ARSENIC SPECIATION BY LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY COUPLED WITH IONSPRAY TANDEM MASS-SPECTROMETRY

Ionspray mass spectrometry, a well established organic analysis techni que, has been coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography for sp eciation of organic arsenic compounds, The ionspray source and differe ntially pumped interface of the mass spectrometer were operated in dua l modes for elemental and molecular analysis, Tandem mass spectrometry was employed to increase selectivity, Dual mode detection was applied to demonstrate the utility of the technique for analysis of nine orga noarsenic standards, including four dimethylarsinylriboside derivative s (arsenosugars), Structural fragmentation patterns showing molecular dissociation through an expected common product ion were obtained for the four arsenosugars, Molecular mode detection was utilized for quali tative verification of speciation analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry of organoarsenicals in plaice and for analysis of an arsenosugar in e xtracts of oyster and mussel.