<p>Breath analysis research is being successfully pursued using a variety of analytical methods, prominent amongst which are gas chromatography with mass spectrometry, GC-MS, ion mobility spectrometry, IMS, and the fast flow and flow-drift tube techniques called selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry, SIFT-MS, and proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry, PTR-MS. In this paper the case is made for real-time breath analysis by obviating sample collection into bags or onto traps that can suffer from partial degradation of breath metabolites or the introduction of impurities. Real-time analysis of a broad range of volatile chemical compounds can be best achieved using SIFT-MS and PTR-MS, which are sufficiently sensitive and rapid to allow the simultaneous analyses of several trace gas metabolites in single breath exhalations. The basic principles and the ion chemistry that underpin these two analytical techniques are briefly described and the differences between them, including their respective strengths and weaknesses, are revealed, especially with reference to the analysis of the complex matrix that is exhaled breath. A recent innovation is described that combines time-of-flight mass spectrometry with the proton transfer flow-drift tube reactor, PTR-TOFMS, which provides greater resolution in the analytical mass spectrometer and allows separation of protonated isobaric molecules. Examples are presented of some recent data that well illustrate the quality and real-time feature of SIFT-MS and PTR-MS for the analysis of exhaled breath for physiological/biochemical/pharmacokinetics studies and for the identification and quantification of biomarkers relating to specific disease states.</p>

<p>Breath analysis research is being successfully pursued using a variety of analytical methods, prominent amongst which are gas chromatography with mass spectrometry, GC-MS, ion mobility spectrometry, IMS, and the fast flow and flow-drift tube techniques called selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry, SIFT-MS, and proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry, PTR-MS. In this paper the case is made for real-time breath analysis by obviating sample collection into bags or onto traps that can suffer from partial degradation of breath metabolites or the introduction of impurities. Real-time analysis of a broad range of volatile chemical compounds can be best achieved using SIFT-MS and PTR-MS, which are sufficiently sensitive and rapid to allow the simultaneous analyses of several trace gas metabolites in single breath exhalations. The basic principles and the ion chemistry that underpin these two analytical techniques are briefly described and the differences between them, including their respective strengths and weaknesses, are revealed, especially with reference to the analysis of the complex matrix that is exhaled breath. A recent innovation is described that combines time-of-flight mass spectrometry with the proton transfer flow-drift tube reactor, PTR-TOFMS, which provides greater resolution in the analytical mass spectrometer and allows separation of protonated isobaric molecules. Examples are presented of some recent data that well illustrate the quality and real-time feature of SIFT-MS and PTR-MS for the analysis of exhaled breath for physiological/biochemical/pharmacokinetics studies and for the identification and quantification of biomarkers relating to specific disease states.</p>

<p>Product ion distributions for the reactions of NO(+) with 22 aldehydes involved in human physiology have been determined under the prevailing conditions of a selective reagent ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (SRI-TOF-MS) at an E/N in the flow/drift tube reactor of 130 Td. The chosen aldehydes were fourteen alkanals (the C2-C11 n-alkanals, 2-methyl propanal, 2-methyl butanal, 3-methyl butanal, and 2-ethyl hexanal), six alkenals (2-propenal, 2-methyl 2-propenal, 2-butenal, 3-methyl 2-butenal, 2-methyl 2-butenal, and 2-undecenal), benzaldehyde, and furfural. The product ion fragmentations patterns were determined for both dry air and humid air (3.5% absolute humidity) used as the matrix buffer/carrier gas in the drift tube of the SRI-TOF-MS instrument. Hydride ion transfer was seen to be a common ionization mechanism in all these aldehydes, thus generating (M-H)(+) ions. Small fractions of the adduct ion, NO(+)M, were also seen for some of the unsaturated alkenals, in particular 2-undecenal, and heterocyclic furfural for which the major reactive channel was non-dissociative charge transfer generating the M(+) parent ion. Almost all of the reactions resulted in partial fragmentation of the aldehyde molecules generating hydrocarbon ions; specifically, the alkanal reactions resulted in multiple product ions, whereas, the alkenals reactions produced only two or three product ions, dissociation of the nascent excited product ion occurring preferentially at the 2-position. The findings of this study are of particular importance for data interpretation in studies of aldehydes reactions employing SRI-TOF-MS in the NO(+) mode.</p>

{A pilot study has been carried out to define typical characteristics of the trace gas compounds in exhaled breath of non-smokers and smokers to assist interpretation of breath analysis data from patients who smoke with respiratory diseases and lung cancer. Exhaled breath was analyzed using proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) for 370 volunteers (81 smokers, 210 non-smokers, 79 ex-smokers). Volatile organic compounds corresponding to product ions at seven mass-to-charge ratios (m/z 28, 42, 69, 79, 93, 97, 123) in the PTR-MS spectra differentiated between smokers and non-smokers. The Youden index (= maximum of sensitivity + specificity - 1, YI) as a measure for differentiation between smokers and non-smokers was YI = 0.43 for ions at the m/z values 28 (tentatively identified as HCN)