Patent ID: 9150610
Filing Date: 2015-10-06
Classification: B01D,C07K,G01N,G16C,H01J,Y10T

Abstract:
1. Apparatus for performing in-solution hydrogen/deuterium exchange on analytes of interest comprising: a deuteration cell consisting of at least one sample solution channel which functions as a conduit for a liquid which contains an analyte of interest, at least one deuterated solution channel which functions as a conduit for another liquid, and an ion-selective membrane interposed between said at least one sample solution channel and said at least one deuterated solution channel, said ion-selective membrane being disposed in a mixing region and separating the at least one sample solution channel from the at least one deuterated solution channel, the ion-selective membrane having a first side proximate the at least one sample solution channel and a second side proximate the at least one deuterated solution channel, the ion-selective membrane being semipermeable such that a deuterated solvent liquid is configured to pass through said ion-selective membrane from said at least one deuterated solution channel into said at least one sample solution channel, wherein the passage of the deuterated solvent liquid through the ion-selective membrane into the at least one sample solution channel is configured to promote an exchange of hydrogen atoms for deuterium atoms into a molecular structure of analytes of interest located in said at least one sample solution channel, during which said sample solution channel is configured to operate at a temperature which is not greater than ambient temperature, a first device which directs a portion of a population of analytes of interest from the mixing region into a vacuum chamber, wherein said first device comprises an injection valve, which is configured to allow for the injection of discrete amount of the analytes of interest into a chromatographic column, and wherein the outlet of the chromatographic column is connected to online electrospray mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization, and a second device which conducts mass to charge analysis on a portion of said analytes transferred into said vacuum chamber.