TY - JOUR A1 - Alcalde-Vasquez, R. A1 - Moreno-Pedraza, A. A1 - Rosas-Román, I. A1 - Guillén-Alonso, H. A1 - Riedel, Jens A1 - Partida-Martínez, L. P. A1 - Winkler, R. T1 - MoBiMS: A Modular Miniature Mass Analyzer for the Real-Time 2 Monitoring of Gases and Volatile Compounds in Biological Systems JF - Microchemical Journal N2 - Living organisms constantly interact with their environment, including through the exchange of gases. Respiration and the release and uptake of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) create dynamic microenvironments in biological systems. Studying the kinetics of volatiles in biological systems requires expensive instruments, and data analysis is challenging. Therefore, we aimed to design a minimal analytical device for measuring the composition of gaseous mixtures in realtime. We built the ‘Modular Biological Mass Spectrometer’ (MoBiMS) from 3D-printed parts and custom sensors to fit a wide array of experimental set-ups. We tested the chemical detection range and temporal resolution of the MoBiMS employing pure compounds and complex biological samples. Compounds with a higher than 0.4 mmHg vapor pressure and a molecular weight up to 154 g/mol were reliably sensed within seconds. The generated electron impact (EI) spectra were directly comparable with standard databases like the NIST EI library. Under a direct analysis approach, the MoBiMS identified the characteristic odor of banana (Musa sp.), that is, isoamyl acetate; tracked the dynamics of CO2 release while the Alka-Seltzer® reaction occurred showed the kinetics of the transient production and consumption of carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. MoBiMS also discriminated between volatile compounds ions coming from tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana) leaves and the surrounding air through untargeted analysis. The small footprint of the MoBiMS and its relatively low energy consumption facilitate in situ analyses, as an additional gas supply is not necessary with EI ionization. The MoBiMS is easy to assemble, and its construction and operation are very cost-efficient compared to commercial devices. The analytical performance of the MoBiMS is suitable for real-time studies of biological systems, environmental monitoring, and medical diagnostics. KW - Mass spectrometry KW - Instrumentation KW - Miniaturization KW - Volatiles PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.microc.2021.107090 SN - 0026-265X VL - 175 PB - Elsevier B.V. CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-56528 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -