Certification of NIST standard reference material 2389a, amino acids in 0.1 mol/L HCl--quantification by ID LC-MS/MS

Anal Bioanal Chem. 2010 May;397(2):511-9. doi: 10.1007/s00216-010-3616-9. Epub 2010 Mar 19.

Abstract

An isotope-dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (ID LC-MS/MS) measurement procedure was developed to accurately quantify amino acid concentrations in National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2389a-amino acids in 0.1 mol/L hydrochloric acid. Seventeen amino acids were quantified using selected reaction monitoring on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. LC-MS/MS results were compared to gravimetric measurements from the preparation of SRM 2389a-a reference material developed at NIST and intended for use in intra-laboratory calibrations and quality control. Quantitative mass spectrometry results and gravimetric values were statistically combined into NIST-certified mass fraction values with associated uncertainty estimates. Coefficients of variation (CV) for the repeatability of the LC-MS/MS measurements among amino acids ranged from 0.33% to 2.7% with an average CV of 1.2%. Average relative expanded uncertainty of the certified values including Types A and B uncertainties was 3.5%. Mean accuracy of the LC-MS/MS measurements with gravimetric preparation values agreed to within |1.1|% for all amino acids. NIST SRM 2389a will be available for characterization of routine methods for amino acid analysis and serves as a standard for higher-order measurement traceability. This is the first time an ID LC-MS/MS methodology has been applied for quantifying amino acids in a NIST SRM material.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acids / analysis*
  • Amino Acids / standards*
  • Chromatography, Liquid / methods*
  • Hydrochloric Acid / chemistry
  • Indicator Dilution Techniques
  • Isotopes / analysis
  • Reference Standards
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Solutions / chemistry
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry / methods*

Substances

  • Amino Acids
  • Isotopes
  • Solutions
  • Hydrochloric Acid