Detection of Carcinogenic Aromatic Amines in Textiles by Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spetrometry

Using a mixture of methanol/water/acetic acid (volume ratio 49∶49∶2) as the electrospray liquid and under the optimized experimental condition, 24 kinds of carcinogenic aromatic amines in various texture of textile samples were directly and nondestructively detected by desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry(DESI-MS) with satisfactory results. The mean analysis time for a single analyte in a sample was about 30 s, more efficient due to without sample pretreatment. Furthermore, in virtue of the special performances of tandemMS, the false positive results could be effectively eliminated. The method provides the advantages of high sensitivity (typical detection limit of 10-9 g/kg rang for most aromatic amines), high precision (5%～10%RSD, n=10) and more efficiency. The method has been applied to the direct and nondestructive determination of carcinogenic aromatic amines in various textures of textile samples.