News & Events

When

Date - April 29, 2015
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

What

Ph.D. Literature Seminar – 751
Title: “Use of ion mobility in Petroleomics”
Advisor Dr. Chiu

Abstract:

Ion mobility (IM) spectrometry is an analytical technique that separates ion species as they transit through a drift gas in presence of an electric field. When coupled to mass spectrometry (MS), IM-MS becomes an important tool for isomer separation and structure elucidation. It adds a new dimension to the analytical data i.e. an ion mobility mass spectrum in the 3rd dimension provides information on the shape of ions. The well-established and the analytical technique of choice for the characterization of the polar components of crude petroleum is Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Mass spectrometry (FTICRMS). FTICR-MS, however, lacks the capability of giving information regarding isomeric components in crude oil samples. IM-MS could therefore become an important complementary technique in the investigation of the composition of crude oil and its products. To improve separation by ion mobility, use of drift gases with different polarizability and molecular weights is recommended. CO2 is employed in traveling wave ion mobility spectrometry to analyze crude oil and petro-fuel samples with the results verified using FTICR-MS.