Study of a complex environmental mixture by electrospray ionization and laser desorption ionization high resolution mass spectrometry: the cigarette smoke aerosol
Abstract
Aerosols from the mainstream cigarette smoke have been analyzed by electrospray
ionization (ESI) coupled to Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry
(FTICRMS). Measurements have been conducted in positive ion mode. The chemical composition of
cigarette smoke aerosol is significant because it gives insights of one complex indoor environmental
mixture. Almost 1300 chemical compositions relative to nitrogen species were successfully
determined through the accurate mass measurement and the good ion production of the used
technique. The most abundant class of compounds corresponds to N2 one (hydrocarbons with two
nitrogen atoms). For other classes, the van Krevelen diagrams ensured to define that other nitrogen
and oxygen-nitrogen compounds adopted similar behavior in terms of unsaturation and alkylation
range. The detailed composition of cigarette smoke aerosol provided a typical chemical fingerprint
from the biomass pyrolysis with tobacco-specific compounds. We examined also the contribution of
laser desorption ionization (LDI) technique coupled to FTICRMS for the acute analysis of cigarette
smoke aerosol. While a part of the chemical composition were found similar to ESI results, LDI
achieved a broader range of poly-aromatic compounds and highlight new class compounds as pure
hydrocarbon and oxygen-containing species. The combination of ESI and LDI with high resolution
mass spectrometry clearly increased significantly the coverage of the “whole composition” of
environmental aerosols such as cigarette smoke aerosol.