| Innovations in drug synthesis have made the required FDA analysis of pharmaceutical compounds and impurities decidedly more difficult. The incorporation of heteroatoms such as sulfur (S), phosphorus (P), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), and fluorine (F) into the usual drug structures comprised of only carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) is the reason for this complication. One method of analysis that is making progress in quantifying heteroatom-containing pharmaceuticals is inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Recent innovations in the method by which samples are introduced into an ICP-MS have made sufficient ionization of heteroatoms to meet FDA analysis requirements possible. Regrettably, these innovations have not solved the problem of detecting volatile (likely to become a gas) heteroatom-containing compounds. In the proceeding, investigations of the effects of modifications to sample introduction methods for the detection of heteroatom analytes as pharmaceutical compounds and impurities are presented. The project goal is to improve the detection of heteroatom analytes using modified sample introduction with a later emphasis on the detection of volatile heteroatom compounds. If the project goal is reached, ICP-MS analysis could become a standard method of analysis for FDA required pharmaceutical testing. |
