Advances in field-portable ion trap GC/MS instrumentation

Diken, Eric G.; Arnó, Josep; Skvorc, Ed; Manning, David; Andersson, Greger; Judge, Kevin; Fredeen, Ken; Sadowski, Charles; Oliphant, Joseph L.; Lammert, Stephen A.; Jones, Jeffrey L.; Waite, Randall W.; Grant, Chad; Lee, Edgar D.

doi:10.1117/12.921054

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 17 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…More recently, several chromatography companies have begun developing miniaturized gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) devices, which can potentially conduct full chemical analyses of volatile components in remote conditions. These devices were originally developed for screening specific volatiles in the fields of environmental science (Feijó Barreira et al, 2015;Gałuszka et al, 2015), food manufacturing (Jjunju et al, 2019), and chemical warfare (Diken et al, 2012), but are now starting to be used in the field of animal chemosignaling. For example, the Inficon Hapsite® portable GC-MS device was used for the analysis of the body odor of common marmosets, Callithrix jacchus, in both captive (Kücklich et al, 2017) and wild (Thompson et al, 2020) conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the trail of primate scent signals: A field analysis of callitrichid scent‐gland secretions by portable gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry

Poirier

Waterhouse

Watsa

et al. 2021

American J Primatol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Chemosignals are mediators of social interactions in mammals, providing con-and hetero-specifics with information on fixed (e.g., species, sex, group, and individual identity) and variable (e.g., social, reproductive, and health status) features of the signaler. Yet, methodological difficulties of recording and quantifying odor signals, especially in field conditions, have hampered studies of natural systems. We present the first use of the Torion® portable gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) instrument for in situ chemical analysis of primate scents. We collected and analyzed swab samples from the scent glands and skin from 13 groups (57 individuals) of two sympatric species of wild emperor tamarins, Saguinus imperator, and Weddell's saddleback tamarins, Leontocebus weddelli (Callitrichidae). In total, 11 compounds of interest (i.e., probably derived from the animals) could be detected in the samples, with 31 of 215 samples containing at least one compound of interest. The composition of these 31 samples varied systematically with species, group, sex, and breeding status. Moreover, we tentatively identified seven of the compounds of interest as methyl hexanoate, benzaldehyde, ethyl hexanoate, acetophenone, a branched C15 alkane, 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, and hexadecan-1-ol. As the field of primate semiochemistry continues to grow, we believe that portable GC-MS instruments have the potential to help make progress in the study of primate chemosignaling in field conditions, despite

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the trail of primate scent signals: A field analysis of callitrichid scent‐gland secretions by portable gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry

Poirier

Waterhouse

Watsa

et al. 2021

American J Primatol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Searches for weapons of mass destruction have similarly spurred development of MS methods for detecting chemical weapons such as mustard gas and sarin [296]. Field-portable GC-MS systems have been demonstrated [297,298], and the MEMS TOF-MS under development at LETI-DAM is targeted at similar applications [299]. However, the limited mass range of small MS systems has made it difficult to detect biological weapons such as anthrax.…”

Section: Security Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

MEMS mass spectrometers: the next wave of miniaturization

Syms

Wright²

2016

J. Micromech. Microeng.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper reviews mass spectrometers based on micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology. The MEMS approach to integration is first briefly described, and the difficulties of miniaturizing mass spectrometers are outlined. MEMS components for ionization and mass filtering are then reviewed, together with additional components for ion detection, vacuum pressure measurement and pumping. Mass spectrometer systems containing MEMS sub-components are then described, applications for miniaturized and portable systems are discussed, and challenges and opportunities are presented.

show abstract

“…Portable GC‐MS (Diken et al, 2012; Hall & Mulligan, 2014) holds potential to advance olfactory research on free‐ranging animals. Portable GC‐MS units are field‐durable and provide results comparable to benchtop laboratory systems, as validated by studies testing samples on both laboratory and portable models (Beckley, Gorder, Dettenmaier, Rivera‐Duarte, & McHugh, 2014; Cal EPA, 2004; Einfeld, 1998; Inficon, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What smells? Developing in‐field methods to characterize the chemical composition of wild mammalian scent cues

Thompson

Bottenberg

Lantz

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Olfactory cues play an important role in mammalian biology, but have been challenging to assess in the field. Current methods pose problematic issues with sample storage and transportation, limiting our ability to connect chemical variation in scents with relevant ecological and behavioral contexts. Real‐time, in‐field analysis via portable gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) has the potential to overcome these issues, but with trade‐offs of reduced sensitivity and compound mass range. We field‐tested the ability of portable GC‐MS to support two representative applications of chemical ecology research with a wild arboreal primate, common marmoset monkeys (Callithrix jacchus). We developed methods to (a) evaluate the chemical composition of marmoset scent marks deposited at feeding sites and (b) characterize the scent profiles of exudates eaten by marmosets. We successfully collected marmoset scent marks across several canopy heights, with the portable GC‐MS detecting known components of marmoset glandular secretions and differentiating these from in‐field controls. Likewise, variation in the chemical profile of scent marks demonstrated a significant correlation with marmoset feeding behavior, indicating these scents’ biological relevance. The portable GC‐MS also delineated species‐specific olfactory signatures of exudates fed on by marmosets. Despite the trade‐offs, portable GC‐MS represents a viable option for characterizing olfactory compounds used by wild mammals, yielding biologically relevant data. While the decision to adopt portable GC‐MS will likely depend on site‐ and project‐specific needs, our ability to conduct two example applications under relatively challenging field conditions bodes well for the versatility of in‐field GC‐MS.

show abstract

Advances in field-portable ion trap GC/MS instrumentation

Cited by 5 publications

References 17 publications

On the trail of primate scent signals: A field analysis of callitrichid scent‐gland secretions by portable gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry

On the trail of primate scent signals: A field analysis of callitrichid scent‐gland secretions by portable gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry

MEMS mass spectrometers: the next wave of miniaturization

What smells? Developing in‐field methods to characterize the chemical composition of wild mammalian scent cues

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About