Magnetic mesoporous silica Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 @meso-SiO 2 and Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 @meso-SiO 2 -NH 2 as adsorbents for the determination of trace organic compounds

Magnetic nanoparticles, Fe3O4@SiO2@meso-SiO2 and Fe3O4@SiO2@meso-SiO2-NH2, have been prepared and used as adsorbents for the detection of trace organic compounds. Selected organic acids and bases were adsorbed from their solutions onto the surface of suspended magnetic solids. Adsorbents were then attracted by ferrite magnets immersed in the solutions and transferred to the mass spectrometer, where thermal desorption of the analytes occurred by the use of a programmed heating system. The plasma stream ionized the molecules and transported the resulting ions to the analyzer. The procedure presented in this paper covers preparation and characterization of magnetic, mesoporous silica carriers, as well as their application in fast and inexpensive method of detection, omitting time-consuming purification steps. Flowing atmospheric pressure afterglow (FAPA) mass spectrometry is presented, as an analytical method for the analysis of selected analytes in solution. Significant influence of surface functionalization and controllable thermal desorption process on the identification of analytes has been described.