Characterization of proton-bound acetate dimers in ion mobility spectrometry

Ionized acetates were used as model compounds to describe gas-phase behavior of oxygen containing compounds with respect to their formation of dimers in ion mobility spectrometry (IMS). The ions were created using corona discharge at atmospheric pressure and separated in a drift tube before analysis of the ions by mass spectrometry. At the ambient operational temperature and pressure used in our instrument, all acetates studied formed dimers. Using a homolog series of n-alkyl-acetates, we found that the collision cross section of a dimer was smaller than that of a monomer with the same reduced mass. Our experiments also showed that the reduced mobility of acetate dimers with different functional groups increased in the order n-alkyl 相似文献   

Mass Spectrometry of Trimethylsilyl Derivatives of Substituted Salicylanilides

Abstract

The mass spectrometry of a series of trimethylsilylated substituted salicylanilides is reported. Information from trimethylsilyl-dg isotope labeling experiments and high resolution mass measurements were employed to ascertain the structure of fragment ions. The influence of substituent groups on the fragmentations is reported.     

Traveling Wave Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry and Ab Initio Calculations of Phosphoric Acid Clusters

Positive and negative ion electrospray mass spectra obtained from 50 mM phosphoric acid solutions presented a large number of phosphoric acid clusters: [(H₃PO₄)_n?+?zH] ^z+ or [(H₃PO₄)_n – zH] ^z– , with n up to 200 and z up to 4 for positively charged clusters, and n up to 270 and z up to 7 for negatively charged cluster ions. Ion mobility experiments allowed very explicit separation of the different charge states. Because of the increased pressures involved in ion mobility experiments, dissociation to smaller clusters was observed both in the trap and transfer areas. Voltages along the ion path could be optimized so as to minimize this effect, which can be directly associated with the cleavage of hydrogen bonds. Having excluded the ion mobility times that resulted from dissociated ions, each cluster ion appeared at a single drift time. These drift times showed a linear progression with the number of phosphoric atoms for cluster ions of the same charge state. Cross section calculations were carried out with MOBCAL on DFT optimized geometries with different hydrogen locations and with three types of atomic charges. DFT geometry optimizations yielded roughly spherical structures. Our results for nitrogen gas interaction cross sections showed that values were dependent on the atomic charges definition used in the MOBCAL calculation. This pinpointed the necessity to define a clear theoretical framework before any comparative interpretations can be attempted with uncharacterized compounds.

Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry of Steroids

Abstract

The chemical ionization mass spectra of a group of commonly occuring steroids are discussed. Intense signals (base peak) are observed in the molecular ion region for hydrocarbons and ketones. Functional group elimination is observed with sterols and especially their methyl and TMSi ethers, with the result that base peaks for these compounds are found at m/e values well below the expected molecular ion region. These observations are compared with those from the corresponding electron impact spectra.     

Picogram Detection of Sulfur Hexafluoride by High Pressure Charge Exchange Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

Since air quality in industrial atmospheres is important for personal comfort and safety, tracer experiments using sulfur hexa-fluoride (SF₆) are commonly used to monitor air distributions and flow patterns.

This method involves the determination of SF₆ by high pressure charge exchange mass spectrometry at levels as low as 3 × 10^?12 grams. It employs specific ion detection in combination with gas chromatography to insure a high degree of specificity.     

Laser Mass Spectrometry of Organophosphorus Pesticides and Related Compounds

Abstract

Laser mass spectra obtained for 20 organophosphorus (OP) compounds were systematically evaluated for groups containing analogous structural features. Variations in fragmentation can be understood based on simple organic reactions. While detailed mechanistic interpretations of the laser mass spectra (LMS) were not possible, the qualitative features in the LMS obtained from five compounds, not in the original set, could be predicted based on the characteristics of the other OP compounds studied. The success of the prediction lends credence to the qualitative models developed for rationalizing the LMS. A specific feature in the LMS of aromatic thionophosphates is a thiono-thiolo rearrangement. Detailed investigation into the phenomena involved comparison of LMS obtained from aromatic thionophosphates with spectra from electron impact, chemical ionization, field desorption, and secondary ion mass spectrometry. These results led to the conclusion that the rearrangement in laser mass spectrometry must occur during volatilization while the molecule/ion is in the “cloud” present immediately above the laser impact area.     

Thermally Accelerated Oxidative Degradation of Quercetin Using Continuous Flow Kinetic Electrospray-Ion Trap-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry

Thermally accelerated oxidative degradation of aqueous quercetin at pH 5.9 and 7.4 was kinetically measured using an in-house built online continuous flow device made of concentric capillary tubes, modified to fit to the inlet of an electrospray ionization-ion trap-time-of-flight-mass spectrometer (ESI-IT-TOF-MS). Time-resolved mass spectral measurements ranging from 2 to 21 min were performed in the negative mode to track intermediate degradation products and to evaluate the degradation rate of the deprotonated quercetin ion, [Q-H]^–. Upon heating solutions in the presence of dissolved oxygen, degradation of [Q-H]^– was observed and was accelerated by an increase in pH and temperature. Regardless of the condition, the same degradation pathways were observed. Degradation mechanisms and structures were determined using higher order tandem mass spectrometry (up to MS³) and high mass accuracy. The observed degradation mechanisms included oxidation, hydroxylation, and ring-cleavage by nucleophilic attack. A chalcan-trione structure formed by C-ring opening after hydroxylation at C2 was believed to be a precursor for other degradation products, formed by hydroxylation at the C2, C3, and C4 carbons from attack by nucleophilic species. This resulted in A-type and B-type ions after cross-ring cleavage of the C-ring. Based on time of appearance and signal intensity, nucleophilic attack at C3 was the preferred degradation pathway, which generated 2,4,6-trihydroxymandelate and 2,4,6-trihydroxyphenylglyoxylate ions. Overall, 23 quercetin-related ions were observed.

Study of Ozone-Initiated Limonene Reaction Products by Low Temperature Plasma Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Limonene and its ozone-initiated reaction products were investigated in situ by low temperature plasma (LTP) ionization quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometry. Helium was used as discharge gas and the protruding plasma generated ~850 ppb ozone in front of the glass tube by reaction with the ambient oxygen. Limonene applied to filter paper was placed in front of the LTP afterglow and the MS inlet. Instantly, a wide range of reaction products appeared, ranging from m/z 139 to ca. 1000 in the positive mode and m/z 115 to ca. 600 in the negative mode. Key monomeric oxidation products including levulinic acid, 4-acetyl-1-methylcyclohexene, limonene oxide, 3-isopropenyl-6-oxo-heptanal, and the secondary ozonide of limonene could be identified by collision-induced dissociation. Oligomeric products ranged from the nonoxidized dimer of limonene (C₂₀H₃₀) and up to the hexamer with 10 oxygen atoms (C₆₀H₉₀O₁₀). The use of LTP for in situ ozonolysis and ionization represents a new and versatile approach for the assessment of ozone-initiated terpene chemistry.

High Performance Liquid Chromatography/Electrochemistry/High Resolution Electrospray Ionization‐Mass Spectrometry (HPLC/EC/HR ESI‐MS) Characterization of Selected Cytokinins Oxidation Products

Electrochemistry combined with mass spectrometry represents an emerging analytical technique used to study the oxidation pathway of various drugs and in vivo occurring compounds, continuously showing a capability to generate many known metabolites or new oxidation products. An on‐line HPLC/EC/HR ESI‐MS method had been used to investigate the oxidation of selected cytokinin compounds. This setup allowed rapid identification and general structure elucidation of the obtained products. An electrochemical oxidation of isopentenyladenine resulted in five products, including hydroxylated and dehydrogenated products, which correlates very well with its in vivo metabolism. Electrochemical conversion of trans‐zeatin revealed six products, with two dehydrogenation products corresponding to its in vivo occurring metabolites. cis‐Zeatin oxidation in the electrochemical cell gave rise to eight products, resembling similarity to trans‐zeatin oxidation. All three compounds underwent a complete turnover mainly through two oxidation reactions occurring in the electrochemical cell? dehydrogenation and a less typical aliphatic hydroxylation. The resulting products are in correlation with their known in vivo metabolism.     

Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry for Extracting Spectra <Emphasis Type="Italic">of N</Emphasis>-Glycans Directly from Incubation Mixtures Following Glycan Release: Application to Glycans from Engineered Glycoforms of Intact,Folded HIV gp120

The analysis of glycosylation from native biological sources is often frustrated by the low abundances of available material. Here, ion mobility combined with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry have been used to extract the spectra of N-glycans released with PNGase F from a serial titration of recombinantly expressed envelope glycoprotein, gp120, from the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Analysis was also performed on gp120 expressed in the α-mannosidase inhibitor, and in a matched mammalian cell line deficient in GlcNAc transferase I. Without ion mobility separation, ESI spectra frequently contained no observable ions from the glycans whereas ions from other compounds such as detergents and residual buffer salts were abundant. After ion mobility separation on a Waters T-wave ion mobility mass spectrometer, the N-glycans fell into a unique region of the ion mobility/m/z plot allowing their profiles to be extracted with good signal:noise ratios. This method allowed N-glycan profiles to be extracted from crude incubation mixtures with no clean-up even in the presence of surfactants such as NP40. Furthermore, this technique allowed clear profiles to be obtained from sub-microgram amounts of glycoprotein. Glycan profiles were similar to those generated by MALDI-TOF MS although they were more susceptible to double charging and fragmentation. Structural analysis could be accomplished by MS/MS experiments in either positive or negative ion mode but negative ion mode gave the most informative spectra and provided a reliable approach to the analysis of glycans from small amounts of glycoprotein.     

Mass Spectrometry Study of OH-initiated Photooxidation of Toluene

The composition of products formed from photooxidation of the aromatic hydrocarbon toluene was investigated. The OH-initiated photooxidation experiments were conducted by irradiating toluene/CH₃ONO/NO/air mixtures in a smog chamber, the gaseous products were detected under the supersonic beam conditions by utilizing vacuum ultraviolet pho-toionization mass spectrometer using synchrotron radiation in real-time. And an aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer was used to provide on-line measurements of the individ-ual secondary organic aerosol particle resulting from irradiating toluene. The experimen-tal results demonstrated that there were some differences between the gaseous products and that of particle-phase, the products of glyoxal, 2-hydroxyl-3-oxo-butanal, nitrotoluene, and methyl-nitrophenol only existed in the particle-phase. However, furane, methylglyoxal, 2-methylfurane, benzaldehyde, cresol, and benzoic acid were the predominant photooxidation products in both the gas phase and particle phase.     

Application of Mass Spectrometry and Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry in Drug Analysis

The review is devoted to the use of mass spectrometry and chromatography–mass spectrometry in various areas of pharmaceutical chemistry. The role of the above techniques in the structural identification of impurities in drug preparations and in the determination of the biotransformation behavior of pharmaceuticals in human and animal bodies is shown. The inactivation of drugs under the action of external factors (oxidation by atmospheric oxygen and the effects of moisture, heat, and light) is illustrated. The use of various ionization techniques and the spectra of metastable ions for determining the structures of components of biologically active substances are exemplified.     

Evaluation of Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry for Comparative Analysis of Monoclonal Antibodies

Analytical techniques capable of detecting changes in structure are necessary to monitor the quality of monoclonal antibody drug products. Ion mobility mass spectrometry offers an advanced mode of characterization of protein higher order structure. In this work, we evaluated the reproducibility of ion mobility mass spectrometry measurements and mobiligrams, as well as the suitability of this approach to differentiate between and/or characterize different monoclonal antibody drug products. Four mobiligram-derived metrics were identified to be reproducible across a multi-day window of analysis. These metrics were further applied to comparative studies of monoclonal antibody drug products representing different IgG subclasses, manufacturers, and lots. These comparisons resulted in some differences, based on the four metrics derived from ion mobility mass spectrometry mobiligrams. The use of collision-induced unfolding resulted in more observed differences. Use of summed charge state datasets and the analysis of metrics beyond drift time allowed for a more comprehensive comparative study between different monoclonal antibody drug products. Ion mobility mass spectrometry enabled detection of differences between monoclonal antibodies with the same target protein but different production techniques, as well as products with different targets. These differences were not always detectable by traditional collision cross section studies. Ion mobility mass spectrometry, and the added separation capability of collision-induced unfolding, was highly reproducible and remains a promising technique for advanced analytical characterization of protein therapeutics.

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Fragmentation of Moxifloxacin and Its Analogs by Electrospray Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

The fragmentation of patterns of moxifloxacin, 2-N-methylated moxifloxacin (analog 1), and 1-cyclopropyl-6,7-difluoro-8-methoxy-4-oxo-3-quinolinecarboxylic acid (analog 2) were investigated by electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry in the positive-ion mode. Many unusual ions were detected in the tandem mass spectra of moxifloxacin. Although the structures of moxifloxacin and analog 1 were similar, the relative abundances of products varied greatly. Comparison of the relative abundances of the product ions that lost CO₂ or H₂O and complementary product ions resulting from sequential four-membered hydrogen rearrangement showed that the differences were related to the protonation sites. The loss of HF, probably though the formation of an ion/neutral complex, is of scientific interest. The identities of the major product ions were confirmed by deuterium-labeling experiments that demonstrated an unusual loss of a deuterium atom. The major differences in fragmentation patterns were compared to previous reports in the literature.     

Native Electrospray Mass Spectrometry of DNA G-Quadruplexes in Potassium Solution

A commonly used electrolyte in electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) of biomolecules is ammonium acetate (NH₄OAc). Although some nucleic acid structures such as duplexes require only proper physiological ionic strength (whatever the monovalent ions) to be properly folded in ESI-MS conditions, the folding of some other nucleic acid structures such as DNA G-quadruplexes also depends on direct binding of specific cations. Here, we developed ESI-MS compatible conditions that allow one to observe DNA G-quaduplexes with K⁺ ions specifically bound between G-quartets. NH₄OAc was replaced with trimethylammonium acetate (TMAA), at concentrations up to 150 mM to provide physiological ionic strength, and the solution was doped with KCl at concentrations up to 1 mM. The trimethylammonium ion is too large to coordinate between G-quartets, where only K⁺ ions bind. Compared with the equivalent NH₄OAc/KCl mixtures, the TMAA/KCl mixtures provide cleaner spectra by suppressing the nonspecific adducts, and favor the formation of similar stacking arrangements as in 100 mM KCl (physiologically relevant cation) for the polymorphic human telomeric DNA G-quadruplexes. This new sample preparation method can be exploited to determine the number of potassium binding sites in new sequences, to screen ligand binding to the structures favored in potassium, and to transfer potassium-bound G-quadruplexes to the mass spectrometer for gas-phase structural probing, as illustrated herein with ion mobility spectrometry experiments.

Tandem Mass Spectrometry and Ion Mobility Reveals Structural Insight into Eicosanoid Product Ion Formation

Ion mobility measurements of product ions were used to characterize the collisional cross section (CCS) of various complex lipid [M-H]^? ions using traveling wave ion mobility mass spectrometry (TWIMS). TWIMS analysis of various product ions derived after collisional activation of mono- and dihydroxy arachidonate metabolites was found to be more complex than the analysis of intact molecular ions and provided some insight into molecular mechanisms involved in product ion formation. The CCS observed for the molecular ion [M-H]^? and certain product ions were consistent with a folded ion structure, the latter predicted by the proposed mechanisms of product ion formation. Unexpectedly, product ions from [M-H-H₂O-CO₂]^? and [M-H-H₂O]^? displayed complex ion mobility profiles suggesting multiple mechanisms of ion formation. The [M-H-H₂O]^? ion from LTB₄ was studied in more detail using both nitrogen and helium as the drift gas in the ion mobility cell. One population of [M-H-H₂O]^? product ions from LTB₄ was consistent with formation of covalent ring structures, while the ions displaying a higher CCS were consistent with a more open-chain structure. Using molecular dynamics and theoretical CCS calculations, energy minimized structures of those product ions with the open-chain structures were found to have a higher CCS than a folded molecular ion structure. The measurement of product ion mobility can be an additional and unique signature of eicosanoids measured by LC-MS/MS techniques.

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Multidimensional Separation of Natural Products Using Liquid Chromatography Coupled to Hadamard Transform Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry

A high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC)was interfaced to an atmospheric drift tube ion mobility time of flight mass spectrometry. The power of multidimensional separation was demonstrated using chili pepper extracts. The ambient pressure drift tube ion mobility provided high resolving powers up to 166 for the HPLC eluent. With implementation of Hadamard transform (HT), the duty cycle for the ion mobility drift tube was increased from less than 1% to 50%, and the ion transmission efficiency was improved by over 200 times compared with pulsed mode, improving signal to noise ratio 10 times. HT ion mobility and TOF mass spectrometry provide an additional dimension of separation for complex samples without increasing the analysis time compared with conventional HPLC.

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Application of Mass Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry (MS/MS) to the Identification of Natural Products in Psilocybe Cyanescens

Abstract

Temperature profiling of MIKE spectra allows identification of protonated psilocin in the presence of other compounds with the same mass. The use of multiple ionizing methods to give ions (M+H)⁺, (M+ML₄)⁺, and M is shown to assist in determining the molecular weights of new natural products. Structural information is obtained from the MIKE spectra. All these determinations can be made on the intact mushroom or its simple alcoholic extracts.     

Interrogation of Microporous Silica by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Microporous sol-gels prepared from a tetramethyl orthosilicate precursor with 5-hydroxytryptophan, 5-HTPP, as a dopant were investigated by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI). Spectra of 5-HTPP and its oxidation products were obtained when (a) the matrix, -hydroxycinnamic acid, was included in the sol, (b) thin wafers of silica were used, and (c) the surface of the gel was abraded after mounting the sol-gel on the MALDI sample puck so that laser reflection was minimized. The methodology permitted elucidation of the 5-HTPP oxidation pathway. In microporous silica a low molecular product, the dione, was obtained whereas in a mesoporous matrix, dimeric products were formed.     

Ultrafiltration and Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry of Chlorolignins in Pulp Mill Effluent

Abstract

Investigations on the effluent of a German pulp mill on the river Rhine using ultrafiltration and pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry have shown the presence of several chlorinated 2-methoxyphenols, which probably originate from chlorinated lignin or lignosulfic acid. Chlorinated phenolic pyrolysis products identified were 2-methoxy-6-chlorophenol, 2-methoxy-4-methyl-6-chlorophenol, 2-methoxy-dichlorophenol, 2-methoxy-4-vinyl-6-chlorophenol, 2-methoxy-4-(chloropropyl)phenol, 2-methoxy-4-(prop-2-enyl)-6-chlorophenol, 2-methoxy-4-(propan-2-one)-6-chlorophenol, 2-methoxy-3, 5, 6-trichlorophenol, 2-methoxy-4-vinyl-3, 5, 6-trichlorophenol. Monochlorinated 2-methoxyphenols were the dominant chlorinated pyrolysis products, smaller amounts of di- and trichloromethoxyphenols were also detected. 2-Methoxyphenols (guaiacols) were the dominant lignin pyrolysis products, only small amounts of 2, 6-dimethoxyphenols (syringols) were detected. This indicates the origin from soft wood. A Py-(GC)-(MS)-TIC-chromatogram of reference spruce milled wood lignin is comparable with the TIC-chromatogram of pulp mill effluent MW-fraction > 10,000, showing many similar compounds. The ultrafiltration fraction 1000 < MW < 10,000 showed a remarkably empty TIC-chromatogram, with 2-methoxyphenol and 2-methoxy-6-chlorophenol as the only significant phenolic peaks. This may indicate a high degree of oxidation/chlorination of lignin in this fraction.