledge on complex molecular systems in diverse disciplines, such as environmental sciences, metabolomics, proteomics, petroleomics, and forensic sciences. From the early 2000s, primarily Fourier-transform mass analyzer (Orbitrap and Fourier-transform ion cyclotron) have been used. However, while ultra-high-resolution MS with resolving power above 1e5 and sub-ppm mass accuracy provides accurate elemental composition data, it has limitations in revealing structural information. Consequently, hyphenated solutions, such as chromatography coupling, or fragmentation and dissociation approaches, are frequently deployed. In the last decade, several ion mobility mass spectrometers (IMS-MS) were commercially introduced. Briefly, ion mobility spectrometry separates ions by size and shape along an electrical field and gas flow gradient. Hereby, the collision-cross section, an intrinsic structural property, is added as additional dimension of separation and resolution. This proposal aims for a state-of-the-art IMS-MS platform reaching ultra-high peak capacities by combining high-resolution ion mobility spectrometry with high-resolution MS. The inherent limited resolving power of the time-of-flight mass analyzer will be overcome by A) utilizing existing selective ionization concepts, such as electrospray and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization, B) development of novel selective and sensitive photoionization schemes, and C) by hyphenation of a 4th dimension separation via thermal analysis, gas chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography. The platform will allow addressing research questions and modern analytical development needs from the following fields: 1) Environmental Sciences - Primary and Secondary Organic Aerosols from various Health and Environmental Relevant Emission Sources, 2) Aerosol Toxicology and Mutagenesis - Linkage of Chemical Composition and Metabolomics Biomarkers, 3) Material Sciences - Bio-oils and Recycling within the Circular Economy Context. 4) Marine Sciences - Aquatic Dissolved and Natural Organic Matter, 5) Medical Research - Human Intestine and Gastroenterology, 6) Instrumental Development - Novel Hyphenation and Photoionization Schemes using the MALDI capability of the proposed instrument. The proposed infrastructure aims to provide modern mass spectrometric capabilities for direct analysis of complex mixtures, offering valuable insights not only at the elemental composition level but also structural information in environmental, medical, biological, and energy transition research. By bridging the gap between chemical composition and structural insights, this platform will facilitate investigations into the environmental fate, chemical reactivity, and toxicological and metabolomics potential of compounds in complex mixtures.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Hochauflösendes Ionenmobilitäts-Massenspektrometer für die Analyse komplexer Gemische
• Instrumentation Group: 1700 Massenspektrometer
• Applicant Institution: Universität Rostock
• Leader: Professor Dr. Ralf Zimmermann