1 research outputs found
Combining Fourier Transform-Ion Cyclotron Resonance/Mass Spectrometry Analysis and Kendrick Plots for Silicon Speciation and Molecular Characterization in Petroleum Products at Trace Levels
A new method combining FT-ICR/MS analysis and Kendrick
plots for
the characterization of silicon species at trace levels in light petroleum
products is presented. The method provides efficient instrumental
detection limits ranging from 80 ng/kg to 5 μg/kg and reliable
mass accuracy lower than 0.50 ppm for model silicon molecules in spiked
gasoline. More than 3000 peaks could be detected in the <i>m</i>/<i>z</i> 50–500 range depending on the nature of
the gasoline sample analyzed. An in-house software program was used
to calculate Kendrick plots. Then, an algorithm searched, selected,
and represented silicon species classes (O<sub>2</sub>Si, O<sub>3</sub>Si, and O<sub>4</sub>Si classes) in Kendrick plots by incorporating
model molecules' information (i.e., exact mass and intensity). This
procedure allowed the complete characterization of more than 50 new
silicon species with different degrees of unsaturation in petroleum
products