DEVELOPMENT OF MASS SPECTROMETRIC METHODS FOR THE CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF CONDENSATE OILS, THE DETECTION OF REACTION INTERMEDIATES IN SOLUTION AND FOR THE FAST IDENTIFICATION OF DRUG METABOLITES

This dissertation presents several examples of diverse applications of mass spectrometry. For example, high-resolution mass spectrometry was utilized for qualitative and quantitative chemical characterization of ionized compounds in petrochemical samples, specifically, in condensate-like oil samples. Further, the ability to use tandem mass spectrometry to rapidly detect trace amounts of short-lived reaction intermediates in solution reactions is demonstrated. Finally, selective tandem mass spectrometry methods based on diagnostic gas-phase ion-molecule reactions were developed for the identification of carboxylic acid functionalities in protonated analytes.