Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectroscopy is commonly used to evaluate compound mass. The methodology of analyzing metal complexes by the MALDI-TOF system was seen to use significantly less solvent than the liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy (LC/MS) counterpart. Green applications of chemical analysis have the potential to reduce environmental impact and costs. MALDI-TOF is also able to display resolved isotopic patterns and low detection limits, but potentially induced polymerization in the samples. It has been shown in personal investigation that through the process of ionization in MALDI-TOF, analytes can polymerize, leading to aberrant results. To further explore the potential for induced polymerization, different types of transition metals were analyzed to determine if a specific class of metal is more likely to undergo polymerization when analyzed by MALDI-TOF. Three different parameter tests (delay, concentration and reflectron) and two types of ionization techniques, MALDI-TOF and electrospray ionization (ESI), were used to determine if polymerization was a product of the MALDI-TOF technique or of the analyte in solution. The propensity of polymerization was determined by the presence of polymeric species and a ratio of the monomeric to the polymeric species.

Green chemistry analysis of metal complexes by MALDI-TOF

253rd National Meeting (2017)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.