Express method for determining the composition of chloride deicing materials by mass spectrometry

Introduction. The use of deicing materials (DMs) in cities is a significant factor in chemical pollution of the environment, which makes it a priority to assess their impact on public health. In this paper, we propose an original approach to studying the chemical composition of DMs using the electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) method, which makes it possible to identify the salt composition and functional additives of DMs by characteristic ions.

Materials and methods. As standard samples there were used aqueous saline solutions of the inorganic salts including sodium chloride, calcium chloride, and magnesium chloride. The set of investigated commercial chloride samples of PGM included solid and liquid samples based on sodium and calcium chlorides, as well as a liquid sample based on magnesium chloride. During sample preparation, liquid-liquid extraction was performed by mixing the DMs sample (a saturated aqueous saline solution) with acetonitrile. For composition analysis, an Agilent 6430 mass-selective detector with a quadrupole mass analyzer and an electrospray ionization source was used. To identify inorganic salts, an algorithm for comparing the mass spectra of the sample and standards with a quantitative assessment of their similarity was applied.       

Results. At the qualitative analysis it has been shown to be possible to determine the main components of DMs presented in the form of salts of sodium, calcium and magnesium chloride. The study presents a new approach to the determination of these components in the composition of chloride DM samples. At the same time, a qualitative assessment of the content of organic compounds in the composition of DMs is carried out on the base on the data obtained.

Limitations. Evaluation of the quantitative characteristics of the DMs component composition for different inorganic compounds when determining the degree of similarity of their mass spectra may be difficult due to the effect of suppression by NaCl ions in the case of their presence in the DMs composition.

Conclusion. The study’s results suggest that the ESI-MS method can be regarded as one of the modern techniques for the rapid analysis of the chemical composition of DMs chloride. This method holds promise for implementation in both laboratory and monitoring studies aimed at identifying potential risks associated with the adverse effects of DMs on environmental objects and public health in a timely manner.

Compliance with ethical standards. The conclusion of the biomedical ethics committee or other documents is not required.

Contribution:
Sbitnev A.V. — conducting the experimental part of the study, collecting and processing data; discussion and editing of the text;
Vodianova M.A. — the idea, concept and design of the study; discussion and editing of the text;
Streletskiy A.V. — the idea, concept and design of the study; conducting the experimental part of the study, collecting and processing data; writing the text;
Yudin S.M. — the idea, concept and design of the study.
All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding. The work was completed within the framework of the state task:. reg. No 388-00099-23-02, No 123040500002-3.

Received: March 6, 2025 / Revised: June 16, 2025 / Accepted: , 2025 / Published: December 19, 2025

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