Comparison of ion trap and triple quadrupole gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry in the quantitative and qualitative trace analysis of muramic acid in complex matrices

Abstract During the past few years we helped introduce the use of gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GS-MS/MS) for trace detection of chemical markers for bacteria and their constituents in complex clinical and environmental matrices. A particular marker of interest is muramic acid found in bacteria but not elsewhere in nature. Absolute identification is achieved using the product ion spectrum and levels of chemical markers for bacteria determined by multiple reaction monitoring. Work directly comparing, the utility of ion trap and triple quadrupole GC-MS/MS instrumentation, in the quantitative and qualitative analysis of muramic acid, is presented here.