We describe complex organic mixture analysis by 21 tesla (T) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). Ultrahigh mass-resolving power (m/Δm > 2 700 000 at m/z 400) and mass accuracy (80 ppb rms) enable resolution and confident identification of tens of thousands of unique elemental compositions. We demonstrate 2.2-fold higher mass-resolving power, 2.6-fold better mass measurement accuracy, and 1.3-fold more assigned molecular formulas compared to our custom-built, state-of-the-art 9.4 T FT-ICR mass spectrometer for petroleum and dissolved organic matter (DOM) analyses. Analysis of a heavy petroleum distillate exemplifies the need for ultrahigh-performance mass spectrometry (49 040 assigned molecular formulas for 21 T versus 29 012 for 9.4 T) and extends the identification of previously unresolved O, SO, and NO classes. Mass selective ion accumulation (20 Thompson isolation) of an asphalt volcano sample yields 462 resolved mass spectral peaks at m/z 677 and reveals previously unresolved CHNOS mass differences at high mass (m/z > 600). Similar performance gains are realized in the analysis of dissolved organic matter, where doubly charged O species are resolved from singly charged SO species, which requires a mass-resolving power greater than 1 400 000 (at m/z 600). This direct comparison reveals the continued need for higher mass-resolving power and better mass accuracy for comprehensive molecular characterization of the most complex organic mixtures.

The link between composition and reactivity of dissolved organic matter (DOM) is central to understanding the role aquatic systems play in the global carbon cycle; yet, unifying concepts driving molecular composition have yet to be established. We characterized 37 DOM isolates from diverse aquatic ecosystems, including their stable and radiocarbon isotopes (δC-dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and ΔC-DOC), optical properties (absorbance and fluorescence), and molecular composition (ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry). Isolates encompassed end-members of allochthonous and autochthonous DOM from sites across the United States, the Pacific Ocean, and Antarctic lakes. Modern ΔC-DOC and optical properties reflecting increased aromaticity, such as carbon specific UV absorbance at 254 nm (SUVA), were directly related to polyphenolic and polycyclic aromatic compounds, whereas enriched δC-DOC and optical properties reflecting autochthonous end-members were positively correlated to more aliphatic compounds. Furthermore, the two sets of autochthonous end-members (Pacific Ocean and Antarctic lakes) exhibited distinct molecular composition due to differences in extent of degradation. Across all sites and end-members studied, we find a consistent shift in composition with aging, highlighting the persistence of certain biomolecules concurrent with degradation time.

Sunlight-induced molecular changes have been observed in two samples of dissolved organic matter (DOM) collected in the Cape Fear River system, North Carolina, USA. The molecular composition of a water sample collected in the Black River (sample B210, salinity 0) and another water sample collected within the Cape Fear River estuary (sample M61, salinity 13.7) were analyzed using an ultrahigh resolution 9.4 Tesla (T) electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer. Additionally, the Ultraviolet/Visible (UV/vis) absorbance as well as the excitation emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectra were determined to identify changes in the optical properties associated with photochemical reactions of the chromophoric DOM (CDOM). The molecular formulas forthe Cape Fear River Estuary (M61) sample before the irradiation experiments indicated the presence of highly aromatic compounds which were not present in the unirradiated Black River sample (B210). These aromatic compounds, with oxygen-subtracted double bond equivalents (DBE-O) values greater than nine, are more photoreactive and readily photodegraded relative to saturated compounds. Compounds with DBE-O values below nine are less photoreactive. The UV/vis absorbance and EEM fluorescence results supported this different photodegradation behavior, suggesting that the photoreactivity of CDOM is highly dependent on the molecular composition of the CDOM.

Twenty-five years ago, Boduszynski et al. conducted a comprehensive study of heavy oil composition and concluded that crude oil composition increases gradually and continuously with regard to aromaticity, molecular weight, and heteroatom content from the light distillates to non-distillables (the Boduszynski continuum model). Previous exhaustive characterization of heavy vacuum gas oil by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) provided compositional data that strongly supports the continuum model. However, when the molecular formulas obtained by FT-ICR MS for the distillates and asphaltenes from the same parent crude oil are plotted as double bond equivalents (DBE) versus carbon number, a gap appears between the compositional space of "asphaltenes" and "maltenes", in contradiction to the Boduszynski−Altgelt model. Here, a heavy distillate cut (atmospheric equivalent boiling point of 523−593 °C) is fractionated according to the number of aromatic rings by HPLC-2. The C7-deasphalted whole oil (C7-DAO), its pentane soluble/insoluble fractions, and each of their ring number fractions are comprehensively characterized by atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) FT-ICR MS and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The HPLC-2 fractions from both the C5-soluble and C5insoluble C7-DAO represent a gradual and continuous progression that fills the compositional "gap" in carbon number and aromaticity between asphaltenes and maltenes as a function of the increasing aromatic ring number, as predicted by Boduszynski. MS/MS results indicate that each ring number fraction comprises both island and archipelago structural motifs. FT-ICR MS reveals a continuum in carbon number and aromaticity. The C5-insoluble C7-DAO components have a similar structure but with higher-order fused ring core structures and are composed of a higher proportion of archipelago structures than the C5-soluble C7-DAO components. Thus, fractionation by the aromatic ring number of "maltenic" and "asphaltenic" species from the C7solubles from a high boiling distillate validates the compositional continuum of petroleum components, and MS/MS exposes the aromatic building blocks of "maltenic" and "asphaltenic" species (structural continuum) that comprise island and archipelago structural motifs.

High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) has become a vital tool for dissolved organic matter (DOM) characterization. The upward trend in HRMS analysis of DOM presents challenges in data comparison and interpretation among laboratories operating instruments with differing performance and user operating conditions. It is therefore essential that the community establishes metric ranges and compositional trends for data comparison with reference samples so that data can be robustly compared among research groups. To this end, four identically prepared DOM samples were each measured by 16 laboratories, using 17 commercially purchased instruments, using positive-ion and negative-ion mode electrospray ionization (ESI) HRMS analyses. The instruments identified~1000 common ions in both negative-and positive-ion modes over a wide range of m/z values and chemical space, as determined by van Krevelen diagrams. Calculated metrics of abundance-weighted average indices (H/C, O/C, aromaticity, and m/z) of the commonly detected ions showed that hydrogen saturation and aromaticity were consistent for each reference sample across the instruments, while average mass and oxygenation were more affected by differences in instrument type and settings. In this paper we present 32 metric values for future benchmarking. The metric values were obtained for the four different parameters from four samples in two ionization modes and can be used in future work to evaluate the performance of HRMS instruments.

Introductory Paragraph In the mostly pristine Congo Basin, agricultural land-use change has intensified in recent years. One potential and understudied consequence of this deforestation and conversion to agriculture is the mobilization and loss of organic matter from soils to rivers as dissolved organic matter. Here, we quantify and characterize dissolved organic matter sampled from 19 catchments of varying deforestation extent near Lake Kivu over a two-week period during the wet season. Dissolved organic carbon from deforested, agriculturally-dominated catchments was older (14C age: ~1.5kyr) and more biolabile than from pristine forest catchments. Ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry revealed that this aged organic matter from deforested catchments was energy-rich and chemodiverse, with higher proportions of nitrogen- and sulfur-containing formulae. Given the molecular composition and biolability, we suggest that organic matter from deforested landscapes is preferentially respired upon disturbance, resulting in elevated in-stream concentrations of carbon dioxide. We estimate that while deforestation reduces the overall flux of dissolved organic carbon by ~56%, it does not significantly change the yield of biolabile dissolved organic carbon. Ultimately, the exposure of deeper soil horizons through deforestation and agricultural expansion releases old, previously stable, and biolabile soil organic carbon into the modern carbon cycle via the aquatic pathway.

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