Characterization of Commercial Polyol Esters by Direct Inlet Probe-Ion Attachment Ionization/TOFMS

Abstract

The first screening for commercial polyol esters was carried out by a newly developed prototype of direct inlet probe (DIP) - ion attachment ionization/TOFMS (IA/TOFMS). DIP is a heating probe for a sampling cell, which works at ca. 30 Pa. It can be evolved semi-volatile and less-volatile compounds by suppressing thermal decomposition. The system configuration should be advantageous for the performance of real-time measurements for each cationized molecule [M+Li]⁺. In this system, 5 kinds of polyol esters were characterized by POE molecules, free fatty acids and other mixtures. One measurement is completed in about 10 to 15 minutes, and polyol esters with long chain fatty acids can be clearly detected.