Development of liquid chromatography mass spectrometry method for analysis of organic N monomers in soil

•LC–MS was developed for analysis of monomeric organic N compounds in soil extracts.•62 out of 69 standards were analysable by LC–MS with separation on a HILIC column.•LC–MS could analyse multiple classes of organic N in soil extracts.•Salts led to suppression of MS signals, but quantification was possible with dilute samples.•LC–MS was demonstrated as a useful tool for analysis of soil extracts.

The aim of this study was to develop an analytical procedure based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC–MS) for analysis of monomeric organic N compounds in soil extracts. To benchmark the developed LC–MS method it was compared with a capillary electrophoresis–mass spectrometry (CE–MS) method recently used for analysis of small organic N monomers in soil. The separation was optimized and analytical performance assessed with 69 purified standards, then the LC–MS method was used to analyse soil extracts. Sixty-two out of 69 standards were analysable by LC–MS with separation on a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography column. The seven compounds that could not be analysed were strongly cationic polyamines. Limits of detection for a 5 μL injection ranged between 0.002 and 0.38 μmol L−1, with the majority (49 out of 62) having limits of detection better than 0.05 μmol L−1. The overall profile and concentration of small organic N monomers in soil extracts was broadly similar between LC–MS and CE–MS, with the notable exception of four ureides that were detected by LC–MS only. In soil extracts that had been concentrated ten-fold the detection and quantification of (some) organic N compounds was compromised by the presence of large amounts of inorganic salts. The developed LC–MS method offered advantages and disadvantages relative to CE–MS, and a combination of the two methods would achieve the broadest possible coverage of organic N in soil extracts.