Recently, laser based photo-ionization mass spectrometry has been successfully coupled to smoking machines, allowing the puff-resolved on-line analysis of volatile and semi-volatile tobacco smoke constituents^[1]. The introduction of special incoherent VUV-light sources for photo ionization mass spectrometry then allowed the construction of more reliable and easy to use systems^[2] and finally led to commercial photo ionization mass spectrometers (Photonion, Schwerin, Germany) as well as to a commercial smoking machine - photo ionization TOF mass spectrometer system (Borgwaldt KC, Hamburg, Germany).

In order to get quantitative puff-resolved results, the photo ionization cross-sections were measured using a gas chromatography (GC) - photo ionization TOF mass spectrometer (MS) system. In addition isobaric mass spectrometric interferences were evaluated using GC/MS data. Based on this data, the results obtained of the commercial smoking machine - photo ionization TOF mass spectrometer system can be quantified. This is demonstrated by comparing the on-line measurement results of different cigarettes, including reference cigarettes, with literature/reference data.

[1]  T. Adam, R.R. Baker and R. Zimmermann, Characterization of puff-by-puff resolved cigarette mainstream smoke by single photon ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry and principle component analysis, J. Agr. Food Chem. 55 (2007) 2055-2061
[2]  L. Hanley, R. Zimmermann, Light and Molecular Ions: The Emergence of Vacuum UV Single-Photon Ionization in MS, Anal. Chem. 81 (2009) 4174-4182