Dissociation mechanisms of neutral methyl stearate and its hydrogen atom adduct formed from the respective positive ions by electron transfer

The mechanism of dissociation of neutral methyl stearate and its hydrogen atom adduct was investigated by charge inversion mass spectrometry using an alkali metal target. Migrations of functional groups in fatty acid ester ions are often observed during the dissociation of the cations in collisionally activated dissociation (CAD). In the charge inversion spectrum, the main dissociation channels of methyl stearate molecule are the loss of a CH3 radical or a H atom. To identify the source of the CH3 radical and the H atom, the charge inversion spectra of partially deuterated methyl stearate (C17H35COOCD3) were measured. The loss of CH3 occurred through elimination from the methoxy methyl group and that of H occurred through elimination from the hydrocarbon chain of the fatty acid group. In the protonated ester, a simultaneous loss of CH3 (from the methoxy methyl group) and a H atom or a H2 molecule was observed. The charge inversion process gave the dissociation fragments with almost no migration of atoms. Only a few peaks that were structure sensitive were observed in the higher mass region in the charge inversion spectra; these peaks were associated with dissociations of energy-selected neutral species, unlike the case of CAD spectra in which they result from dissociation of ions. Charge inversion mass spectrometry with alkali metal targets provided direct information on the dissociation mechanism of methyl stearate and its hydrogen atom adduct without any migration of functional groups.     

Isomeric characterization via ion neutralization and dissociation. Experimental variables

Major deficiencies of mass spectrometry for characterizing isomeric molecules, and of collisionally activated dissociation for characterizing isomeric ions, can be alleviated by complementary information from new techniques of neutraiization-reionization (NR) mass spectrometry. Mass data can be obtained from most fragments of the original species, irrespective of their ability to retain the charge; dissociation of fast neutrals prepared from isomeric ions can involve novel reaction pathways and can minimize competing isomerization reactions; isomeric neutrals undergoing similar dissociations can be differentiated by forming them with different internal energies; reionization of the neutral products to negative as well as positive ions can provide increased selectivity; and structural information on the resulting ions can be derived using MS/MS/MS, Dissociation by novel non-isomerization pathways can also be effected by a second addition (or subtraction) of an electron to produce an unstable ion of opposite charge. Special techniques can yield neutralized products in favorable dissociative states by collisional activation, by using neutralization targets of selected ionization energy, or through Franck-Condon factors. Optimum excitation of the neutral is important, as this should be high enough to minimize rearrangement, to maximize the differences in the dissociation pathways of isomers, and to minimize the further dissociation of the characteristic primary products of the neutral. NR experiments can, thus, also provide information on the energy surfaces for unimolecular dissociations of neutrals that are difficult to study by conventional techniques. Dissociations of the neutrals can be differentiated from those occurring after reionization by separate collisional activation of the neutrals, by changing the ionization energy of the neutralization agent, or by reionization to ions of opposite charge.     

Charge permutation reactions in tandem mass spectrometry

Central to the tandem mass spectrometry experiment is the process that gives rise to product ions, i.e. the reaction intermediate to stages of mass analysis. Changes in mass or charge of the parent ion (or both) are generally readily detected by all forms of tandem mass spectrometry. Charge changing, or charge permutation, reactions have a long history in mass spectrometry. However, with the advent of new ionization methods, such as electrospray ionization, and the expansion of tandem mass spectrometry instrumentation to include ion trapping instruments, the past decade has seen a major increase in the types of charge permutation reactions that can be studied. Most charge permutation reactions involve electrons or protons as the charge mediating agents. This report, therefore, provides an overview of charge permutation reactions involving protons or electrons. Particular emphasis is placed on processes that involve interactions of precursor ions with gaseous neutral species, electrons or oppositely charged ions. Charge permutation reactions involving electron gain/loss are described first according to a rough order of the energy required for the reaction beginning with the most endoergic reactions and ending with the most exoergic reactions. An analogous approach is then taken with charge permutation reactions involving proton gain/loss. Important charge permutation reactions discussed herein, among others, include those referred to as charge inversion, charge stripping, electron capture dissociation, collision-induced ionization and charge separation. These reaction types, and others described herein, are the subjects of active research and are also finding use in many current areas of application. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Efficiency of collisionally-activated dissociation and 193-nm photodissociation of peptide ions in fourier transform mass spectrometry

For tandem mass spectrometry, the Fourier transform instrument exhibits advantages for the use of collisionally-activated dissociation (CAD). The CAD energy deposited in larger ions can be greatly increased by extending the collision time to as much as 120 s, and the efficiency of trapping and measuring CAD product ions is many times greater than that found for triple-quadrupole or magnetic sector instruments, although the increased pressure from the collision gas is an offsetting disadvantage. A novel system that uses the same laser for photodesorption of ions and their subsequent photodissociation can produce complete dissociation of larger oligopeptide ions and unusually abundant fragment ions. In comparison to CAD, much more internal energy can be deposited in the primary ions using 193-nm photons, sufficient to dissociate peptide ions of m/z > 2000. Mass spectra closely resembling ion photodissociation spectra can also be obtained by' neutral photodissociation (193-nm laser irradiation of the sample) followed by ion photodesorption.     

The gas phase structure of some protonated and ethylated aromatic amines

The fundamental processes of protonation and ethylation, occurring in a methane chemical ionization source, have been investigated for a variety of aromatic amines. The positions of protonation and ethylation on the substrate amines were determined by generating isomeric ions either by protonation of neutral ethyl substituted amines or by ethylation of the amines themselves. The product ions were investigated for structural differences via collision induced dissociation and subsequent analysis via mass analysed ion kinetic energy spectrometry. Similarities and differences between mass analysed ion kinetic energy/collision induced dissociation spectra of these isomeric ions were used to determine protonation and ethylation sites for imidazole, benzimidazole, indazole, pyrrole, pyridine and aniline.     

Ion activation methods for tandem mass spectrometry

This tutorial presents the most common ion activation techniques employed in tandem mass spectrometry. In-source fragmentation and metastable ion decompositions, as well as the general theory of unimolecular dissociations of ions, are initially discussed. This is followed by tandem mass spectrometry, which implies that the activation of ions is distinct from the ionization step, and that the precursor and product ions are both characterized independently by their mass/charge ratios. In collision-induced dissociation (CID), activation of the selected ions occurs by collision(s) with neutral gas molecules in a collision cell. This experiment can be done at high (keV) collision energies, using tandem sector and time-of-flight instruments, or at low (eV range) energies, in tandem quadrupole and ion trapping instruments. It can be performed using either single or multiple collisions with a selected gas and each of these factors influences the distribution of internal energy that the activated ion will possess. While CID remains the most common ion activation technique employed in analytical laboratories today, several new methods have become increasingly useful for specific applications. More recent techniques are examined and their differences, advantages and disadvantages are described in comparison with CID. Collisional activation upon impact of precursor ions on solid surfaces, surface-induced dissociation (SID), is gaining importance as an alternative to gas targets and has been implemented in several different types of mass spectrometers. Furthermore, unique fragmentation mechanisms of multiply-charged species can be studied by electron-capture dissociation (ECD). The ECD technique has been recognized as an efficient means to study non-covalent interactions and to gain sequence information in proteomics applications. Trapping instruments, such as quadrupole ion traps and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance instruments, are particularly useful for the photoactivation of ions, specifically for fragmentation of precursor ions by infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD). IRMPD is a non-selective activation method and usually yields rich fragmentation spectra. Lastly, blackbody infrared radiative dissociation is presented with a focus on determining activation energies and other important parameters for the characterization of fragmentation pathways. The individual methods are presented so as to facilitate the understanding of each mechanism of activation and their particular advantages and representative applications.     

Charge state-dependent fragmentation of oligonucleotide/metal complexes

Collision-activated dissociation (CAD) has been employed to assess the gas-phase fragmentation behavior of a series of 1:1 oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN):metal complexes over a range of charge states, using several ten-residue ODNs and a wide array of alkali, alkaline earth, and transition metals. For parent species in low to intermediate charge states, complexation with Ca(+2), Sr(+2), or Ba(+2) altered the relative intensity of M-B species, promoting loss of cytosine over loss of guanine. The relative intensities of sequence ions were largely unaffected. This behavior was most prevalent for isomeric sequences with complementary residues at the 5'- and 3'-termini, suggesting that metal complexation may change the gas-phase conformation and/or conformational dynamics for some sequences. In higher charge states, some ODN/Ba(+2) complexes produced abundant fragment ions corresponding to metallated a(n)(-m) species, which are not commonly observed in CAD mass spectra for deprotonated ODNs. The formation of these ions was most favored for complexes between Ba(+2) and ODN sequences with a thymine residue at Position 6. Literature precedent exists for the formation of a(n)(-m) ions from sequences in which covalent modification generates one or more neutral sites along the phosphate backbone. ODN/metal adducts in high charge states possess only a few acidic protons, and the juxtaposition of these neutral phosphate groups near thymine residues and the bound Ba(+2) ion may direct formation of the metallated a(n)(-m) species.     

Evaluation of alkali and alkaline earth metal cation selectivities of lariat ether amides by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Lariat ethers with pendant amide groups have shown promise as new ion sensors because of their selectivity towards particular metal ions. In this study we report alkali and alkaline earth metal binding selectivities of dibenzo-16-crown-5 and fifteen dibenzo-16-crown-5 lariat ether amides (LEAs) as determined by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Additionally, the influence of the acid/base nature of the solution on metal cation selectivity is investigated. The validity of using ESI-MS for determination of selectivities is established by analogous experiments using hosts with known binding constants for the same metal cations and solvent systems. Collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) is used to evaluate the influence of the alkali metal cation binding on the fragmentation of the LEAs.     

Applications of collision dynamics in quadrupole mass spectrometry

Some applications of collision dynamics in the field of quadrupole mass spectrometry are presented. Previous data on the collision induced dissociation of ions in triple quadrupole mass spectrometers is reviewed. A new method to calculate the internal energy distribution of activated ions directly from the increase in the cross section for dissociation with center of mass energy is presented. This method, although approximate, demonstrates explicitly the high efficiency of transfer of translational to internal energy of organic ions. It is argued that at eV center of mass energies, collisions between protein ions and neutrals such as Ar are expected to be highly inelastic. The discovery and application of collisional cooling in radio frequency quadrupoles is reviewed. Some previously unpresented data on fragment ion energies in triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry are shown that demonstrate directly the loss of kinetic energy of fragment ions in the cooling process. The development of the energy loss method to measure collision cross sections of protein ions in triple quadrupole instruments is reviewed along with a new discussion of the effects of inelastic collisions in these experiments and related ion mobility experiments.     

Non-covalent interactions of alkali metal cations with singly charged tryptic peptides

The complexes formed by alkali metal cations (Cat(+) = Li(+), Na(+), K(+), Rb(+)) and singly charged tryptic peptides were investigated by combining results from the low-energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) and ion mobility experiments with molecular dynamics and density functional theory calculations. The structure and reactivity of [M + H + Cat](2+) tryptic peptides is greatly influenced by charge repulsion as well as the ability of the peptide to solvate charge points. Charge separation between fragment ions occurs upon dissociation, i.e. b ions tend to be alkali metal cationised while y ions are protonated, suggesting the location of the cation towards the peptide N-terminus. The low-energy dissociation channels were found to be strongly dependant on the cation size. Complexes containing smaller cations (Li(+) or Na(+)) dissociate predominantly by sequence-specific cleavages, whereas the main process for complexes containing larger cations (Rb(+)) is cation expulsion and formation of [M + H](+). The obtained structural data might suggest a relationship between the peptide primary structure and the nature of the cation coordination shell. Peptides with a significant number of side chain carbonyl oxygens provide good charge solvation without the need for involving peptide bond carbonyl groups and thus forming a tight globular structure. However, due to the lack of the conformational flexibility which would allow effective solvation of both charges (the cation and the proton) peptides with seven or less amino acids are unable to form sufficiently abundant [M + H + Cat](2+) ion. Finally, the fact that [M + H + Cat](2+) peptides dissociate similarly as [M + H](+) (via sequence-specific cleavages, however, with the additional formation of alkali metal cationised b ions) offers a way for generating the low-energy CID spectra of 'singly charged' tryptic peptides.     

Structural characterization and isomer differentiation of chalcones by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

A series of chalcones were characterized by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (MS(n)). Several ionization modes were evaluated, including protonation, deprotonation and metal complexation, with metal complexation being the most efficient. Collision-activated dissociation (CAD) was used to characterize the structures, and losses commonly observed include H(2), H(2)O, CO and CO(2), in addition to methyl radicals for the methoxy-containing chalcones. CAD of the metal complexes, especially [Co(II) (chalcone-H) 2,2'-bipyridine](+), allowed the most effective differentiation of the isomeric chalcones with several diagnostic fragment ions appearing upon activation of the metal complexes. MS(n) experiments were performed to support identification of some fragment ions and to verify the proposed fragmentation pathways. In several cases, MS(n) indicated that specific neutral losses occurred by stepwise pathways, such as the neutral loss of 44 u as CH3* and HCO*, or CH(4) and CO, in addition to CO(2).     

Differences between the internal energy depositions induced by collisional activation and by electron transfer of W(CO)6(2+) ions on collision with Ar and K targets

Doubly charged tungsten hexacarbonyl W(CO)(6) (2+) ions were made to collide with Ar and K targets to give singly and doubly charged positive ions by collision-induced dissociation (CID). The resulting ions were analyzed and detected by using a spherical electrostatic analyzer. Whereas the doubly charged fragment ions resulting from collisional activation (CA) were dominant with the Ar target, singly charged fragment ions resulting from electron transfer were dominant with the K target. The internal energy deposition in collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) evaluated with the Ar target was broad and decreased with increasing internal energy. The predominant peaks observed with the K target were associated with singly charged W(CO)(2) (+) and W(CO)(3) (+) ions: these ions were not the result of CA, but arose from dissociation induced by electron transfer (DIET). The internal energy deposition resulting from the electron transfer was very narrow and centered at a particular energy, 7.8 eV below the energy level of the W(CO)(6) (2+) ion. This narrow internal energy distribution was explained in terms of electron transfer by Landau-Zener potential crossing at a separation of 5.9 x 10(-8) cm between a W(CO)(6) (2+) ion and a K atom, and the coulombic repulsion between singly charged ions in the exit channel. A large cross section of 1.1 x 10(-14) cm(2) was estimated for electron capture of the doubly charged W(CO)(6) (2+) ion from the alkali metal target, whose ionization energy is very low. The term "collision-induced dissociation," taken literally, includes all dissociation processes induced by collision, and therefore encompasses both CAD and DIET processes in the present work. Although the terms CID and CAD have been defined similarly, we would like to propose that they should not be used interchangeably, on the basis that there are differences in the observed ions and in their intensities with Ar and K targets.     

Influence of d orbital occupation on the binding of metal ions to adenine

Threshold collision-induced dissociation of M(+)(adenine) with xenon is studied using guided ion beam mass spectrometry. M(+) includes all 10 first-row transition metal ions: Sc(+), Ti(+), V(+), Cr(+), Mn(+), Fe(+), Co(+), Ni(+), Cu(+), and Zn(+). For the systems involving the late metal ions, Cr(+) through Cu(+), the primary product corresponds to endothermic loss of the intact adenine molecule, whereas for Zn(+), this process occurs but to form Zn + adenine(+). For the complexes to the early metal ions, Sc(+), Ti(+), and V(+), intact ligand loss competes with endothermic elimination of purine and of HCN to form MNH(+) and M(+)(C(4)H(4)N(4)), respectively, as the primary ionic products. For Sc(+), loss of ammonia is also a prominent process at low energies. Several minor channels corresponding to formation of M(+)(C(x)H(x)N(x)), x = 1-3, are also observed for these three systems at elevated energies. The energy-dependent collision-induced dissociation cross sections for M(+)(adenine), where M(+) = V(+) through Zn(+), are modeled to yield thresholds that are directly related to 0 and 298 K bond dissociation energies for M(+)-adenine after accounting for the effects of multiple ion-molecule collisions, kinetic and internal energy distributions of the reactants, and dissociation lifetimes. The measured bond energies are compared to those previously studied for simple nitrogen donor ligands, NH(3) and pyrimidine, and to results for alkali metal cations bound to adenine. Trends in these results and theoretical calculations on Cu(+)(adenine) suggest distinct differences in the binding site propensities of adenine to the alkali vs transition metal ions, a consequence of s-dsigma hybridization on the latter.     

Isomer differentiation in 7, 12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-pyridine adducts by fast atom bombardment tandem mass spectrometry

Three isomeric 7,12-dL-nethylbenz[α]anthracene-pyridine adduct salts, namely.. the 5-N-pyridinium-7,12-dimethylbenz[α]anthracene perchlorate, the 7-N-pyridiniummethylene-12methylbenz[ α]anthracene picrate, and the 7-methyl-12-N-pyridiniummethylenebenz[ α]anthracene picrate, were studied by fast atom bombardment tandem mass spectrometry using high energy collisional-activated dissociation (CAD). The CAD mass spectra of the molecular cations and the (M – pyridine)⁺ ions allow one to distinguish positional isomers on the basis of daughter ion peak height ratios. The differences in the CAD mass spectra of the (M – pyridine)⁺ ions are probably due in part to formation of isomer-specific fused-ring tropyliumions.     

Electrospray characterization of perrhenate systems

The electrospray negative ion mode (ESI-) mass spectrometry study of freshly prepared perrhenate in the ammonium and alkali metal (Na and K) solutions has been detailed. The cone voltage dependency of the negative ion abundance clearly indicates that the collision-activated dissociation (CAD) process in the cone-to-skimmer region is the source for both linear and non-linear cone voltage dependencies. The model also highlights that the [ReO2]- and [ReO3]- ions observed in the ESI- spectra are not present in the bulk, but are due to a dissociative collision, which strips a single oxygen atom from their precursor ions, namely [ReO3]- and [ReO4]- , respectively.     

Electrospray ionization of alkali and alkaline earth metal species. Electrochemical oxidation and pH effects

The utility of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) for characterizing dissolved metal species has generated considerable interest in the use of this technique for metal speciation. However, the development of accurate speciation methods based on ESI-MS requires a detailed understanding of the mechanisms by which dissolved metal species are ionized during electrospray. We report how the analysis of alkali and alkaline earth metal species provides new information about some of the processes that affect electrospray ion yield. Selected metal ions and organic ligands were combined in 50 : 50 water-acetonitrile buffered with acetic acid or ammonium acetate and analyzed by flow injection ESI-MS using mild electrospray conditions. Species formed by alkali metal ions with thiol and oxygen-donating ligands were detected in acidic and neutral pH solutions. Electrochemical oxidation of N, N-diethyldithiocarbamate and glutathione during electrospray was indicated by detection of the corresponding disulfides as protonated or alkali metal species. The extent of ligand oxidation depended on solution pH and the dissociation constant of the thiol group. Tandem mass spectrometric experiments suggested that radical cations such as [NaL](+.) (where L=N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate) can be generated by in-source fragmentation of disulfide species. Greater complexation of alkali metals at neutral pH was indicated by a corresponding decrease in the relative abundance of the free metal ion. The number of alkali metal ions bound by glutathione and phthalic acid also increased with increasing pH, in accordance with thermodynamic equilibrium theory. Alkaline earth metal species were detected only in acidic solutions, the absence of 8-hydroxyquinoline complexes being attributed to their relative instability and subsequent dissociation during electrospray. Hence, accurate speciation by ESI-MS depends on experimental conditions and the intrinsic properties of each analyte. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characterization of ginseng saponins using electrospray mass spectrometry and collision-induced dissociation experiments of metal-attachment ions

Electrospray mass spectrometry (ESMS) and collision-induced dissociation (CID) methodologies have been developed for the structural characterization of ginseng saponins (ginsenosides). Ginsenosides are terpene glycosides containing a triterpene core to which one to four sugars may be attached. They are neutral molecules which readily form molecular metal-attachment ions in positive ion ESMS experiments. In the presence of ammonium hydroxide intense deprotonated ions are generated. Both positive and negative ion ESMS experiments were found to be useful for molecular mass and structure determination of ten ginsenoside standards. Negative ion experiments made possible the determination of the molecular mass of each ginsenoside standard, the mass of the triterpene core and the masses and sequences of the sugar residues. Positive ion ESMS experiments with the alkali metal cations Li+ or Na+ and the transition metal cations Co2+, Ni2+ and Zn2+ were also useful in determining molecular masses. These alkali and transition metal cations form strongly bonded attachment ions with the ginsenosides. As a result, the CID mass spectra of the metal attachment ions show a variety of (structure characteristic) fragmentations. These experiments can be used to determine the identity of the triterpene core, the types and attachment points of sugars to the core and the nature of the O-glycosidic linkages in the appended disaccharides. Combining the results from the negative and positive ion experiments provides a promising approach to the structure analysis of this class of natural products.     

Structure and fragmentation of dimethyl methylphosphonate and trimethyl phosphite

The structures and fragmentation pathways of two isomeric organophosphorus esters, dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) and trimethyl phosphite (TMP) have been determined. The long-lived, low-energy molecular ions of DMMP were found to undergo a keto-to-enol isomerization prior to collision-induced dissociation. This isomerization was established through the comparison of the collision spectra from DMMP, TMP, isotopically labeled DMMP and a model precursor ion. Electron ionization and charge exchange reactions were used to study the isomerization as a function of the internal energy of the molecular ion. The structure of the TMP molecular ion retained the structure of the neutral molecule. The daughter ion spectra of the isomeric fragment ions from DMMP and TMP were used to infer the fragment ion structures. Negative ions of DMMP and TMP were also studied, and their collision spectra were found to be indistinguishable.     

Positive-ion mass spectra and collision-induced dissociation of some 2,3-didehydro amino acids

The positive-ion mass spectra of a number of didehydro amino acids, ionized by electron impact and/or thermospray, and collision-induced dissociation spectra taken at collision energies of a few electron volts and keV have been performed on multiple quadrupole and reversed geometry sector instruments. Observed differences in the mass spectra and in the fragmentation patterns are explained in terms of different isomeric structures, different internal excitation energies and different ion transit times between the ion source and the collision cell. Molecular ions of unhydrated amino acids are efficiently formed both by electron impact and thermospray, whilst molecular ions of the hydrated compounds are formed more efficiently by the latter technique. The present investigation demonstrates that the use of different ionization techniques combined with mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry measurements at different collision energies yields a wealth of information relevant to structural characterization of this important class of molecules.