A novel structural analysis of glycerophosphocholines as TFA/K(+) adducts by electrospray ionization ion trap tandem mass spectrometry

When collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) of glycerophosphocholine (GPC) species is examined using quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometry (QITMS), the spectral patterns differ from those obtained using sector or quadrupole mass spectrometry. Methods employed in the structural analysis of GPCs using a sector or quadrupole mass spectrometers are not necessarily useful for an ion trap mass spectrometer. A novel method is presented for structurally analyzing GPCs that involves the CAD of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) adducts of kaliated GPCs. Solutions of GPCs in 0.1% TFA/methanol were electrosprayed to produce precursor ions by attaching a trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) molecule to a kaliated GPC molecule. The CAD-MS/MS spectra obtained by QITMS revealed a dramatic increase in the abundance of fragment ions, corresponding to the losses of sn-1 and sn-2 fatty acyl substituents. A preferential loss of the sn-1 fatty acyl group over the loss of the sn-2 fatty acyl group was observed among the GPC standards examined. A GPC extract from egg yolk was directly analyzed by this method without prior separation. The identities and positions of fatty acyl substituents of over 20 GPC species were identified. Some isomers present in very low relative abundance, which could not be analyzed by QITMS/MS using other ions as precursors, were identified by the TFA attachment method.     

Effects of transition metal ion coordination on the collision-induced dissociation of polyalanines

Transition metal-polyalanine complexes were analyzed in a high-capacity quadrupole ion trap after electrospray ionization. Polyalanines have no polar amino acid side chains to coordinate metal ions, thus allowing the effects metal ion interaction with the peptide backbone to be explored. Positive mode mass spectra produced from peptides mixed with salts of the first row transition metals Cr(III), Fe(II), Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(I), and Cu(II) yield singly and doubly charged metallated ions. These precursor ions undergo collision-induced dissociation (CID) to give almost exclusively metallated N-terminal product ions whose types and relative abundances depend on the identity of the transition metal. For example, Cr(III)-cationized peptides yield CID spectra that are complex and have several neutral losses, whereas Fe(III)-cationized peptides dissociate to give intense non-metallated products. The addition of Cu(II) shows the most promise for sequencing. Spectra obtained from the CID of singly and doubly charged Cu-heptaalanine ions, [M + Cu - H](+) and [M + Cu](2+) , are complimentary and together provide cleavage at every residue and no neutral losses. (This contrasts with [M + H](+) of heptaalanine, where CID does not provide backbone ions to sequence the first three residues.) Transition metal cationization produces abundant metallated a-ions by CID, unlike protonated peptides that produce primarily b- and y-ions. The prominence of metallated a-ions is interesting because they do not always form from b-ions. Tandem mass spectrometry on metallated (Met = metal) a- and b-ions indicate that [b(n) + Met - H](2+) lose CO to form [a(n) + Met - H](2+), mimicking protonated structures. In contrast, [a(n) + Met - H](2+) eliminate an amino acid residue to form [a(n-1) + Met - H](2+), which may be useful in sequencing.     

Characterization of phosphatidylethanolamine as a lithiated adduct by triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization

Structural characterization of the glycerophosphoethanolamine (GPE) molecule as a lithiated adduct ion by collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization is described. Abundant fragment ions reflecting polar head group and fatty acid constituents were observed in the product ion spectrum of GPE, which permits an unambiguous structural determination, including the regiospecificity of fatty acyl substituents. The pathways leading to the formation of fragment ions are proposed. The suggested mechanisms are supported by the tandem mass spectra of various deuterated analogs and source CAD of GPE followed by CAD tandem mass spectrometry. Identification of GPE molecular species and specific GPE subclasses in a biological mixture by tandem mass spectrometry with various constant neutral loss scannings is also described.     

Characterization of cardiolipin as the sodiated ions by positive-ion electrospray ionization with multiple stage quadrupole ion-trap mass spectrometry

The application of multiple-stage ion-trap (IT) mass spectrometric methods for the structural characterization of cardiolipin (CL), a 1,3-bisphosphatidyl-sn-glycerol that consists of four fatty acyl chains and three glycerol backbones (designated as A, B, and central glycerol, respectively), as the sodiated adduct ions in the positive-ion mode was evaluated. Following collisionally activated dissociation (CAD), the [M - 2H + 3Na]+ ions of CL yield two prominent fragment ion pairs that consist of the phosphatidyl moieties attached to the 1'- and 3'-position of the central glycerol, respectively, resulting from the differential losses of the diacylglycerol moieties containing A and B glycerol, respectively. The results are consistent with those previously described for the [M - H]- and [M - 2H + Na]- ions in the negative-ion mode, thus permitting assignment of the two phosphatidyl moieties attached to the 1'- or 3'-position of the central glycerol. The identities of the fatty acyl substituents and their positions on the glycerol backbones (glycerol A and B) are deduced from further degradation of the above ion pairs that give the fragment ions reflecting the fatty acid substituents at the sn-1 (or sn-1') and sn-2 (or sn-2') positions. The ions that arise from losses of the fatty acid substituents at sn-1 and sn-1', respectively, are prominent, but the analogous ions from losses of the fatty acid substituents at sn-2 and sn-2', respectively, are of low abundance in the MS2 product-ion spectra. This feature further confirms the assignment of the positions of the fatty acid substituents. The similar IT multiple-stage mass spectrometric approaches including MS2 and MS3 for structural characterization of CL using its [M + Na]+ and the [M - H + 2Na]+ ions are also readily applicable. However, their uses for structural characterization are less desirable because formation of the [M + Na]+ and the [M - H + 2Na]+ ions for CL is not predictable.     

Investigation on C2-ceramide complexes with transition metal ions using electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) is applied for the investigation of C(2)-ceramide complexes with transition metal ions. Ceramide plays an important role in the regulation of various signaling pathways leading to proliferation, differentiation or apoptotic cell death. The formation and fragmentation of doubly charged cluster ions as well as singly charged cluster ions of C(2)-ceramide with transition metal ions (Mn(2+), Fe(2+), Co(2+) and Ni(2+)) are studied by ESI-MS/MS in the positive mode. Tube lens offset voltage and concentrations of C(2)-ceramide and transition metals are optimized to determine the best conditions for generating doubly charged cluster ions. The fragmentation pathways of metal ion complexes with C(2)-ceramide and the compositions of these complexes are determined by collision induced dissociation (CID). All transition metal ions (Mn(2+), Fe(2+), Co(2+) and Ni(2+) except Cu(2+)) shows similar complexation with C(2) ceramide. The unique complexation behavior of copper(II) is responsible for the different geometry of the complexes and relatively lower affinity of ceramide to copper(II) than those to other transition metals.     

Capillary isotachophoretic determinations of metal ions by use of complexation equilibria in acetone-water medium

The determination of metal ions by capillary isotachophoresis and the complexation equilibria between metal ions and polyaminopolycarboxylic acids has been investigated. A seven-component mixture of metal ions can be separated in 45% v/v acetone-water medium when EDTA or DCTA is used as the terminating ion. Linear calibration graphs are obtained for a standard mixture of Mn(+), Cu(2+), Zn(2+), Cd(2+), Pb(2+) and Fe(3+) in the range 0.5-5.0 nmole, with relative standard deviations of 1.0% or better. The effective mobilities of the Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes increase in parallel with the stability constants, except for the Cu(II) complexes. It is concluded that the abnormal behaviour of the Cu(II) complexes may be attributed to a difference in steric configuration.     

Formation of lithiated adducts of glycerophosphocholine lipids facilitates their identification by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem mass spectrometry (MS) has simplified analysis of phospholipid mixtures, and, in negative ion mode, permits structural identification of picomole amounts of phospholipid species. Collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) of phospholipid anions yields negative ion tandem mass spectra that contain fragment ions representing the fatty acid substituents as carboxylate anions. Glycerophosphocholine (GPC) lipids contain a quaternary nitrogen moiety and more readily form cationic adducts than anionic species, and positive ion tandem mass spectra of protonated GPC species contain no abundant ions that identify fatty acid substituents. We report here that lithiated adducts of GPC species are readily formed by adding lithium hydroxide to the solution in which phospholipid mixtures are infused into the ESI source. CAD of [MLi⁺] ions of GPC species yields tandem mass spectra that contain prominent ions representing losses of the fatty acid substituents. These ions and their relative abundances can be used to assign the identities and positions of the fatty acid substituents of GPC species. Tandem mass spectrometric scans monitoring neutral losses of the head-group or of fatty acid substituents from lithiated adducts can be used to identify GPC species in tissue phospholipid mixtures. Similar scans monitoring parents of specific product ions can also be used to identify the fatty acid substituents of GPC species, and this facilitates identification of distinct isobaric contributors to ions observed in the ESI/MS total ion current.     

Electron capture dissociation of complexes of diacylglycerophosphocholine and divalent metal ions: Competition between charge reduction and radical induced phospholipid fragmentation

Divalent metal complexes of phosphocholines, [Metal(II)(L)(n)](2+) (where Metal=Cu(2+), Co(2+), Mg(2+), and Ca(2+), L=1,2-dihexanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine [6:0/6:0GPCho] and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine [16:0/18:1GPCho] and n=2-5), were formed upon electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI/MS) of 8 mM solution of phosphocholine (L) with 4 mM metal salt (Metal). The electron capture dissociation (ECD) reactions of these [Metal(II)(L)(n)](2+) complexes were examined via Fourier-transform ion-cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. A rich and complex chemistry was observed, including charge reduction and fragmentation involving losses of a methyl radical, trimethylamine, and the acyl chains. The predominant reaction channel was dependent on the size (n) of the complex, the metal and ligand used, and the size of the acyl chain. Thus charge reduction dominates the ECD spectra of the larger phosphocholine, 16:0/18:1GPCho, but is largely absent in the smaller 6:0/6:0GPCho. For complexes of 16:0/18:1GPCho, n=4-5, fragmentation from the head group mainly occurs via loss of the methyl radical and trimethylamine. At n=3, the relative abundance of fragments due to loss of acyl chain radicals increases. The abundances of ions arising from these radical losses increase further for the n=2 complexes, thereby providing information on the composition and position of the 16:0 and 18:1 acyl groups. Thus ECD of metal complexes provides structurally useful information on the phosphocholine, including the nature of the head group, the acyl chains, and the positions of the acyl chains.     

Electrospray ionization/tandem quadrupole mass spectrometric studies on phosphatidylcholines: the fragmentation processes

We applied low-energy collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry to study the fragmentation pathways of the [M + H](+) and [M + Li](+) ions of phosphatidylcholine (PC), generated by electrospray ionization (ESI). It is revealed that the fragmentation pathways leading to loss of the polar head group and of the fatty acid substituents do not involve the hydrogens attached to the glycerol backbone as previously reported. The pathway for formation of the major ion of m/z 184 by loss of the polar head group from the [M + H](+) precursor of a diacyl PC involves the participation of the alpha-hydrogen of the fatty acyl substituents, whereas the H(+) participates in the loss of fatty acid moieties. The alpha-hydrogens of the fatty acid substituents also participate in the major fragmentation processes, including formation of [M + Li-R(x)CO(2)H](+) and [M + Li-59-R(x)CO(2)H](+) ions for the [M + Li](+) ions of diacyl PCs, when subjected to low-energy CAD. These fragmentation processes are deterred by substitution of the fatty acyl moieties with alkyl, alkenyl, or hydroxyl groups and consequentially, result in a distinct product-ion spectrum for various PC, including diacyl-, plasmanyl- plasmenyl-, and lyso-PC isomers. The alpha-hydrogens of the fatty acyl substituents at sn-2 are more labile than those at sn-1. This is reflected by the preferential loss of the R(1)CO(2)H over the R(2)CO(2)H observed for the [M + Li](+) ions of diacyl PCs. The spectrum features resulting from the preferential losses permit identification and assignment of the fatty acid moieties in the glycerol backbone. The new fragmentation pathways established by tandem and source CAD tandem mass spectra of various PC molecules, including deuterium-labeling analogs, were proposed. These pathways would clarify the mechanisms underlying the ion formations that lead to the structural characterization of PC molecules.     

Structural characterization of triacylglycerols as lithiated adducts by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry using low-energy collisionally activated dissociation on a triple stage quadrupole instrument

We describe features of tandem mass spectra of lithiated adducts of triacylglycerol (TAG) species obtained by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ms) with low-energy collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) on a triple stage quadrupole instrument. The spectra distinguish isomeric triacylglycerol species and permit assignment of the mass of each fatty acid substituent and positions on the glycerol backbone to which substituents are esterified. Source CAD-MS2 experiments permit assignment of double bond locations in polyunsaturated fatty acid substituents. The ESI/MS/MS spectra contain [M + Li - (RnCO2H)]+, [M + Li - (RnCO2Li)]+, and RnCO+ ions, among others, that permit assignment of the masses of fatty acid substituents. Relative abundances of these ions reflect positions on the glycerol backbone to which substituents are esterified. The tandem spectra also contain ions reflecting combined elimination of two adjacent fatty acid residues, one of which is eliminated as a free fatty acid and the other as an alpha, beta-unsaturated fatty acid. Such combined losses always involve the sn-2 substituent, and this feature provides a robust means to identify that substituent. Fragment ions reflecting combined losses of both sn-1 and sn-3 substituents without loss of the sn-2 substituent are not observed. Schemes are proposed to rationalize formation of major fragment ions in tandem mass spectra of lithiated TAG that are supported by studies with deuterium-labeled TAG and by source CAD-MS2 experiments. These schemes involve initial elimination of a free fatty acid in concert with a hydrogen atom abstracted from the alpha-methylene group of an adjacent fatty acid, followed by formation of a cyclic intermediate that decomposes to yield other characteristic fragment ions. Determination of double bond location in polyunsaturated fatty acid substituents of TAG is achieved by source CAD experiments in which dilithiated adducts of fatty acid substituents are produced in the ion source and subjected to CAD in the collision cell. Product ions are analyzed in the final quadrupole to yield information on double bond location.     

Characterization of cardiolipin from Escherichia coli by electrospray ionization with multiple stage quadrupole ion-trap mass spectrometric analysis of [M−2H+Na]− ions

We report a multiple-stage ion-trap (IT) mass spectrometric approach with electrospray ionization (ESI) for structural characterization of the [M - 2H + Na]- ion of cardiolipin (CL), a 1,3-bisphosphatidyl-sn-glycerol that consists of four fatty acyl chains and three glycerol backbones designated as A, B, and central glycerol, respectively (see Scheme 1). Following collisionally activated dissociation (CAD), the [M - 2H + Na]- ions of CL yield two prominent fragment ions that arise from the differential losses of the diacylglycerol moieties containing A or B glycerol, respectively. The tentative assignment of the two phosphatidyl moieties attached to the 1'- or 3'-position of the central glycerol is based on the observation that the ions arising from loss of the diacylglycerol moiety containing glycerol B is more abundant than that containing glycerol A. The structures of the above two ions, including the identities of the fatty acyl substituents and the position of fatty acyl substituents on the glycerol backbones (glycerol A and B) are determined by MS3 experiments that give spectra comprising several sets of prominent ions informative for the structural assignment of the fatty acyl substituents on the glycerol A and glycerol B. This method permits the structures of CL in a mixture isolated from Escherichia coli, including species that consist of various isomers, to be unveiled in detail.     

Tandem mass spectra of ammonium ion,metal ion and ligated metal ion adducts of acyclic sugar derivatives

The tandem mass (MS/MS) spectra of ammonium ion, metal ion and ligated metal ion adducts of chain-extended acyclic nitro-containing deoxyglucose and deoxygalactose derivatives have been studied. The ammonium adducts fragment primarily by elimination of ammonia followed by acetic acid, thus not giving much structural information. In contrast, cationization of these compounds by metal ions and ligated metal ions gave structurally informative and useful fragment ions on MS/MS. The metal ions and ligated metal ions play an important role in controlling and directing fragmentation. Retro-aldol fragmentation is facilitated by metal ions such as Li(+), Na(+), Ag(+) and Cu(+), whereas the adducts with higher alkali metal ions such as Rb(+) and Cs(+) fragment to give only the corresponding metal ions. The divalent metal ions such as Cu(2+) and Ba(2+) also induce retro-aldol fragmentation. However, the charge is carried by the aldehyde fragment in the case of Cu(2+) adducts, whereas the nitroalkane fragment carries the charge in the case of Ba(2+) adducts. Ligated metal ions such as ZnCl(+), CuCl(+), InCl(2) (+) and BaCl(+) also behave similarly and induce retro-aldol fragmentation in these acyclic sugars. Both the metal ion and ligated metal ion adducts can fragment by elimination of metal-containing neutral molecules.     

Influence of the metal and chiral diamine on metal(II)salen catalysed, asymmetric synthesis of α-methyl α-amino acids

The influence of the metal ion and chiral diamine used to form a metal(salen) complex on the catalytic activity of the complex in the asymmetric benzylation of an alanine enolate was investigated. Only metal ions which could form square-planar complexes gave catalytically active complexes, and best results were obtained with metal ions from the first row of transition metals, particularly copper(II) and cobalt(II). Salen ligands derived from acyclic, chiral 1,2-diamines were found to generate poor catalysts, an effect which seems to correlate with the ability of the substituents within the diamine to adopt a conformation in which they are anti to one another. Complexes derived from a variety of 5- and 6-membered cyclic 1,2-diamines did form active catalysts, but the enantioselectivity was always far lower than that of the parent cyclohexane-1,2-diamine derived complex.     

Development and applications of fluorescent indicators for Mg2+ and Zn2+

In a study of the spectroscopic behavior of two Schiff base derivatives, salicylaldehyde salicylhydrazone (1) and salicylaldehyde benzoylhydrazone (2), Schiff base 1 has high selectivity for Zn(2+) ion not only in abiotic systems but also in living cells. The ion selectivity of 1 for Zn(2+) can be switched for Mg(2+) by swapping the solvent from ethanol-water to DMF (N,N-dimethylformamide)-water mixtures. Imine 2 is a good fluorescent probe for Zn(2+) in ethanol-water media. Many other ions tested, such as Li(+), Na(+), Al(3+), K(+), Ca(2+), Cr(3+), Mn(2+), Fe(3+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), Cu(2+), Ag(+), Cd(2+), Sn(2+), Ba(2+), Hg(2+), and Pb(2+), failed to induce any spectral change in various solvents. The selectivity mechanism of 1 and 2 for metal ions is based on a combinational effect of proton transfer (ESPT), C═N isomerization, and chelation-enhanced fluorescence (CHEF). The coordination modes of the complexes were investigated.     

Selective detection of mercury (II) ion using nonlinear optical properties of gold nanoparticles

Contamination of the environment with heavy metal ions has been an important concern throughout the world for decades. Driven by the need to detect trace amounts of mercury in environmental samples, this article demonstrates for the first time that nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of MPA-HCys-PDCA-modified gold nanoparticles can be used for rapid, easy and reliable screening of Hg(II) ions in aqueous solution, with high sensitivity (5 ppb) and selectivity over competing analytes. The hyper Rayleigh scattering (HRS) intensity increases 10 times after the addition of 20 ppm Hg(2+) ions to modified gold nanoparticle solution. The mechanism for HRS intensity change has been discussed in detail using particle size-dependent NLO properties as well as a two-state model. Our results show that the HRS assay for monitoring Hg(II) ions using MPA-HCys-PDCA-modified gold nanoparticles has excellent selectivity over alkali, alkaline earth (Li(+), Na(+), K(+), Mg(2+), Ca(2+)), and transition heavy metal ions (Pb(2+), Pb(+), Mn(2+), Fe(2+), Cu(2+), Ni(2+), Zn(2+), Cd(2+)).     

Role of metal ions in the destruction of TATP: theoretical considerations

The safe decomposition of solid TATP (triacetone triperoxide) explosive is examined theoretically. The route to destruction starts with formation of metal complexes between a metal ion and the TATP molecule. The second step is decomposition of the molecules into stable final products. We examined the structure and stability of both metal ion (including Na(+), Cu(+), Cu(2+), Co(2+), and Zn(2+)) and proton complexes with TATP using quantum chemical calculations at the DFT-PBE0 level of theory. In addition, for each ion complex, we determined the initial steps in the pathway to decomposition together with the associated transition states. We find that the products of decomposition, in particular, acetone, are also stabilized by ion metal complexes. In agreement with experiment, we find the best candidates for metal ion induced decomposition are Cu(2+) and Zn(2+).     

Evaluation of chiral recognition characteristics of metal and proton complexes of di-o-benzoyl-tartaric acid dibutyl ester and L-tryptophan in the gas phase

Chiral recognition of di-o-benzoyl-tartaric acid dibutyl ester (T) was achieved in the gas phase by electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. In this method two divalent transition metal cations, zinc(II) and copper(II), were used as binding metal ions, and L-tryptophan (A) was used as a chiral reference. Multimeric complexes were readily formed by electrospray ionization of a methanol:water (50:50) solution containing metal ion, L-tryptophan and T. These multimeric complexes included singly charged protonated dimeric [TAH](+), doubly charged copper(II) bound tetrameric [TACu-H](2)(2+) and doubly charged zinc(II) bound tetrameric [TAZn-H](2)(2+), together with other complexes. The mass-selected complex, i.e., [TAH](+), [TACu-H](2)(2+) and [TAZn-H](2)(2+), was used to acquire the second stage mass spectra. The chiral recognition capability of these three complexes was evaluated using the abundance ratios of daughter ion to parent ion. A high degree of chiral recognition ability was observed in [TACu-H](2)(2+) and [TAZn-H](2)(2+). It was found that the type of binding ion played an important role in the chiral recognition. Different binding ions exhibited distinctive dissociation pathways and unique chiral recognition characteristics. The present method is based not only on whole-molecule loss but also on fractional-molecule loss. In addition, the reproducibility of the chiral recognition method was confirmed by several determinations of the abundance ratios of daughter ion to parent ion with a fixed activation energy and with five different activation energies. It was also shown that this chiral recognition method can tolerate acid interference.     

Formation and dissociation kinetics of triaza-crown-alkanoic acid complexes of transition metal(II) and lanthanide (III)

The formation and dissociation rates of some transition metal(II) and lanthanide(III) complexes of the 1,7,13-triaza-4,10,16-trioxacyclooctadecane N',N',N'-triacetic acid (1) and 1,7,13-triaza-4,10,16-trioxacyclooctadecane-N',N',N'- trimethylacetic acid (2) have been measured by the use of stopped-flow and conventional spectrophotometry. Experimental observations were made at 25.0 +/- 0.1 degrees C and at an ionic strength of 0.10 M KCl. The complexation of Zn(2+) and Cu(2+) ions with 1 and 2 proceeds through the formation of an intermediate complex (MH(3)L(+) *) in which the metal ion is incompletely coordinated. This may then lead to a final product in the rate-determining step. Between pH 4.68 and 5.55, the diprotonated (H(2)L(-)) form is revealed to be a kinetically active species despite its low concentration. The stability constants (log K (MH (3)L (+) *)) and specific base-catalyzed rate constants (k(OH)) of intermediate complexes have been determined from the kinetic data. The dissociation reactions of 1 and 2 complexes of Co(2+), Ni(2+), Zn(2+), Ce(3+), Eu(3+) and Yb(3+) were investigated with Cu(2+) ions as a scavenger in acetate buffer. All complexes exhibit acid-independent and acid-catalyzed contributions. The buffer and Cu(2+) concentration dependence on the dissociation rate has also been investigated. The metal and ligand effects on the dissociation rate of some transition metal(II) and lanthanide(III) complexes are discussed in terms of the ionic radius of the metal ions, the side-pendant arms and the rigidity of the ligands.     

Structural characterization of unsaturated glycerophospholipids by multiple-stage linear ion-trap mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization

Structural elucidation of glycerophospholipids (GPLs), including the polar head group, the position of double-bond(s) along the fatty acyl substituents, and the positions of acyl groups on the glycerol backbone, using multiple-stage liner ion-trap (LIT) mass spectrometric approach is described in this paper. While the product-ion spectra from MSn (n=2, 3) on the [M+Li]+ or [M-H+2Li]+ ions of GPL are readily applicable for discerning the phospholipid classes and for identifying and locating the fatty acid substituents on the glycerol backbone, the structural information from further dissociation of the dilithiated fatty acid cations produced from MSn (n=3, 4) on the [M-H+2Li]+ ion of GPLs, as well as from further dissociation of the monolithiated fragment ion that bears the unsaturated fatty acid moiety produced from subsequent MSn (n=3,4) on the [M+Li]+ ions of GPLs, affords assignment of the position of double-bond(s) along the fatty acyl groups. The application of the present method in the structural characterization of GPL molecules from the lipid extracts of biological origin, including mixtures of phosphatidylglycerol and of phosphatidylserine without prior chromatographic separation, is also demonstrated. Since lithiated molecular species of GPL are readily formed by ESI, this multiple-stage LIT mass spectrometric approach provides a direct means for the near-complete structural characterization of all the GPLs, including the molecules in the lysophospholipid and plasmalogen subclasses.