The mass spectrometry of some aromatic azides

Bromophenyl azides provide the only exceptions to the observation that nitrogen (N₂) is eliminated from the molecular ions. Splitting out of HCN, C₂H₂ and (in the case of acyl or o-nitroaryl azides) CO are important processes.     

Detection of carbonyl groups in triterpenoids by hydroxylamine hydrochloride derivatization using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

A rapid, simple electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) sensitivity enhancement method for detecting carbonyl groups in triterpenoids has been developed by using hydroxylamine hydrochloride (NH(2)OH . HCl) as a derivatization reagent. We use the oxime formed during the derivatization reactions and its Beckmann rearrangement intermediates as a means of detecting the carbonyl groups originally present in these triterpenoids. In comparison with other derivatization methods reported in the literature, this method is simple, specific and can be used to detect carbonyl groups in triterpenoids which have low polarity and are poorly or non-ionizable. Moreover, it can also be used to detect hydroxyl groups by using the Dess-Martin periodinane (DMP) to convert primary and secondary hydroxyls into carbonyl groups.     

Analysis of urinary aromatic acids by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

The separation and detection of 11 urinary aromatic acids was developed using HPLC-MS/MS. The method features a simple sample preparation involving a single-step dilution with internal standard and a rapid 8 min chromatographic separation. The accuracy was evaluated by the recovery of known spikes between 87 and 110%. Inter- and intra-assay precision (CV) was below 11% in all cases and the analytes were observed to be stable for up to 8 weeks when stored at -20 degrees C. The method was validated based upon linearity, accuracy, precision and stability and was used to establish reference intervals for children and adults.     

Analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by ion trap tandem mass spectrometry

An ion-trap mass spectrometer with a wave board and tandem mass spectrometry software was used to analyze gas chromatographically separated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by using collision-induced dissociation (CID). The nonresonant (multiple collision) mode was used to determine the conditions for CID ionization of 18 PAHs. Unlike in electron impact (EI) analysis, the relative abundances of progeny ions of isomers were statistically different (using Student’s t-test) in CID analysis, thus making isomer identification by CID possible. For comparison, CID and EI were applied to the analysis of used motor oil. CID analysis was shown to be more sensitive than EI analysis of the used motor oil. Precision at the 10-ppb level for EI and CID showed relative standard deviations of 5. 2 and 7. 7%, respectively.     

Identification of face-to-face inclusion complex formation of cyclodextrin bearing an azobenzene group by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The solution-based self-assembly of native and permethylated cyclodextrins (CD) bearing an azobenzene substituent has been studied by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The results revealed that the CD molecules form either a contact or a face-to-face inclusion complex depending on the interaction of their substituents. The mass spectrometric study further demonstrated that the inclusion complex is formed through the interaction between the host CD cavity and the guest-substituent and that a contact complex is formed by hydrogen-bonding of the hydroxyl functions at the rims of the CD molecule. We also found that in order to detect the face-to-face inclusion complex by ESI-MS, the following conditions have to be met: (1) The CD moieties must be permethylated to avoid formation of the contact complex, (2) they must possess a guest-substituent of suitable length, such as an azobenzene moiety, and (3) they must possess an NH(2) or OH group at the substituent terminals for protonation and for detection as cations by ESI-MS. Formation of the inclusion complexes was further confirmed by the synthesis of a capped inclusion dimer and a capped monomer. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiments have been carried out for the contact, the host-guest inclusion, and the capped inclusion dimers, and the contact complexes are found to be the most stable among them.     

Identification of tellurium-containing compounds by means of mass spectrometry

A general mass spectrophotometric method for the identification of tellurium-containing compounds is described. The method is based on the analysis of the typical pattern of cluster peaks containing tellurium due to -Te-, -Te₂- or

(X = Cl, Br). A comparison of the computer calculated and experimental mass spectra of some of the compounds containing tellurium is given.     

Identification of bismuth-thiolate-carboxylate clusters by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The known thermal and hydrolytic stability of bismuth-sulfur bonds indicates that biological targets for bismuth likely involve thiol or thiolate functionalities, such as in L-cysteine. Complexes of bismuth with cysteine or other thiol-carboxylic acid ligands have been isolated and characterized providing a preliminary view of the potential participation of these functional groups in the biochemical mechanisms involving bismuth. A broader assessment of bismuth-thiolate interactions has been possible using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). A wide range of complexes has been observed containing mercaptosuccinic acid, 2-mercaptopropionic acid, 3-mercaptopropionic acid, and/or 2-amino-3-mercaptopropionic acid (cysteine). The identification of various multibismuth multiligand cluster ions defines new chemistry for bismuth.     

Identification of gel-separated tumor marker proteins by mass spectrometry

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis with subsequent analysis by mass spectrometry was applied to study differences in protein expression between benign and malignant solid tumors from human beast, lung and ovary cells. Cells from freshly resected clinical material were lysed and the extracts were subjected to isoelectric focusing with immobilized pH gradients followed by second-dimensional separation on 10-13% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)/polyacrylamide gels. Polypeptides were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry after in-gel protein digestion. Some of the upregulated polypeptides in malignant cells are of potential importance as markers of tumor proliferation. Twenty such proteins were identified, ten constituting novel identifications and ten sequence verifications of previously gel-matched proteins. The proteins identified span a wide range of functions, but several cases of protein truncation were found. Truncated forms of cytokeratins 6D and 8, and of cathepsin D were identified. Truncated froms of these over-expressed proteins support the presence of proteolytic processing steps in tumor material. The protein processing and the difference between protein and mRNA abundancies in tumors of different malignancy and origin suggest that studies at the protein level are important for an understanding of tumor phenotypes.     

Identification of compounds in wine by HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry

In this work several compounds were detected in wines by HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry. In particular cinnamic and benzoic acids, tyrosol, apigenin-7-glucoside and luteolin-7-glucoside were identified and quantified in Italian wines. Red wines show bigger amount of cinnamic and benzoic acids than white wines. tyrosol is in bigger amount with respect to two flavones: luteolin-7-glucoside and apigenin-7-glucoside. These last two flavones are only in some wine, but it can be important to detect the presence of different substances in small amount to be able to characterize a wine.     

Identification of platelet activating factor by tandem mass spectrometry

Platelet activating factor, a phospholipid (1-O-alkyl-2-O-acetyl-sn-glycerophosphocholine), is a potent mediator of inflammation and acute hypersensitivity reactions. Chemical ionization mass spectra provide useful information for confirmation of structure. However at low levels the confirmation of structure in biological samples is difficult because the chemical noise level is too great. Collisionally activated decomposition daughter spectra of the protonated molecule and major fragment ions of authentic standards were recorded and are discussed. Selected tandem mass spectral scans provided the improvement in signal-to-noise to allow positive confirmation of structure at nanogram levels in partially purified extracts from a biological source, the epidermal cell secretions of the saltwater catfish Arius thalassinus.     

基于质谱技术识别脂质双键位置的研究进展

脂质在能量贮存和信号传递方面发挥着巨大作用,同时还是生物膜的主要组成成分。不饱和脂质双键位置不同,生理学意义和生物学功能会有很大差异,因此脂质双键位置的识别至关重要。质谱具有灵敏快速、准确度高等优势,已成为脂质结构研究的重要方法。近年来,不同原理的电离技术与选择性衍生反应迅速发展起来,与质谱相结合已广泛应用于多种脂质双键位置的识别。本文主要对这些新型质谱技术进行总结,并展望了其未来发展趋势。     

Identification of Barrenwort flavonoids by high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry

Fragmentation of the main Barrenwort flavonoids—icariin, icaritin, icarisides I and II, and epimedins A and B—is studied by tandem mass spectrometry. High-resolution mass spectra of positively charged ions of these compounds are obtained under the conditions of collision-induced dissociation. Characteristic fragment ions are determined, which ensured the classification of unknown compounds as Barrenwort flavonoids. Epimedin C was isolated from raw plant material by preparative liquid chromatography; its structure was confirmed by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra.     

High-pressure collisional activation mass spectrometry of aromatic halides

The high-pressure collisional activation mass spectra with methane as the reagent/collision gas are reported for five aromatic halides. The major decomposition of the protonated aromatic halides is hydrogen halide elimination. The energy-resolved mass spectra and the chemical reactivities of fragment ions with the methane collision gas are used to establish dissociation pathways and structures of fragment ions. The high-pressure collisional activation mass spectra are compared with conventional collisionally induced dissociation and chemical ionization mass spectra.     

Identification of hydroxymethylpyrazines using mass spectrometry

Pyrazines are well‐known natural products that are present in bacterial odours and food flavouring agents and are used as insect pheromones. Recently, a number of hydroxymethylpyrazines have been identified as thynnine wasp pheromones and orchid semiochemicals that are essential for pollination in sexually deceptive plants. These compounds are present in low amounts in complex blends, making GC–MS (including high‐resolution techniques) the method of choice for their structure elucidation. We report the EI mass spectra for 14 representative compounds and have found that based on characteristic fragmentations, it is possible to distinguish between different positional isomers of hydroxymethylpyrazines. The presence or absence of either [M ? 17]⁺, [M ? 18]^+· or [M ? 19]⁺ fragment species provides characteristic information to allow the distinction between the different isomers. Considering the importance of pyrazines as a group of bioactive natural products, and the recent findings of biological activity for hydroxymethylpyrazines, our results presented here will aid the identification of these compounds in other biological systems. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification of degradation products of indigoids by tandem mass spectrometry

The study concerns identification of photodegradation products of indigotin, indirubin and isoindigo. Experimental methodology consists of degradation of standard solutions of indigoids in a solar box and analysis of samples taken at different aging time by using capillary high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric and spectrophotometric detectors. Identification of the formed compounds was based on careful interpretation of the electrospray ionization MS/MS spectra. Apart from the well‐known degradation products of indigoids: isatin, isatoic anhydride and anthranilic acid, another seven species were also identified, and their proposed structures were confirmed by high‐resolution molecular masses measurements; according to the best knowledge of authors, they have not been reported so far. The obtained results formed the basis for postulating mechanism of the process. Moreover, the MRM (Multiple Reaction Monitoring) method was developed for the identification of natural dyes and their degradation products in textiles of historical value. Apart from such colorants as indigotin and flavonoids, also presence of degradation products of indigoids was confirmed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification of lignans by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization ion-trap mass spectrometry

The fragmentation pattern of 30 compounds belonging to different classes of the lignan family was studied by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization ion-trap mass spectrometry. On the basis of the observed fragmentation patterns, identification of different types of lignans was achieved. For example, dibenzylbutyrolactone lignans showed a characteristic fragmentation pathway by the loss of 44 Da (CO(2)) from the lactone moiety, whereas dibenzylbutanediols showed a loss of 48 Da by a combined loss of formaldehyde and water from the 1,4-butanediol moiety. Lignan glycosides readily lost the sugar residue to give the parent lignan as their primary product ion. In addition, several compound-specific fragmentations were observed and used for identification of individual compounds.A versatile method for analyses of lignans was developed using LC separation on a C8 column followed by fragmentation and detection of ions produced in the ion trap.     

Identification of polymeric procyanidins from pine bark by mass spectrometry

Pine bark is an important source of polyphenolic compounds, mainly procyanidins, with reported protective effects against disease. In previous works, barks of two varieties of pine (P. pinaster and P. radiata) were extracted with ethanol, and partially purified to obtain the aqueous fractions (FA), that contained mainly polymeric procyanidins. The mean degree of polymerization was 7.9 for radiata (rFA) and 10.6 for pinaster (pFA). FAs were chromatographed on Sephadex LH‐20 by using a gradient of methanol, water and acetone, to render a series of sub‐fractions. In this work, the procyanidin compositions of these sub‐fractions were analyzed using matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF MS). The mass spectra of sub‐fractions from FA of P. pinaster showed signals of procyanidin polymers up to tridecamers, whereas for those from P. radiata the maximum degree of polymerization was 15. For this latter case, the MALDI‐TOF mass spectra detected the presence of prodelphinidins in a small amount. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification of unknown surfactants using electrospray mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy preceded by liquid ionization mass spectrometry

Commercially available but completely unknown surfactants used in the tin-lead plating industry were successfully identified by using electrospray mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy techniques, preceded by liquid ionization mass spectrometry used to obtain the preliminary information. The mass spectral data suggested that ethoxylated nonionic surfactants having a homologous distribution of molecular weights like 520, 564, 608, 652, 696, etc. were present. The NMR data suggested the presence of two aromatic rings and a quaternary carbon for the hydrophobe moiety instead of the well-known alkyl chains or alkylphenols. The unknown surfactants were finally concluded to be novel nonionic 4-(alpha,alpha-dimethylbenzyl)-phenol ethoxylates.