Enantiomer-specific analysis of multi-component mixtures by correlated electron imaging–ion mass spectrometry

• DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8511
• Publication Date: 2015-06-24T12:03:26Z
• Authors: Mohammad M Rafiee...; N. Bhargava Ram; C. Stefan Lehmann; Ivan Powis; Maurice H. M. Jan...
• Keywords: 02 engineering and technology; SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation; 0210 nano-technology; Article

Simultaneous, enantiomer-specific identification of chiral molecules in multi-component mixtures is extremely challenging. Many established techniques for single-component analysis fail to provide selectivity and lack sensitivity dilute samples. Here we show how enantiomers may be differentiated by mass-selected photoelectron circular dichroism using an electron-ion coincidence imaging spectrometer. As proof concept, vapours containing ∼1% two monoterpene molecules, limonene camphor, are irradiated a circularly polarized femtosecond laser, resulting multiphoton near-threshold ionization with little molecular fragmentation. Large asymmetries (2-4%) observed the mass-tagged angular distributions. These switch sign according handedness (R- or S-) enantiomer mixture scale enantiomeric excess component. The results demonstrate that mass spectrometric quantitative determination can achieved table-top instrument.