Ion Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry: Analysis of Organic Acids

Introducing a method for identifying and quantifying organic acids in herbal beverages using a system that connects ion chromatography and mass spectrometry!

Organic acids have been analyzed using GC, LC, and IC; however, some organic acids lack functional groups that have UV absorption and their response is insufficient, leading to a problem where adequate sensitivity for detection cannot be achieved when analyzed by LC. Additionally, GC requires the derivatization of samples for the analysis of organic acids, which demands more effort and skill. One technique for the separation and detection of various organic acids is ion chromatography with suppressor-type conductivity detection, but some organic acids cannot be separated using common elution solutions. In such cases, connecting a mass spectrometer behind the conductivity detector facilitates the identification and quantification of co-eluting organic acids. The Thermo Scientific ISQ EC single quadrupole mass spectrometer enhances the reliability of analysis by improving sensitivity, precision, and quantitativeness. This application note presents an example of the quantitative analysis of organic acids by combining IC with mass spectrometric detection, where organic acids separated using AS11-HC-4 μm were accurately quantified by mass spectrometric detection.

Analytical Equipment and Devices