Plasmion SICRIT® GC/SPME Module

Significance of the Topic

The integration of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography (GC) with mass spectrometry (MS) using the SICRIT® ionization technology addresses critical needs in trace analysis. It offers enhanced sensitivity, fully quantitative results under defined atmosphere, and flexible sampling modes for environmental, forensic, pharmaceutical, and industrial applications.

Aims and Overview of the Article

This product note presents the SICRIT® GC/SPME Module designed to enrich, separate, and introduce analytes into the SICRIT® Ion Source. It outlines direct injection options, the coupling of SPME, headspace and liquid sampling, and seamless GC-MS integration on existing LC-MS platforms without software changes.

Methodology

The module employs a specially designed inner vaporizer for thermal desorption of analytes. A carrier gas flow ensures loss-free transfer into the ion source atmosphere. Three sampling modes are detailed:

• Direct Injection (headspace or liquid) for rapid, chromatography-free quantitative screening.
• Direct SPME-MS to minimize sample preparation and reduce analysis time and cost, ideal for low-to-medium complexity matrices.
• GC-MS Coupling to retrofit any GC onto LC-MS instruments, leveraging existing multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) methods and high-resolution MS for non-target screening.

Used Instrumentation

• Module dimensions: 110 × 50 × 50 mm; weight: 0.5 kg.
• Power supply: 24 VDC via SICRIT® Control Unit SC-30.
• Operating temperature: 15–30 °C, up to 300 °C continuous (320 °C short-term).
• Humidity: < 80 % RH non-condensing.
• Carrier/make-up gases: air, N₂, CO₂, He, or dopants at flow < 5 L/min.
• Optional heated transfer line for GC coupling.

Main Results and Discussion

• Quantitative detection limits down to low ppt or ppq levels using direct and SPME approaches.
• Dynamic linear ranges spanning more than three orders of magnitude.
• Soft ionization enabling direct transfer of LC-MS MRMs to GC analyses without method revalidation.
• High-resolution GC-SICRIT®-MS workflows for non-target screening of alkanes, PCBs, PAHs, and other analyte classes.

Benefits and Practical Applications

The module streamlines routine analysis by reducing sample preparation, automating workflows with CTC PAL autosamplers, and reusing existing LC-MS infrastructure. It supports environmental contaminant monitoring, explosive screening, beverage and biofluid testing, and forensic investigations with rapid, cost-effective, and sensitive quantitation.

Future Trends and Applications

Ongoing advances may include expanded dopant options to tailor ion chemistry, integration with high-throughput autosampler networks, and hybrid workflows combining GC-SICRIT® with ambient ionization techniques. Future method development will focus on ultra-trace detection in complex matrices and automated data processing for real-time decision making.

Conclusion

The SICRIT® GC/SPME Module delivers a versatile, quantitative, and sensitive platform for coupling enrichment techniques with mass spectrometry. Its flexible sampling modes and seamless GC-MS integration provide laboratories with a powerful tool for trace analysis across diverse fields.