Editorial: The Newly Launched International Journal of Analytical Mass Spectrometry and Chromatography

doi:10.4236/ijamsc.2013.11001

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International Journal of Analytical Mass Spectrometry and Chromatography, 2013, 1, 1-4

http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ijamsc.2013.11001 Published Online September 2013 (http://www.scirp.org/journal/ijamsc)

Editorial: The Newly Launched International Journal

of Analytical Mass Spectrometry and Chromatography

Ilia Brondz1,2

1Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

2R&D Department of Jupiter Ltd., Ski, Norway

Email: ilia.brond[email protected], ilia[email protected]

Received July 1, 2013; revised August 4, 2013; accepted September 1, 2013

permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

We are now launching the first issue of the first volume

of the International Journal of Analytical Mass Spec-

trometry and Chromatography (IJAMSC). This newly

launched journal is an open access journal, whose pri-

mary aim is to provide a platform for researchers and

practitioners, worldwide, to promote, share, and discuss

various new issues and developments in all areas of Mass

Spectrometry and Chromatography, as well as theoretical

developments in all areas related to this dynamic and

developing field of the sciences. We hope to become an

example to other open access journals in Scientific Re-

search Publishing, Inc., and to journals beyond the

boundaries of our parent corporation. We aim to set an

example as a progressive organization that helps authors

to share their interests, results, and opinions with other

researchers and with readers from the general public,

industry, and government authorities. We also intend to

cooperate with universities, research institutes, industry,

and government authorities to promote progressive ideas

and information, and to curb plagiarism, falsifications,

and disinformation, such as the cases disclosed in [1].

We will resurrect important institutions of journalistic

practice, such as a “Letters to the Editor” the section,

which has been done away with by many publishers,

such as those that follow the example of Elsevier; in the

attempts to conceal mistakes and the disability of editors.

The reason for the decision by one Elsevier journal to

abolish its “Letters to the Editor” section is described in

[1] on p. 184 as follows: “The chief editor of Journal of

Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis (JPBA) Mr.

Bezhan Chankvetadze when confronted with the “Letters

to the Editor” regarding cases of plagiarism and inap-

propriate performance in review and editorial work,

went so far as to abolish the “Letter to the Editor” sec-

tion in the journal, thus removing this forum…”.

The suggestion of direct corruption, in terms of “The

close relationship the publisher, Elsevier, has with phar-

maceutical companies”, is highlighted in the article “El-

sevier published 6 fake journals”, which is posted on-

line by Bob Grant: http://www.the-scientist.com/blog

/display/55679/#ixzz0mmsPoMlS. In the article, the wri-

ter states: “Scientific publishing giant Elsevier put out a

total of six publications between 2000 and 2005 that

were sponsored by unnamed pharmaceutical companies

and looked like peer reviewed medical journals, but did

not disclose sponsorship, the company has admitted...”.

Elsevier did not deny colluding with the pharmaceutical

industry. For more detail about cases of inappropriate

editorials and publications, see [1].

The above examples show that readers are not pro-

tected from disinformation by well-established publishers

or high impact factor journals.

We will do our best to present in our publications the

truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. It is our

slogan. However, we will not prevent discussion or the

expression of new ideas, facts, and contradictions, as

only through discu ssion and ar gument can scien tific facts

be born and tested.

IJAMSC welcomes papers relevant to the development

and practice of sample preparation and specific derivati-

zation for mass spectrometry (MS) and chromatography,

and the connection of mass spectrometers to other ana-

lytical instrumentation for providing high accuracy meas-

urements, such as in Gas Chromatography-Mass Spec-

trometry (GC-MS), Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectro-

metry with Supersonic Molecular Beams (GC-MS with

SMB), High-Speed Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectro-

metry (HSGC-MS), Supercritical Fluid Chromatography-

Mass Spectrometry (SFC-MS), and Liquid Chromatog-

raphy-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS). We also welcome

research using such instrumentation for molecular struc-

ture elucidation in organic and inorganic molecules. The

use of MS equipment as a universal detector in multi-

detection systems for enhanced recording and elucidation

of the detailed composition of natural substances is de-

manding; hence, both natural and synthetic samples will

be of interest. This technique is described in the paper

I. BRONDZ

“Supercritical fluid chromatography of secondary me-

tabolites and multi-analysis by mass spectrometry-ultra-

violet and corona charged aerosol detection” [2,3].

Mass Spectrometry

Mass spectrometry is widely discussed in the literature as

a detection tool and in relation to analytical methods of

separation, such as GC, SCF, high performance liquid

chromatography (HPLC), capillary electrophoresis (CE),

thin layer chromatography (TLC) and as an analytical

tool for the determination of molecular structures. MS is

a powerful tool for structural analysis. Alone, MS is not

enantiospecific, but in combination with HPLC, SFC,

GC, CE, or even TLC, it can adequately demonstrate the

presence of isomers and enantiomers. The recording by

MS of enantiomers in a mixture is possible only by using

chromatography w ith chiral co lumns or if chir al selectors

are used in the resolution process. MS is an excellen t tool

for the evaluation of the constitutional, cis- or trans-,

geometric, or other isomers, alone or in conjunction with

chromatography. By using fastseparation techniques in

conjunction with MS, it is possible to monitor syntheses

or the dynamics of reactions.

Improvements in the construction of MS apparatuses

are of significant importance, together with the develop-

ment and improvement of software and the analytic

methodology.

From its original primitive form, MS instrumentation

has been developed, step by step, into the super-modern,

complex, multitasking equipment of today. The first

mass spectrometers were of the single-focus type, in

which the positive ions were deflected through 180˚ sec-

tor in a magnetic field, H. The focused ion beams were

recorded on a photographic plate.

The first mass spectrometer was developed by Arthur J.

Dempster and Francis W. Aston in 1918/19 [4]. Their

invention was actually a mass spectrograph. Arthur

Dempster was born in Canada in 1886, and studied in

Canada, Germany, and the USA. He conducted his re-

search at the University of Chicago from 1916 until his

death in 1950. Besides the development of MS, he is

known for the discovery of the uranium isotope 235U. He

was also a member of the Manhattan Project. Francis

Aston was born in Birmingham in 1877, and in 1893

enrolled at the University of Birmingham, where he

studied physics under John Henry Poynting and chemis-

try under Frankland and Tilden.

However, the history of MS actually begins with a

discovery made by a German scientist, Eugen Goldstein

(1850-1930) . In 1886, he observed r ays in gas discharges

under low pressure. He discovered that tubes with a per-

forated cathode emitted a glow at the cathode end. The

rays propagated from the anode and thro ugh the channe ls

in the perforated cathode, in a direction opposite to that

taken by charged cathode rays. He called these rays

“Kanalstrahlen” or “canal rays”. In 1899, the German

physicist Wilhelm Wien (Wilhelm Carl Werner Otto

Fritz Franz Wien, 1864-192 8) found that electric or mag-

netic fields could deflect the canal rays, and he con-

structed a device that separated the positive rays accord-

ing to their charge-to-mass ratio. The rays were posi-

tively charged particles-later found to be ions. The be-

havior of ions in a homogeneous, linear, static magnetic

field obeys the Lorentz force law, and this holds true in a

sector instrument. The Lorentz equation, given below, is

fundamental to all MS techniques:





qE vB



,

where E is the strength of the electric field, B is the in-

duction of the magnetic field, q is the particle’s electric

charge, and v is the particle’s velocity.

An ion with a charge e accelerated through a voltage V

will acquire a translational (kinetic) energy equal to eV.

Therefore, the kinetic energy of an ion is independent of

its mass. Because ½mv2 = eV, where m is the mass of the

ion and v is the magnitude of its velocity after its accel-

eration in an electric field; more massive ions will travel

more slowly. Ions will be accelerated under the influ ence

of a magnetic field of magnitude B. The magnitude of the

acceleration is v2/r, and it is directed perpendicular to the

particle’s movement, which implies that the particle will

describe a circular trajectory with radius r. From New-

ton’s second law of motion and the Lorentz force law, it

follows that

BeVmv r.

Combining this equation with½mv2 = eV results in

222me BrV.

From this equation, it follows that for a given magnetic

field strength and accelerating voltage, ions with a given

m/e ratio will follow a distinct path of rad ius r, wher e r is

determined by m/e. It is possible to sweep the ions of

various m/e ratios past the exit slit, either by varying B

while holding V constant, o r by vary ing V while holding B

constant. The first technique is called “magnetic scan-

ning”, and the second technique is called “electric scan-

ning” or “voltage scanning”.

It is not necessary t o have an angle of defle ction of 180˚.

A 90˚ sector field instrument is less expensive and easier

to produce. It also has the advantage that the ion source

and collector are more accessible than in the 180˚ sector

version of the instrument.

A 90˚ sector field instrument should be seen as a mod-

ern version of the original instrument developed by

Dempster. The general problem with these instruments is

that the resolving power is limited b y the initial spread of

the translational energies of the ions on leaving the source.

I. BRONDZ 3

The initial spread of the translation al energies depends on

the Boltzmann distribution and the nonhomogeneous field

in the source. These problems were overcome in the ap-

paratus constructed by Mattauch and Herzog [5] by

passing the ions through an electric field before their

passage through the magnetic field. In Mattauch and

Herzog’s instrument, the electrostatic analyzer had a

sector of 31˚82’ and the magnetic analyzer had a sector of

90˚. The r1 was the minimum focal radius and the r2 was

the maximum focal radius. In this instrument, photo-

graphic plates were used to record the ions. The photo-

graphic plates were placed at 45˚ relative to the r2. This

method of analysis is called “mass spectroscopy”.

In modern instruments, electronic devices are used for

ower and rela tive pre cision of a sp eci

MS instrument to produce high qu

spects of M S

REFERENCES

[1] I. Brondz, “Hromatography and

nd and J. Lefler, “Supercritical Fluid

Differentia-

hod of Positive Ray Analy-

ecise and sensitive detection; these instruments are

called “mass spectrometers” and the method is “mass

spectrometry”. Later, in 1953, Johnson and Nier published

an article describing another configuration of sectors in a

MS instrument [6]. Accounts that give more detail on the

sectors in MS instruments are available in the literature

[7,8]. In the instrument of Johnson and Nier, the electro-

static analyzer field is 90˚ and the magnetic analyzer field

is 60˚. There are several other types of MS instruments,

such as the Hinterberger-Konig mass spectrometer, with a

42˚3’ electric sector and a 130˚ magnetic sector. Mass

spectrometers can have also a Takeshita geometry, with a

54˚43’ electric sector and a 180˚ magnetic sector, a Ma-

tsuda geometry, with an 85˚ electric sector and a 72˚50’

magnetic sector; or a Bainbridge-Jordan geometry, with a

127˚30’ electric sector and a 60˚ magnetic sector, with a

resolving power of 600 and a relative precision of one part

in 10,000 [9,10].

The reso lving pfic

strument are very important characteristics when re-

cording ions with low m/e ratios. For verification of the

isomeric differences between primaquine and its con-

taminating agen t, quinocide, an instru ment with high pre-

cision and high resolving power was used to record the

m/e 44 ions [11].

The ability of a ality,

formative spectra also depends on the way in which th e

sample is introduced into the instrument. Direct introd uc-

tion is preferable, but it is not always possible. In some

analyses of complex mixtures, the compounds must be

separated prior to the MS analysis. A combination of

HPLC or SFC with MS creates conditions similar to those

of chemical ionization, because of the excess of other

substances, such as water, alcohol or CO2. Water and

alcohol are introduced into a MS instrument from the

HPLC mobile phase, or CO2 is introduced from the SFC

mobile phase. An excess of mobile phase from chroma-

tographic devices quenches ion production and can also

create adduct ions. GC-MS spectra giv e m ore i nfor m ation

about the structure of a molecule than do HPLC-MS or

SFC-MS spectra. To ensure that an ion of a given mass

produces a discernible peak in the spectrum, the best

combination to use is GC-MS with SMB, because of short

analysis times, low temperatures in the injector, trans-

ference line, and detection device, and, especially, “cold

EI” and a “fly-through ion source” [12,13].

This journal welcom es di scussions of al l a

d Chromatography instrumentation, theory, practices,

and appl ications, in di fferent fiel ds of science and i ndustry

as well as advice for improving the journal itself.

istorical Overview of Ch

Related Techniques in Analysis of Antimalarial Drug

Primaquine,” Nova Science Publishers, Inc., New York,

2011, pp. 183-187.

[2] I. Brondz, K. Høila

Chromatography of Secondary Metabolites and Multi-

Analysis by Mass Spectrometry-Ultraviolet and Corona

Charged Aerosol Detection,” 12th Norwegian MS-Winter

Meeting, Hafjell, 21-24 January 2007, p. 63.

[3] I. Brondz and K. Høiland, “Chemotaxonomic

tion between Cortinarius infractus and Cortinarius sub-

tortus by Supercritical Fluid Chromatography Connected

to a Multi-Detection System,” Trends in Chromatogra-

phy, Vol. 4, 2008, pp. 79-87.

[4] A. J. Dempster, “A New Met

sis,” Physical Review, Vol. 11, No. 4, 1918, pp. 316-325.

doi:10.1103/PhysRev.11.316

[5] J. Mattauch and R. F. K. Herzog, “Mass Spectrograph,”

Zeitschrift für Physik, Vol. 89, 1934, pp. 786-795.

doi:10.1007/BF01341392

[6] E. G. Johnson and A. O. Nier, “Angular Aberrations in

Sector-Shaped Electromagnetic Lenses for Focusing Beams

of Charged Particles,” Physical Review, Vol. 91, No. 1,

1953, pp. 10-17. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.91.10

[7] J. De Laeter and M. D. Kurz, “Alfred Nier and the Sector

Field Mass Spectrometer,” Journal of Mass Spectrometry,

Vol. 41, No. 7, 2006, pp. 847-854. doi:10.1002/jms.1057

[8] IUPAC, “IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminol-

d Energy,”

ogy,” Blackwell Science Inc., Oxford, 1997.

[9] K. T. Bainbridge, “The Equivale nce of Mass an

Physical Review, Vol. 44, No. 2, 1933, p. 123.

doi:10.1103/PhysRev.44.123.2

[10] G. Audi, “The History of Nuclidicmasses and of Their

. Mantzilas, E. Hvat-

A. Amirav, “Analysis of

raphy-Mass Spectrometry with Supersonic Molecular

Evaluation,” International Journal of Mass Spectrometry,

Vol. 251, No. 2-3, 2006, pp. 85-94.

[11] I. Brondz, U. Klein, D. Ekeberg, D

tum, H. Schultz and F. S. Mikhailitsyn, “Nature of the

Main Contaminant in the Drug Primaquine Diphosphate:

GC-MS Analysis,” Asian Journal of Chemistry, Vol. 17

No. 3, 2005, pp. 1678-1688.

[12] I. Brondz, A. B. Fialkov and

Quinocide in Unprocessed Primaquine Diphosphate and

Primaquine Diphosphate Tablets Using Gas Chromatog-

I. BRONDZ

Beams,” Journal of Chromatography A, Vol. 1216, 2009

pp. 824-829. doi:10.1016/j.chroma.2008.11.043

[13] A. Amirav, “What Can Be Improved in GC-MS: When

Multi Benefits Are Transformed into a GC-MS Revolu-

tion,” International Journal of Analytical Mass Spec-

trometry and Chromatography (IJAMSC), Vol. 1, No. 1,

2013, pp. 31-47.