Puff resolved on-line investigation of smoking products e.g. e-cigarette vapor using hyper fast GC Vacuum Photoionisation TOF-MS

Description:
The puff-resolved on-line analysis of e-cigarettes using photoionization mass spectrometry has already been possible reliably for several years. However, this approach was limited by the simultaneous occurrence of a wide variety of carbonyl isomers. Developments in high-resolution mass spectrometry have not been able to remedy this situation. A very fast GC pre-separation can solve this problem. Typical e-liquids consist of VG, PG, water, nicotine and flavors. The thermal stress that occurs during evaporation leads to the formation of pyrolytic products, particularly in the case of VG and PG, which include the carbonyl compounds mentioned above. Particularly prominent representatives here are acrolein, acetaldehyde and acetone.
Depending on the characteristics and settings of the respective e-cigarette device, different levels of pyrolysis and also different concentrations of pyrolysis products can be observed. Especially the commercial cartridge e-cigarettes operate at relatively low power levels and temperatures and therefore produce only small amounts of pyrolysis products. The picture is different for customizable refillable tank systems. If the above power levels or special heating wires are used, significant formation of pyrolysis products occurs. Hyper-fast-GC is particularly suitable for these investigations, not only to obtain an overview of the degree of pyrolysis that takes place during the smoking of e-cigarettes, but also to enable the separation of isomers. This allows better conclusions to be drawn about the exact species formed and facilitates the assessment of vaporization in terms of health consequences.
Beyond research on e-cigarettes, this technology can also be used to study other smoking products. A recent example is the puff-resolved separation of different isomeric cannabinoids in marijuana smoke. An example would be the parallel release ratio between delta-9-THC and cannabidiol, both having an exact mass of 314.224580u.

Speaker: Sven Ehlert - Photonion GmbH