An evaluation of atmospheric pressure ionization techniques for the analysis of N-Methyl carbamate pesticides by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry

Atmospheric pressure ionization (API) techniques are evaluated for the mass spectral analysis of N-methyl carbamate pesticides. Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) using a heated nebulizer interface provided both protonated molecules and abundant, characteristic fragment ions. With ion spray (ISP; pneumatically assisted electrospray ionization), which utilizes a milder “ion evaporation” process, primarily protonated molecules were obtained, although fragment ions similar to those observed in APCI could be induced by variation of the API orifice voltage. Product ion spectra of ISP-derived protonated molecules, generated by tandem mass spectrometry using collision-induced dissociation, are also presented. The APCI and ISP spectra of the carbamates are compared to those obtained with a thermospray interface and also to their electron ionization and methane CI spectra obtained with a particle beam interface. For all four interfaces, combined liquid chromatography mass spectrometry methods using conventional (4.6 mm i.d.) columns are described for the separation and detection of pesticide mixtures. These methods are applied to the confirmatory analysis of three representative carbamate pesticides, spiked at the 0.1-ppm level in green peppers. For those carbamates amenable to gas chromatography mass spectrometry, comparative results are presented.     

Mass spectrometric methods for the analysis of chlorinated and nitrated isoflavonoids: a novel class of biological metabolites

Electrospray ionization combined with tandem mass spectrometry was applied to a study of some representative chlorinated and nitrated isoflavones-potential metabolites of isoflavones in inflammatory cells. Upon collision-induced dissociation of deprotonated [M - H](-) ions of these compounds, a number of structurally characteristic product ions were produced. The product ion analysis of 3'- and 8-chlorodaidzein in the tandom mass spectra led to ready differentiation of these isomers. 3-Nitro derivatives of both genistein and daidzein have product ions due to the losses of HNO(2) and two OH groups. Chlorinated derivatives of isoflavones were detected in cell-based experiments and their structures were proposed by comparing the tandem mass spectra of their product ions with those of standards. This work provides a suitable analytical basis to aid the characterization of chlorinated and nitrated metabolites in studies in vivo and in vitro.     

Comparison of in‐source collision‐induced dissociation and beam‐type collision‐induced dissociation of emerging synthetic drugs using a high‐resolution quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer

In‐source collision‐induced dissociation (CID) is commonly used with single‐stage high‐resolution mass spectrometers to gather both a molecular formula and structural information through the collisional activation of analytes with residual background gas in the source region of the mass spectrometer. However, unlike tandem mass spectrometry, in‐source CID does not involve an isolation step prior to collisional activation leading to a product ion spectrum composed of fragment ions from any analyte present during the activation event. This work provides the first comparison of in‐source CID and beam‐type CID spectra of emerging synthetic drugs on the same instrument to understand the fragmentation differences between the two techniques and to contribute to the scientific foundations of in‐source CID. Electrospray ionization–quadrupole time‐of‐flight (ESI‐Q‐TOF) mass spectrometry was used to generate product ion spectra from in‐source CID and beam‐type CID for a series of well‐characterized fentanyl analogs and synthetic cathinones. A comparison between the fragmentation patterns and relative ion abundances for each technique was performed over a range of fragmentor offset voltages for in‐source CID and a range of collision energies for beam‐type CID. The results indicate that large fragmentor potentials for in‐source CID tend to favor higher energy fragmentation pathways that result in both kinetically favored pathways and consecutive neutral losses, both of which produce more abundant lower mass product ions relative to beam‐type CID. Although conditions can be found in which in‐source CID and beam‐type CID provide similar overall spectra, the in‐source CID spectra tend to contain elevated noise and additional chemical background peaks relative to beam‐type CID.     

Tandem mass spectrometry of half-generation PAMAM dendrimer anions

Ions derived from negative electrospray ionization of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer generation 0.5 were subjected to ion trap tandem mass spectrometry. Ion/ion proton transfer reactions were used to manipulate the charge states of PAMAM precursor ions to form lower charge states from those initially formed by electrospray, as well as to facilitate the interpretation of the product ion mass spectra. Most of the products derived from dendrimer precursor ions could be rationalized by retro-Michael decomposition reactions. The dominant fragmentation channels are highly dependent on the composition of the counter-ions, which in this case are restricted to different numbers of sodium ions and protons, and whether the precursor ion is multiply charged or singly charged. An interpretation is given that is consistent with all of the observations made with the various anions associated with this study. The nature of the structural information that can be obtained via ion trap tandem mass spectrometry of the dendrimers is dependent on the types of precursor ions subjected to study. The tandem mass spectrometry data also provided information about the structure of faulty synthesis products present in the PAMAM dendrimer sample.     

Analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon sequences in a premixed laminar flame by on-line time-of-flight mass spectrometry

A time-of-flight mass spectrometer in reflectron configuration has been used for the real-time detection of combustion products. The products of a premixed laminar C2H4/O2 flame at atmospheric pressure were sampled along its axis, diluted with inert gas and carried to the ion source as a molecular beam under minimal perturbation. Electron ionization and different optical ionization sources are compared. Photoionization was achieved with laser radiation from a Nd:YAG nanosecond pulsed laser at two different wavelengths in the UV range (266 and 355 nm). The mass spectra obtained using laser wavelength of 355 nm and electron ionization present a series of ions regularly spaced by 18 m/z units up to m/z 2000. This series allowed precise calibration of the instrument for compounds of high molecular weight. Information on the chemical nature of the analyzed species has been obtained by comparing mass spectra produced with different ionization methods. In order to better understand the growth mechanisms, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon sequences have been analyzed by fast Fourier transform of the mass spectra.     

Negative-ion mass spectrometry of substituted adenine bases and adenosine nucleosides

The negative-ion chemical ionization (ammonia, 5 Pa source pressure) mass spectra of a series of substituted adenine bases, adenosine nucleosides, and the trimethylsilyl derivatives of the nucleosides are described. Selected ions from these spectra were subject to collisionally activated dissociation with mass-analysed ion kinetic energy (CAD/MIKE) analysis of the products and the spectra assessed for information content. In addition to observing strong peaks due to quasimolecular ions and heterocyclic-base ions, it proved possible to differentiate between 2'-, 3'- and 5'-deoxy and between 2'- and 3'-O-methyl isomers. The negative-ion chemical ionization spectra of four methyladenines are essentially identical, but could be clearly distinguished from each other by CAD/MIKE analysis.     

Particle beam glow discharge mass spectrometry: spectral characteristics of nucleobases

Use of a particle beam glow discharge (PB-GD) source for mass spectrometric determinations of deoxy- and ribonucleosides and nucleotides is described. Use of this combination of sample introduction and ion source decouples the vaporization and ionization steps, leading to very simple spectral structure. The mass spectra of these compounds are EI-like in nature, with clearly identified molecular ions and fragmentation patterns that are easily rationalized. The PB-GDMS combination can be operated in a flow injection mode wherein the analyte is injected directly into the solvent flow, or can also be coupled to a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system allowing LC/MS analysis of mixtures. Mass spectra obtained for nucleic acid bases, nucleosides, and nucleotides are readily obtained with injections of low-nanomole quantities. Representative PB-GDMS spectra for deoxy- and ribonucleosides, nucleotides, and mixed-base oligonucleotides are presented to demonstrate the capabilities of the GD source. Characteristic fragmentation peaks from the spectra of adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine were identified in 22-base sequences of single-stranded DNA. The PB-GD source is capable of producing spectra that may be used to identify the individual bases present in mixed-base DNA and RNA fragments.     

Effect of electrospray ionization conditions on low-energy tandem mass spectra of peptides

The effect of electrospray ionization (ESI) conditions on low-energy tandem mass spectra of peptides in the relative molecular mass range 400–1200 was examined. For singly charged peptide ions the source skimmer potential (which determines the degree of acceleration of the ions through the intermediate pressure region in the source) can strongly influence the extent of fragmentation observed in tandem mass spectra, especially at low collision energies. For each peptide there is an optimum skimmer potential which represents a balance between generating ions with sufficient internal energy for subsequent tandem mass spectrometric experiments and inducing the onset of other processes such as source fragmentation. The fragmentation which can be achieved in tandem mass spectra with high skimmer potentials differs from ESI source fragmentation for the same peptides. We have found that fragmentation in ESI mass spectra depends both on skimmer potential and on solvent pH, presumably because the latter determines the proportion of doubly charged species generated from a given peptide. Low-energy tandem mass spectra of peptides following ESI are equally as sensitive to peptide structure and the type of adduct studied (e.g. [M + H]⁺ vs. [M + NH₄]⁺) as tandem mass spectra obtained following older ionization methods such as fast atom bombardment.     

Structural determination of glycosphingolipids as lithiated adducts by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry using low-energy collisional-activated dissociation on a triple stage quadrupole instrument

Structural characterization of glycosphingolipids as their lithiated adducts using low-energy collisional-activated dissociation (CAD) tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization (ESI) is described. The tandem mass spectra contain abundant fragment ions reflecting the long chain base (LCB), fatty acid, and the sugar constituent of the molecule and permit unequivocal identification of cerebrosides, di-, trihexosyl ceramides and globosides. The major fragmentation pathways arise from loss of the sugar moiety to yield a lithiated ceramide ion, which undergoes further fragmentation to form multiple fragment ions that confirm the structures of the fatty acid and LCB. The mechanisms for the ion formation and the possible configuration of the fragment ions, resulting from CAD of the lithiated molecular ions ([M + Li]+) of monoglycosylceramides are proposed. The mechanisms were supported by CAD and source CAD tandem mass spectra of various cerebrosides and of their analogous molecules prepared by H-D exchange. Constant neutral loss and precursor ion scannings to identify galactosylceramides with sphingosine or sphinganine LCB subclasses, and with specific N-2-hydroxyl fatty acid subclass in mixtures are also demonstrated.     

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometry of fullerenes

Atandem reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer developed in our laboratory provides a unique opportunity to investigate the collision-induced dissociation of fullerene ions formed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI). Specifically, this opportunity arises from the ability to utilize high energy collisional activation (normally available only on tandem sector instruments by using continuous ionization techniques) for ions formed by pulsed laser desorption, whereas most MALDI time-of-flight instruments record product ion mass spectra of ions formed by metastable or postsource decay. In this study we investigate the products of mass-selected and collisionally activated C ₆₀ ⁺ and C ₇₀ ⁺ ions by using different target gases over a range of target gas pressures. In general, heavier target gases produce more extensive fragmentation and improve the mass resolution of lower mass ionic products because a greater portion of these ions are formed by single collisions. Additionally, the tandem time-of-flight instrument utilizes a nonlinear (curved-field) reflectron in the second mass analyzer that enables high energy collision-induced dissociation spectra to be recorded without scanning or stepping the reflectron voltage.     

Structural determination of sphingomyelin by tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization

Alkaline metal adduct ions of sphingomyelin were formed by electrospray ionization in positive ion mode. Under low energy collisionally activated dissociation (CAD), the product ion spectra yield abundant fragment ions representative of both long chain base and fatty acid which permit unequivocal determination of the structure. Tandem spectra obtained by constant neutral loss scanning permit identification of sphingomyelin class and specific long chain base subclass in the mixture. The fragmentation pathways under CAD were proposed, and were further confirmed by source CAD tandem mass spectrometry. The total analysis of sphingomyelin mixtures from bovine brain, bovine erythrocytes, and chicken egg yolk is also presented.     

Electrospray ionization mass spectra of amino acid phosphoramidates of adenosine

Amino acid phosphoramidates of adenosine were synthesized and determined by positive and negative ion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) in conjunction with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The fragmentation pathways were investigated. In the positive ion mass spectra abundant characteristic fragment ions appeared, and many complementary ions were found. In the negative ion mass spectra only a few fragment ions were observed, and most of them contained phosphoryl groups. The results show that ESI-MS is a useful tool for structural determination of amino acid phosphoramidates of nucleosides.     

Electron capture negative ion (ECNI) mass spectrometry of complex mixtures of chlorinated decanes and dodecanes: An approach to ECNI mass spectra of chlorinated paraffins in technical mixtures

The electron capture negative ion (ECNI) mass spectra of two complex mixtures of polychlorinated decanes (PCDe) and polychlorinated dodecanes (PCDo) are presented. The number of isomers in these mixtures is still high but is drastically reduced in comparison to technical products of chlorinated paraffins (CP), due to their fixed chain length. As a result, the mass spectra are simplified and less complex. Different modes of negative ion formation were observed in the spectra of the PCDe and PCDo. [M+Cl]^– adduct ions were the most abundant ions in the spectra of lower chlorinated molecules. Higher chlorinated isomers formed prominently [M-Cl]^– and [M-HCl]^– fragments besides [M+Cl]^–. Possible consequences for the determination of chlorinated paraffins by ECNI-MS that result from the variation in ion formation are addressed.     

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.     

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.     

Negative ions generated by reactions with oxygen in the chemical ionization source. II. The use of wall-catalyzed oxidation reactions for differentiation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their methyl derivatives

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) undergo wall-catalyzed oxidation reactions, in conjunction with electron-and ion-molecule reactions, when oxygen is present in the chemical ionization source. Under conditions that promote these wall-catalyzed oxidation reactions (addition of oxygen, elevated ion source temperature) oxidized products are easily detected by measurement of the negative ion chemical ionization (NICI) mass spectra. The NICI mass spectra are dominated by ions that result from electron-capture ionization of oxidation products such as ketones, quinones and anhydrides. In this study the NICI mass spectra of 30 PAH and 46 methyl-substituted PAH were measured. These spectra can be used to differentiate certain isomeric PAH based upon differences in molecular structure. Of particular interest are ions that appear in the spectra of methyl-substituted PAH, which can provide information regarding the position of methyl substituents.     

Identification of chlorinated fatty acids in fish by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with negative ion chemical ionization of pentafluorobenzyl esters

This paper reports the development of a technique for identifying and confirming chlorinated fatty acids previously detected in fish by gas chromatography (GC) with halogen-specific detection (XSD). Fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) including chlorinated FAMEs within fractions of reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography of transesterified fish extracts were derivatized to pentafluorobenzyl esters, which were subjected to GC/mass spectrometry (MS) with negative ion chemical ionization (NICI). Pentafluorobenzyl esters displayed reasonably good GC characteristics, a very high ionization efficiency and a low degree of fragmentation. Chloride ion chromatograms extracted at m/z 35 and 37 from full scans were utilized for locating traces of chlorinated unknowns in the GC elution profile so that their mass spectra could be readily displayed. Significant ions displayed in the mass spectrum scanned in a narrow range of retention time where a chlorinated unknown was located were evaluated using ion chromatograms extracted at the m/z of these ions. The chromatographic peaks of those ions derived from the analyte were expected to center at that specific retention time, whereas those originating from matrix compounds were not. The isotopic patterns of chlorinated ions were also examined against their theoretical relative abundances. Using this approach, three metabolism-related dichloro fatty acids previously identified by GC/XSD in filet extracts of white sucker sampled downstream from a bleached kraft pulp mill were confirmed: dichlorooctadecanoic, dichlorohexadecanoic and dichlorotetradecanoic acids. In addition, an isomer of dichlorotetradecanoic acid was found in a reference fish sample. As sample preparation is critical in this application, improved conditions for hydrolysis and pentafluorobenzyl esterification are also discussed.     

Laser desorption ionization and MALDI time-of-flight mass spectrometry for low molecular mass polyethylene analysis

Polyethylene's inert nature and difficulty to dissolve in conventional solvents at room temperature present special problems for sample preparation and ionization in mass spectrometric analysis. We present a study of ionization behavior of several polyethylene samples with molecular masses up to 4000 Da in laser desorption ionization (LDI) time-of-flight mass spectrometers equipped with a 337 nm laser beam. We demonstrate unequivocally that silver or copper ion attachment to saturated polyethylene can occur in the gas phase during the UV LDI process. In LDI spectra of polyethylene with molecular masses above approximately 1000 Da, low mass ions corresponding to metal-alkene structures are observed in addition to the principal distribution. By interrogating a well-characterized polyethylene sample and a long chain alkane, C94H190, these low mass ions are determined to be the fragmentation products of the intact metal-polyethylene adduct ions. It is further illustrated that fragmentation can be reduced by adding matrix molecules to the sample preparation.     

Rapid screening and identification of cytochalasins by electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

The cytochalasin class of fungal metabolites was analyzed by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) with the aim of developing a methodology for their rapid identification in microbial extracts. ESI-MS analyses of reference cytochalasins were performed and several product ions were produced in MS/MS experiments on parent ions that are structurally characteristic. A precursor ion search was performed to detect cytochalasins in an ethyl acetate extract of fungal strain RK97-F21. Three cytochalasins were detected and one of the components was identified as epoxycytochalasin H by comparing the tandem mass spectra of the product ions with those of reference compounds. This finding was further validated by LC/MS and LC/MS/MS experiments.     

A tandem mass spectrometric study of saccharides at high mass resolution

Nine monosaccharides and four disaccharides were mass analyzed using a quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometer combined with an electrospray ionization source. Product ion mass spectra of deprotonated, protonated, and sodiated saccharides were observed and were compared within each group of saccharides. Each of the deprotonated pentoses, hexoses and disaccharides yielded a significantly different product ion mass spectrum with the exception of alpha-lactose and beta-lactose. The disaccharides alpha- and beta-lactose differ only at the glycosidic linkage. Product ion mass spectra of protonated and sodiated alpha- and beta-lactose were indistinguishable also.