High-mass capabilities of positive-ion and negative-ion direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry

Of the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium (C+) tricyanomethide (A(-)) high-mass cluster ions of both positive ([C(n)A(n-1)](+)) and negative-([C(n-1)A(n)](-)) charge were generated and detected by direct analysis in real time (DART) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometry (MS). After optimization of the settings of the DART ionization source and of the mass analyser, ions of m/z values unprecedented in DART-MS were detected. Thus, the upper m/z limits of positive-ion and negative-ion DART-MS were substantially expanded. Negative-ion DART-MS delivered cluster ions up to [C(15)A(16)](-), m/z 3527 (nominal mass of monoisotopic ion), while positive-ion DART-MS even yielded ions up to [C(30)A(29)](+), m/z 6784. The identification of the cluster ions is supported by their accurate mass and exact mass differences-corresponding to CA between adjacent cluster ion peaks.