On-line nanoscale liquid chromatography nano-electrospray mass spectrometry: effect of the mobile phase composition and the electrospray tip design on the performance of a nanoflowTM electrospray probe

✍ Scribed by Koen Vanhoutte; Walter Van Dongen; Eddy L. Esmans

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 203 KB
• Volume: 12
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0951-4198
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0231(19980115)12:1<15::aid-rcm111>3.0.co;2-c

✦ Synopsis

In earlier liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) experiments using a commercially available nano-electrospray interface designed for the coupling of nano-LC (flow rate = 200 nL/min) to electrospray mass spectrometry, a sudden drop in the electrospray total ion current was observed at certain percentages of organic modifier in the mobile phase. Therefore the performance of this nano LC/MS system was evaluated for different mobile phase compositions. The uncoated, non-tapered fused silica tips (20 mm i.d.) which were delivered standard with the interface, and several other electrospray capillaries, were evaluated for different mobile phase compositions: uncoated, tapered (20→9 mm i.d.) fused silica tips; gold coated, tapered fused silica tips and stainless steel tips (70 mm i.d.). The use of tapered but uncoated fused silica tips did increase the performance of the nano-electrospray system. The best results were obtained with gold coated, tapered tips. Stainless steel tips with an i.d. of 70 mm gave no results at the applied flow rate of 200 nL/min.