Mass spectrometric study of cutaneous volatiles by secondary electrospray ionization

We investigated the volatile organic compounds emanated from the hand of two individuals, on-line by secondary electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry in positive ionization mode. The background ambient air is continuously sampled, ionized and readily mass analyzed. When the probe samples above the headspace of the hand of two subjects, several peaks (63 for one subject and 37 for the other) arise above the background with masses reaching up to m/z 348. In spite of the different patterns, they share 30 common peaks. Some of these compounds have been assigned by collision-induced-dissociation, most of them as amines, including the amino acid ornithine.

Graphical abstractWe compare the volatile fingerprint from the hands of two subjects by secondary electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide