Mass spectrometric confirmation criterion for product-ion spectra generated in flow-injection analysis. Environmental application

The suitability of a confirmation criterion recently recommended in the Netherlands for gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (GC-MS), was evaluated for flow-injection analysis (FIA) with atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation MS-MS detection. The main feature of the criterion is that the relative ion abundances of the four diagnostic ions are taken into account. That is, for lower-intensity peaks, relative standard deviations may be higher; this is an advantage with chemical ionisation MS procedures. A series of triazines and their degradation products were used as test compounds. Tap and surface water samples spiked at 0.33 μg/l were analysed by means of a selected reaction monitoring MS-MS procedure. For all analytes but hydroxysimazine (3 transitions), 4-9 transitions could be selected which invariably met the demands of the criterion. Some of the transitions used originate from the