furfural

[sepscientologist]

I'm trying to quantitate furfural and methylfurfural on an LCMS using electrospray. Unfortunately, I'm not seeing anything.
Does anyone have a feeling for whether these molecules will ionize by electrospray? Maybe with the right mobile phase
or additive? All suggestions welcome!

[rb6banjo]

I guess you want to get these in a run with something else you're doing? Those 2 molecules are easy by headspace GC.

[sepscientologist]

Good point. I do have another compound and it reacts with my stationary phase to produce methylfurfural.
Thus I always see methylfurfural whether it is in my sample or not.

[James_Ball]

You will probably have to do the DNPH(Dinitrophenylhyriazine) derivatization to get it to elute by HPLC. Look at EPA Method 8315 or 1667 for a procedure. I have analyzed Formaldehyde this way using the LCMSMS before.

[Arne]

We tried furfural by LCMS and it only gives a weak signal and elutes quite early. SPME works well for us.

[MSCHemist]

Why do Furfural and 5-methyl Furfural on a LC? I see it quite routinely on the GC/MS. FID would work fine as well.

[oscarBAL]

I think Methyl Furfural could be too volatile for LC MS; when you evaporate MP you could loopsing DMF.
DNPH is good option.

BR

Oscar Cortes

[Karen01]

I've done furfural by LC with just UV detection as well as GC headspace FID... no need for LC/MS!

- Karen

[MSCHemist]

It should be much cheaper and easier to do it via GC-FID or MS. The only issue I've ever seen is acetic acid and furfural coelute on an Inowax column so use a different column. Save the LC for nonvolitiles. Plus you will have higher sensitivity on the GC.