Identification and confirmation of arsenobetaine and arsenocholine in fish, lobster and shrimp by a combination of fast atom bombardment and tandem mass spectrometry.

Using fast atom bombardment (FAB) ionization combined with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), the identity of arsenobetaine (AB) in extracts of sole, haddock, lobster and shrimp was unequivocally confirmed. Evidence was also presented for the presence of arsenocholine (AC) in the shrimp extract. Confirmation was obtained by comparing the collision-induced dissociation (CID) daughter ion and parent ion spectra of major ions in the FAB spectra from these extracts with those from the authentic standards.