Electrospray mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry of bimetallic oxovanadium complexes

A series of six bimetallic oxovanadium complexes (1-6; only one was purified) were investigated by electrospray quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-QTOF-MS/MS) in negative-ion mode. Radical molecular anions [M](.-) were observed in MS mode. Fragmentation patterns of [M](.-) were proposed, and elemental compositions of most of the product ions were confirmed on the basis of the high-resolution ESI-CID-MS/MS spectra. A complicated series of low-abundance product ions similar to electron impact (EI) ionization spectra indicated the radical character of the precursor ions. Fragment ions at m/z 214, 200, and 182 seem to be the characteristic ions of bimetallic oxovanadium complexes. These ions implied the presence of a V-O-V bridge bond, which might contribute to stabilization of the radical. To obtain more information for structural elucidation, three representative bimetallic oxovanadium complexes (1-3) were analyzed further by MS in positive-ion mode. Positive-ion ESI-MS produced adduct ions of [M + H](+), [M + Na](+), and [M + K](+). The fragmentation patterns of [M + Na](+) were different than those of radical molecular anions [M](.-). Relatively simple fragmentation occurred for [M + Na](+), possibly due to even-electron ion character. Negative-ion MS and MS/MS spectra of the hydrolysis product of Complex 1 supported these finding, in particular, the existence of a V-O-V bridge bond.     

Improved mass accuracy for tandem mass spectrometry

With the emergence of top-down proteomics, the ability to achieve high mass measurement accuracy on tandem MS/MS data will be beneficial for protein identification and characterization. (FT-ICR) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometers are the ideal instruments to perform these experiments with their ability to provide high resolution and mass accuracy. A major limitation to mass measurement accuracy in FT-ICR instruments arises from the occurrence of space charge effects. These space charge effects shift the cyclotron frequency of the ions, which compromises the mass measurement accuracy. While several methods have been developed that correct these space charge effects, they have limitations when applied to MS/MS experiments. It has already been shown that additional information inherent in electrospray spectra can be used for improved mass measurement accuracy with the use of a computer algorithm called DeCAL (deconvolution of Coulombic affected linearity). This paper highlights a new application of the strategy for improved mass accuracy in tandem mass analysis. The results show a significant improvement in mass measurement accuracy on complex electron capture dissociation spectra of proteins. We also demonstrate how the improvement in mass accuracy can increase the confidence in protein identification from the fragment masses of proteins acquired in MS/MS experiments.     

Identification of the 'wrong' active pharmaceutical ingredient in a counterfeit Halfan drug product using accurate mass electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry,accurate mass tandem mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry

Methodology is presented for identifying an unknown active (pharmaceutical) ingredient (AI) in a counterfeit drug product. A range of mass spectrometric techniques, i.e., accurate mass mass spectrometry, tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS), has been employed to determine the AI in a counterfeit Halfan suspension, an antimalarial drug. In particular, use of LockSpray accurate mass MS/MS allowed identification of parts of the molecule from fragments, hence limiting the number of possible elemental compositions for the nominal mass of 278 found for the AI in the counterfeit product. The analysis of the isotope pattern observed for the protonated molecule further reduced the number of possible elemental compositions. A literature search for readily commercially available compounds of molecular formula C(12)H(14)N(4)O(2)S suggested that the AI was either sulfamethazine or sulfisomidine. An LC/MS separation of those two compounds and reference MS/MS spectra obtained for sulfamethazine and sulfisomidine led to the conclusion that the AI in the counterfeit Halfan suspension is sulfamethazine, which is an antibacterial agent.     

Hybrid mass spectrometers for tandem mass spectrometry

Mass spectrometers that use different types of analyzers for the first and second stages of mass analysis in tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) experiments are often referred to as "hybrid" mass spectrometers. The general goal in the design of a hybrid instrument is to combine different performance characteristics offered by various types of analyzers into one mass spectrometer. These performance characteristics may include mass resolving power, the ion kinetic energy for collision-induced dissociation, and speed of analysis. This paper provides a review of the development of hybrid instruments over the last 30 years for analytical applications.     

An introduction to quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry

A brief introduction is presented to the basic principles and application of a quadrupole-time-of-flight (TOF) tandem mass spectrometer. The main features of reflecting TOF instruments with orthogonal injection of ions are discussed. Their operation and performance are compared with those of triple quadrupoles with electrospray ionization and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) TOF mass spectrometers. Examples and recommendations are provided for all major operational modes: mass spectrometry (MS) and tandem MS (MS/MS), precursor ion scans and studies of non-covalent complexes. Basic algorithms for liquid chromatography/MS/MS automation are discussed and illustrated by two applications.     

Quantitative and confirmative performance of liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry compared to tandem mass spectrometry

The quantitative and confirmative performance of two different mass spectrometry (MS) techniques (high-resolution MS and tandem MS) was critically compared. Evaluated was a new extraction and clean-up protocol which was developed to cover more than 100 different veterinary drugs at trace levels in a number of animal tissues and honey matrices. Both detection techniques, high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) (single-stage Orbitrap instrument operated at 50 000 full width at half maximum) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) (quadrupole technology) were used to validate the method according to the EU Commission Decision 2002/657/EEC. Equal or even a slightly better quantitative performance was observed for the HRMS-based approach. Sensitivity is higher for unit mass resolution MS/MS if only a subset of the 100 compounds has to be monitored. Confirmation of suspected positive findings can be done by evaluating the intensity ratio between different MS/MS transitions, or by accurate mass based product ion traces (no precursor selection applied). MS/MS relies on compound-specific optimized transitions; hence the second, confirmatory transition generally shows relatively high ion abundance (fragmentation efficacy). This is often not the case in single-stage HRMS, since a generic (not compound-optimized) collision energy is applied. Hence, confirmation of analytes present at low levels is superior when performed by MS/MS. Slightly better precision, but poorer accuracy (fortified matrix extracts versus pure standard solution) of ion ratios were observed when comparing data obtained by HRMS versus MS/MS.     

Electrospray tandem mass spectrometry of lexitropsins

Several compounds, representative of the class of lexitropsins, were analyzed by electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. The study of the fragmentations of the protonated molecular species ([M + H](+)) and of selected fragment ions allowed proposals for the main fragmentation pathways of compounds of this type. The interpretation of the fragmentation pathways of these compounds was complicated because of intramolecular hydrogen migration. In order to better understand the fragmentation pathways, the MS/MS/MS spectra of several compounds, and the MS/MS and MS/MS/MS spectra of the deuterated compounds, were obtained. Accurate mass measurements helped elucidate the structures of smaller fragment ions. Low-energy collision-induced decomposition (CID) tandem mass spectrometry of lexitropsins with electrospray ionization has proven to be a good method for the structural characterization and identification of this class of compounds. Main fragmentation pathways occur by cleavage of the peptide bond followed by the elimination of the substituted pyrrole ring, and their elucidation will facilitate structural characterization of new lexitropsins.     

Screening non-colored phenolics in red wines using liquid chromatography/ultraviolet and mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry libraries

Liquid chromatography/ultraviolet (LC/UV) and mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (MS/MS) libraries containing 39 phenolic compounds were established by coupling a LC and an ion trap MS with an electrospray ionization (ESI) source, operated in negative ion mode. As a result, the deprotonated [M-H]- molecule was observed for all the analyzed compounds. Using MS/MS hydroxybenzoic acid and hydroxycinnamic acids showed a loss of CO2 and production of a [M-H-44]- fragment and as expected, the UV spectra of these two compounds were affected by their chemical structures. For flavonol and flavonol glycosides, the spectra of their glycosides and aglycones produced deprotonated [M-H]- and [A-H]- species, respectively, and their UV spectra each presented two major absorption peaks. The UV spectra and MS/MS data of flavan-3-ols and stilbenes were also investigated. Using the optimized LC/MS/MS analytical conditions, the phenolic extracts from six representative wine samples were analyzed and 31 phenolic compounds were detected, 26 of which were identified by searching the LC/UV and MS/MS libraries. Finally, the presence of phenolic compounds was confirmed in different wine samples using the LC/UV and LC/MS/MS libraries.     

AutoScan: an automated workstation for rapid determination of mass and tandem mass spectrometry conditions for quantitative bioanalytical mass spectrometry

An automated flow injection analysis (FIA) mass spectrometry system (AutoScan) was developed to allow rapid unattended determination of optimal conditions during mass (ms) and tandem mass spectrometry (ms/ms) on new chemical entities (NCEs) arranged in 96-well plates. The 96-well plate is placed on the deck of a modified Gilson Multiprobe autosampler for injection into a PE Sciex API 2000 triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. A customized software interface is used to create the necessary scan experiments by associating each 96-well plate of NCEs to be scanned with an index file containing data on the identity of each analyte and its expected molecular weight. Analytes are injected four at a time into a custom injection manifold and conventional mass spectra are acquired in both polarities (+/-) using an alternating positive/negative Q1 scan function. The software determines the optimal polarity and definitive precursor ion for all analytes and uses the results to build the injection sequence for product ion scanning. The samples are automatically re-injected under MS/MS conditions, and product ion scans that loop among different collision energies are collected for each analyte. The resulting data are processed automatically and the optimal MS/MS transitions for each analyte are selected. A color-coded graphical interface facilitates data review. Any unusual ion transitions or transposition errors made during plate preparation are noted and corrected. Complete MS and MS/MS conditions are obtained for 96 compounds in about one hour and the resulting data are available for download as sample control injection sequence files.     

Evaluation of automated single mass spectrometry to tandem mass spectrometry function switching for comprehensive drug profiling analysis using a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer

A liquid chromatographic mass spectrometric strategy for systematic toxicological analysis (STA) is presented using the automatic 'on-the-fly' single mass spectrometry mode to tandem mass spectrometry mode (MS to MS/MS) switching abilities of a quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) instrument. During the chromatographic run, the quadrupole is initially set to transmit all masses until (an) ion(s) reaches a certain set threshold. Thereupon, the quadrupole automatically switches to the MS/MS mode, selecting the ion(s), which are subsequently fragmented in the high-efficiency hexapole collision cell, thus generating product ions that are further mass analyzed by the TOF. By limiting the TOF spectral accumulation time in the MS/MS mode to a statistically acceptable minimum, the quadrupole almost instantly switches back to the MS mode. Qualitative information, comprising the complementary MS ([M + H](+) ion mass) and MS/MS (informative product ion profile) data, as well as quantitative information obtained by integration of the MS extracted ion chromatogram(s), can be obtained in one single acquisition. Optimization of the automatic switching parameters, such as threshold, TOF spectral accumulation time, detection window and collision energy, was carried out by injection of a mix of 17 common drugs which were not necessarily baseline separated in the chromatographic system used. Indeed, the complete separation of the drugs is not deemed necessary since up to 8 different ions can 'simultaneously' be selected for MS/MS if they reach the preset criteria. In addition, the quantitative performance of the method was defined. In a second phase, the developed method was field-tested. To that end, the resulting data from extracts of urine samples were compared with and found to be in close concordance with those obtained by a standard toxicological analysis. This innovative approach clearly holds the potential for a substantial advance in the introduction of LC/MS in STA.     

Multiplex mass spectrometry imaging for latent fingerprints

We have previously developed in‐parallel data acquisition of orbitrap mass spectrometry (MS) and ion trap MS and/or MS/MS scans for matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization MS imaging (MSI) to obtain rich chemical information in less data acquisition time. In the present study, we demonstrate a novel application of this multiplex MSI methodology for latent fingerprints. In a single imaging experiment, we could obtain chemical images of various endogenous and exogenous compounds, along with simultaneous MS/MS images of a few selected compounds. This work confirms the usefulness of multiplex MSI to explore chemical markers when the sample specimen is very limited. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

比较纳升反相色谱-串联质谱与毛细管区带电泳-串联质谱用于自顶向下蛋白质组学

自顶向下蛋白质组学的一个重要难题是缺乏与质谱可以在线连用并且可以提供高效蛋白质分离的液相分离技术。毛细管区带电泳与纳升反相色谱都可以与质谱在线连用,并且在复杂蛋白质样品分析方面也都有了显著的提升。在这里,我们首次比较了先进的纳升反相色谱-串联质谱与毛细管区带电泳-串联质谱平台用于自顶向下蛋白质组学分析。相对于纳升反相色谱-质谱而言,毛细管区带电泳-质谱可以将标准蛋白质样品的消耗量降低10倍,而且保持与纳升反相色谱-质谱相当的蛋白质信号强度。有意思的是,与毛细管区带电泳-质谱相比,纳升反相色谱-质谱可以获得更高的蛋白质分子的气相价态。这个现象可能是由于反相流动相中的高浓度乙腈使得蛋白质变性的更加充分。从1微克的大肠杆菌蛋白质样品中,毛细管区带电泳-串联质谱可以鉴定到159个蛋白质和513个蛋白质变体,而纳升反相色谱-串联质谱仅鉴定到105个蛋白质和277个蛋白质变体。当将大肠杆菌蛋白质的上样量提高到8微克时,纳升反相色谱-串联质谱可以鉴定到245个蛋白质和1004个蛋白质变体。由于纳升反相色谱-串联质谱具有比毛细管区带电泳-串联质谱更高的上样量与更宽的分离窗口,当蛋白质样品量不受限制时,纳升反相色谱-串联质谱具有明显的优势。但是,在痕量样品分析方面,毛细管区带电泳-串联质谱具有更大的潜力。     

Atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation normal phase liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry of chlorophyll a allomers

Four oxidation products formed during the allomerisation reaction of chlorophyll a in methanol have been separated and identified using normal phase high-performance liquid chromatography (NP-HPLC) coupled with atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and photodiode array detection. Fragmentation pathways of the main stereoisomers of the four major products, Mg-purpurin-7 dimethyl phytyl ester, 15(1)-MeO-lact-chl a, 13(2)-MeO-chl a and 13(2)-HO-chl a, have been assigned using APCI-MS(n) aided by examination of deuteriated counterparts of the purpurin and the lactone. Diagnostic fragmentations have been determined, including those for Mg-purpurin-7 dimethyl phytyl ester and 15(1)-MeO-lact-chl a, which display very similar full MS and MS/MS spectra. The use of NP-HPLC offers a rapid and efficient method which, combined with MS/MS, reduces reliance on precursor ion mass for assignment of structure in the allomerisation reaction where major and minor components are often isobaric.     

Sequencing membrane proteins by tandem mass spectrometry

Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) is an attractive technique for sequencing membrane proteins because it can be applied to peptides in mixtures that are difficult to separate chromatographically. To evaluate the suitability of MS/MS sequencing for membrane proteins and to develop protocols for the preparation of the cleaved peptides, we employed the well characterized apoproteins of bacteriorhodopsin and bovine rhodopsin, i.e. bacterioopsin and opsin, respectively. Without separation, nine out of ten peptides resulting from cyanogen bromide cleavage of bacterioopsin were detected by fast atom bombardment MS, the single undetected fragment being a tetrapeptide that was presumably hidden in the low-m/z matrix background. Furthermore, MS/MS was used to confirm the sequence of all the peptides detected with m/z values below 3.5 kDa (40% of the protein). Bovine opsin was analyzed in a similar fashion. Tandem MS/MS has thus allowed the sequencing of substantial portions of two integral membrane proteins by the analysis of unseparated peptide mixtures, demonstrating for the first time that this technique can obviate some of the most serious difficulties associated with sequencing membrane proteins, namely the difficult-to-achieve separation of the ‘sticky’ peptide fragments.     

Surface plasmon resonance-enabled mass spectrometry arrays

Biosensors that utilize surface plasmon resonance (SPR) as a method of detection of protein interactions can be used for selective separation of proteins prior to MS analysis. The combination of SPR and MS results in a unique multiplexed detection technology capable of both quantitative and qualitative protein analysis. To further the development of a high-throughput SPR-MS approach, the possibility of arraying binding ligands on SPR chips for affinity capture of proteins and their MS analysis was explored. Antibodies to beta-2-microglobulin, cystatin C, transferrin, and insulin-like growth factors I and II were arrayed on a large number of SPR chips. Human plasma samples were injected over the antibody array chips in an SPR Biosensor, after which on-chip MS analysis was performed to detect the bound proteins. Signals from the targeted proteins were observed for each antibody-derivatized chip, indicating successful antibody immobilization and protein capture. The SPR-MS arrays are robust, highly reproducible, and are capable of high-throughput analysis.     

Desorption electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry of low molecular weight synthetic polymers

A range of low molecular weight synthetic polymers has been characterised by means of desorption electrospray ionisation (DESI) combined with both mass spectrometry (MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Accurate mass experiments were used to aid the structural determination of some of the oligomeric materials. The polymers analysed were poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), polypropylene glycol (PPG), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(alpha-methyl styrene). An application of the technique for characterisation of a polymer used as part of an active ingredient in a pharmaceutical tablet is described. The mass spectra and tandem mass spectra of all of the polymers were obtained in seconds, indicating the sensitivity of the technique.     

Analysis of estrogens in river sediments by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry. Comparison of tandem mass spectrometry and time-of-flight mass spectrometry

A method has been developed and optimised for the determination of two natural estrogens, estrone (E1) and 17beta-estradiol (E2), and one synthetic estrogen, 17alpha-ethynylestradiol (EE2), in river sediments at the sub-ng/g level. This procedure includes microwave-assisted solvent extraction (MASE), solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with electrospray ionisation. Using sediments spiked with the three estrogens at 10 ng/g wet weight, efficient extraction (>92%) of all the three analytes was achieved by MASE, and whole-procedure recoveries ranged from 82 to 98%. Optimisation of the LC separation allowed for substantial reduction of ionisation suppression in the electrospray source to a final level of <18% suppression. Time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) and MS/MS were compared for the analysis of sediment extracts, with the latter technique proving to be the most selective. The method detection limits achieved by LC-MS/MS were 15, 30 and 40 pg/g for E1, E2 and EE2, respectively, which were 13-fold lower than those obtained by LC-TOF-MS. Analysis of river sediments collected from the River Ouse, UK, showed the presence of the natural estrogens at sub-ng/g level. E1 levels ranged from 0.40 ng/g (dry weight) to 3.30 ng/g while E2 levels ranged from <0.03 to 1.20 ng/g and EE2 was never detected (<0.04 ng/g).     

Comparison of flow injection analysis electrospray mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry and electrospray high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of underivatized amino acids

Twenty proteinogenic amino acids (AAs) were determined without derivatization using flow injection analysis followed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS and ESI-MS/MS) and electrospray ionization high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-FAIMS-MS and ESI-FAIMS-MS/MS), in positive and negative ionization modes. Three separate sets of ESI-FAIMS conditions were used for the separation and detection of the 20 AAs. Typically ESI-FAIMS-MS showed somewhat improved sensitivity and significantly better signal-to-noise ratios than ESI-MS mainly due to the elimination of background noise. However, the difference between ESI-FAIMS-MS and ESI-MS/MS was significantly less. ESI-FAIMS was able to partially or completely resolve all the isobaric amino acid overlaps such as leucine, isoleucine and hydroxyproline or lysine and glutamine. Detection limits for the amino acids in ESI-FAIMS-MS mode ranged from 2 ng/mL for proline to 200 ng/mL for aspartic acid. Overall, ESI-FAIMS-MS is the preferred method for the quantitative analysis of AAs in a hydrolyzed yeast matrix.     

Rapid, accurate and precise quantitative drug analysis: comparing liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and chip-based nanoelectrospray ionisation mass spectrometry

We have developed a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) system capable of achieving better than 2% accuracy, routinely over a wide concentration range of 1800 ng mL-1. We demonstrate that the necessary high precision, high accuracy and rapid analysis can be achieved using LC-MS/MS technology. Automated nanoelectrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (nanoESI-MS/MS) technology can be employed to eliminate the chromatographic step completely. In this paper, nanoESI-MS/MS is evaluated and compared directly with LC-MS/MS for the quantitative analysis of two-test analytes, amitriptyline (ATT) and 5-methoxytryptamine (5-MTT), in aqueous/organic mixture. Calibration curves were found to be linear over a wide concentration range of 1800 ng mL-1 for both analytes using LC-MS/MS. Using nanoESI-MS/MS ATT gave a linear response while 5-MTT gave a non-linear response using nanoESI-MS/MS over the same concentration range as in LC-MS/MS. Accuracy and precision values of quality control samples (QCs) at four concentration levels were analysed in replicates of six at each level using 5-MTT and ATT as test analytes for both techniques. The LC-MS/MS system was capable of achieving accuracy levels of 99.50101.96% for ATT and 100.17100.40% for 5-MTT. Accuracy levels using nanoESI-MS/MS were not comparable to LC-MS/MS, they ranged from 90.09100.18% for ATT and 95.95113.55% for 5-MTT. The precision values obtained for nanoESI-MS/MS were in good agreement with those obtained by LC-MS/MS.