Selective Determination of Dimethyl Sulfide in Seawater Using Reactive Extractive Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Reactive extractive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry was used for the rapid, sensitive determination of dimethyl sulfide in seawater without sample pretreatment. Using silver cations (Ag⁺) as the ionic reagent, the analyte was selectively extracted from seawater to form adduct ions of [CH₃SCH₃ + Ag]⁺. The characteristic product ions of Ag⁺, generated from parent ions of [CH₃SCH₃ + Ag]⁺ by tandem mass spectrometry, were used for quantitative analysis. A linear calibration curve was obtained from 1 to 10,000 pg/mL with acceptable relative standard deviations of 3.2–8.1%. This method provided a low limit of detection (0.3 pg/mL), reasonable recovery (82–111%), and acceptable precision (3.9 and 4.2% for intraday and interday measurements). Trace dimethyl sulfide was determined in seawater by this method. These results demonstrate that reactive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry is suitable for the rapid, reliable, and sensitive determination of dimethyl sulfide in seawater. Further investigations will improve our understanding on the relationship between global climate change and dimethyl sulfide concentrations in the ocean.