SIFT-MS: Quantifying the Volatiles You Smell…and the Toxics You Don’t

Abstract

The human olfactory system is highly attuned to detection of a wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), but the sensitivity varies considerably based on chemical functionality. Whereas most humans can appreciate the sensory properties of certain foods, beverages, and fragrances, and at times be alerted to volatile chemical hazards, many VOCs are hazardous below the human odor detection threshold. Since its introduction in the mid-1990s, selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS) has been widely applied to quantitative analysis of a broad range of VOCs in applications from food products to workplace safety to environmental monitoring, and most recently to pharmaceutical testing. This review surveys the applications of SIFT-MS in odor analysis and in workplace, environmental and consumer protection, with a particular focus on the complementarity of this real-time mass spectrometry analyzer to sensor technology and conventional laboratory techniques—in particular, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS).

Evaluation of Solvent Compatibilities for Headspace-SIFT-MS Analysis of Pharmaceutical Products

“…The SIFT-MS technique has been described in detail elsewhere [12,18,20]. Briefly, SIFT-MS is a DIMS technique that analyzes air and headspace continuously using ultrasoft chemical ionization, which efficiently ionizes a very broad range of VOCs but does not ionize the bulk constituents of air.…”

Integrating density functional theory and chemical ionization mass spectrometry techniques to assess benzophenone derivatives in food packaging: implications for enhancing food quality and safety

“…SIFT-MS is commonly used for environmental air monitoring, industrial hygiene, and breath analysis. [16][17][18] In PTR-MS analysis, understanding the physical and chemical properties of the analyte molecules is essential for successful and accurate detection and quantification. In particular, proton affinity, ionization efficiency, stability and reactivity, and reaction rates are named a few.…”

“…It can simultaneously analyze multiple VOCs with high sensitivity and accuracy. SIFT‐MS is commonly used for environmental air monitoring, industrial hygiene, and breath analysis 16–18 …”

A SIFT-MS study of positive and negative ion chemistry of theortho-,meta- andpara-isomers of cymene, cresol, and ethylphenol

“…Aromatic compounds are an essential chemical class which are analysed in gas-phase complex matrices including human breath; 1–3 headspace of samples such as cosmetics 4 and food stuffs; 5 ambient air for air quality analysis for environmental monitoring purposes; 6–9 as well as investigating ion–molecule reactions, at the centre of the SIFT-MS technique. In particular, aromatic compounds are often of great interest in the field of atmospheric chemistry and air pollution research as many of these species are known to be highly toxic and are released from anthropogenic emissions into the atmosphere, diminishing air quality.…”

“…Whilst analyses of mixtures of multiple analytes are possible, it is currently not easy to analyse isomeric or isobaric species present simultaneously within a matrix. However, as the range of reagent ions available to SIFT-MS has been recently expanded to include anions (H 3 O + , NO + , O 2 + , O À , OH À , O 2 À , NO 2 À , NO 3 À ), there is potential to use differing ionic products, produced from the range of reactions to facilitate simultaneous quantification, of isobaric species using SIFT-MS. Aromatic compounds are an essential chemical class which are analysed in gas-phase complex matrices including human breath; [1][2][3] headspace of samples such as cosmetics 4 and food stuffs; 5 ambient air for air quality analysis for environmental monitoring purposes; [6][7][8][9] as well as investigating ion-molecule reactions, at the centre of the SIFT-MS technique. In particular, aromatic compounds are often of great interest in the field of atmospheric chemistry and air pollution research as many of these species are known to be highly toxic and are released from anthropogenic emissions into the atmosphere, diminishing air quality.…”