Charge exchange using a double quadrupole mass spectrometer

Charge exchange mass spectra obtained on a double quadrupole (QQ) mass spectrometer are compared with those obtained by other methods. The effects of reagent ion recombination energies and of axial ion translational energy on these spectra are followed.     

Unusual collision-induced dissociation of fluorated and non-fluorated alpha-nitrotoluene analogs in a gas chromatograph triple-stage quadrupole mass spectrometer under electron-capturing negative-ion chemical ionization conditions

Unusual collision-induced dissociation (CID) of perfluorated and non-perfluorated alpha-nitrotoluene analogs in a gas chromatograph triple-stage quadrupole (TSQ) mass spectrometer (GC-QqQ-MS) under electron-capturing negative-ion chemical ionization conditions is reported. CID of [M - 1]- of alpha-nitro-2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorotoluene (C6F5CH2-NO2) and alpha-nitro-2,5-difluorotoluene (C6H3F2CH2-NO2) produced an intense ion with m/z 66. By using 15N- or 18O-labelled C6F5CH2-NO2 analogs, we found that this anion has the formula C3NO. By contrast, CID of [M - 1]- of alpha-nitrotoluene (C6H5CH2-NO2) and alpha-nitro-3,5-difluorotoluene (C6H3F2CH2-NO2) produced an anion with m/z 86 with the formula C3H4NO2. The expected CID of the C-N-bond of all alpha-nitrotoluene analogs to form the nitrite anion (NO2-, m/z 46) did not occur. We propose mechanisms for the formation of the anions C3NO and C3H4NO2 in the collision chamber of the TSQ mass spectrometer. The most likely structures for the anion C3NO are :C=C=C=N--O and N triple bond C-C triple bond C--O-. The unique CID behavior of C6F5CH2--NO2 can be utilized to unequivocally identify and accurately quantify nitrite in biological fluids by GC-tandem MS.     

The behavior of oxygen as a collision-induced dissociation target gas

The unusual and unique ability of O2 as target gas in kV collision-induced dissociations, to enhance a specific fragmentation of a mass selected ion, has been examined in detail. The affected dissociations studied were the loss of CH3* from CH3CH+X (X = OH, CH3, NH2, SH); CH3* and C1* loss from CH3C+(C1)CH3; C2H5* loss from CH3CH2CH+X (X = OH and NH2); H* loss from +CH2OH and +CH2NH2; O loss from 1,2-, 1,3-, and 1,4-C6H4(NO2)2+*; CH3NO+*; C6HsNO2+*; C5H5NO+* (pyridine N-oxide); 3- and 4-CH3C5H4NO+*. A general explanation of the phenomena, which was semiquantitatively tested in the present work, can be summarized as follows: the ion - O2 encounter excites the target molecules to their 3sigma(g)- state which resonantly return this energy to electronic state(s) in the ion. The excited ion now contains a sharp excess of a narrow range of internal energies, thus significantly and only enhancing fragmentations whose activation energies lie within this small energy manifold.     

Surface-induced dissociation of molecular ions in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer

A method is reported by which surface-induced dissociation is used to activate ions stored in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer. The method employs a short (< 5 μs), fast-rising (< 20-ns rise time), high voltage direct current (dc) pulse, which is applied to the endcaps of a standard Paul-type quadrupole ion trap. This is in contrast to the application of an alternating current (ac) signal normally used to resonantly excite and dissociate ions in the trap. The effect of the dc pulse is to cause the ions rapidly to become unstable in the radial direction and subsequently to collide with the ring electrode. Sufficient internal energy is acquired in this collision to cause high energy fragmentations of relatively intractable molecular ions such as pyrene and benzene. The dissociations of limonene are used to demonstrate that high energy demand processes increase in relative importance in the dc pulse experiment compared with the usual resonance excitation method used to cause activation. The fragments are scanned out of the ion trap using the conventional mass-selective instability scan mode. Simulations of ion motion in the trap provide evidence that surface collisions occur at kinetic energies in the range of tens to several hundred electronvolts. The experiments also demonstrate that production of fragment ions is sensitive to the phase of the main radiofrequency drive voltage at the point when the dc is initiated.     

Implementation of dipolar direct current (DDC) collision-induced dissociation in storage and transmission modes on a quadrupole/time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometer

Means for effecting dipolar direct current collision-induced dissociation (DDC CID) on a quadrupole/time-of-flight in a mass spectrometer have been implemented for the broadband dissociation of a wide range of analyte ions. The DDC fragmentation method in electrodynamic storage and transmission devices provides a means for inducing fragmentation of ions over a large mass-to-charge range simultaneously. It can be effected within an ion storage step in a quadrupole collision cell that is operated as a linear ion trap or as ions are continuously transmitted through the collision cell. A DDC potential is applied across one pair of rods in the quadrupole collision cell of a QqTOF hybrid mass spectrometer to effect fragmentation. In this study, ions derived from a small drug molecule, a model peptide, a small protein, and an oligonucleotide were subjected to the DDC CID method in either an ion trapping or an ion transmission mode (or both). Several key experimental parameters that affect DDC CID results, such as time, voltage, low mass cutoff, and bath gas pressure, are illustrated with protonated leucine enkephalin. The DDC CID dissociation method gives a readily tunable, broadband tool for probing the primary structures of a wide range of analyte ions. The method provides an alternative to the narrow resonance conditions of conventional ion trap CID and it can access more extensive sequential fragmentation, depending upon conditions. The DDC CID approach constitutes a collision analog to infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD).     

Sulphonium ions: Collision-activated dissociation using fast atom bombardment ionization and a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer

The low-energy collision-activated dissociation of sulphonium cations, including symmetrical trialkyl R³S⁺, dimethylalkyl (CH₃)₂RS⁺, diphenylalkyl Ph₂RS⁺ and cyclic (CH₂)_nS⁺R, has been recorded using fast atom bombardment ionization and a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The general trends are easy loss of sulphide to give [R]⁺, except for R ? CH₃, and loss of alkene to give protonated sulphide if β-hydrogens are available. Loss of alkane, generally found in ammonium compounds, is not observed.     

Functional group screening of complex mixtures with a double quadrupole mass spectrometer

A double quadrupole mass spectrometer is used to obtain mass spectra which represent only those species in a complex mixture which undergo fragmentation with loss of a constant neutral moiety. Examples are given where these spectra for Brxxx loss and NO2xxx loss allow recognition of bromo compounds and the nitro functional group in complex mixtures. The method is easier to implement than the corresponding scans on asector instrument.     

Identification and sequencing analysis of intact proteins via collision-induced dissociation and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Identifying unknown proteins has become a central focal point for proteomic and biopharmaceutical development laboratories. Our laboratory investigated using quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Qq/TOFMS) for the analysis of intact proteins for the purpose of identifying unknowns while limiting the number of sample-handling steps between protein extraction and identification. Eight standard proteins, both unmodified and disulfide-bonded and ranging in mass from 5 to 66 kDa, were analyzed using nanoelectrospray and collision-induced dissociation to generate peptide sequence tags. An MS analysis, followed by MS/MS analyses on two to five individual protein charge states, were obtained to make an identification. Peptide sequence tags were extracted from the MS/MS data and used, in conjunction with molecular mass and source origin, to obtain protein identifications using the web-based search engine ProteinInfo (www.proteometrics.com). All of the proteins were unambiguously identified from the input data, after which, all of the major product ions were identified for structural information. In most cases, N- and/or C-terminal ions, and also stretches of consecutive product ions from the protein interior, were observed. This method was applied to the analysis and identification of an unknown detected via reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.     

Resonance excitation and dynamic collision-induced dissociation in quadrupole ion traps using higher-order excitation frequencies

Fragmentation of the pentapeptide leucine enkephalin (YGGFL) is accomplished via higher-order resonances combined with simultaneous analysis of low-mass product ions. Two methods of achieving excitation are explored: (1) 0.5 ms resonant excitation at the omega and at Omega-omega secular frequencies of ion motion (where Omega is the radio-frequency (rf) drive frequency) in a manner similar to both pulsed q collision-induced dissociation (PQD) and high amplitude short time excitation (HASTE), and (2) 0.5 ms pulse of the omega or at Omega-omega excitation frequencies when the secular frequency of the ions is quickly swept across resonance conditions (pulsed q dynamic CID, PqDCID). In both methods of excitation, the rf amplitude on the ring electrode is rapidly decreased after excitation, therefore enabling analysis of low-mass product ions. Maximum fragmentation efficiencies of approximately 20% can be obtained with pulsed CID with both regular and high-order frequency excitation, while pulsed DCID offers maximum efficiencies of approximately 12%. All the excitation methods studied offer increased internal energy depositions when compared to conventional CID, as measured by the a4/b4 product ion ratios of leucine enkephalin. These ratios were as high as 13:1 for pulsed CID and 8:1 for PqDCID. Successful mass analysis of the low-mass ions is observed with both pulsed CID and PqDCID. The combined benefit of high internal energy deposition and wider dynamic mass range offers the possibility of increased sequence coverage and the identification of unique internal fragments or high-energy product ions which may provide complementary information to biological applications of conventional CID. This is the first report on deliberate fragmentation of precursor ions at a higher-order component of the ion secular frequency combined with a successful mass analysis of the low-mass ions through pulsed CID and PqDCID.     

Fast and sensitive determination of pesticide residues in vegetables using low-pressure gas chromatography with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer

In this study, the feasibility of low-pressure gas chromatography (LP-GC) in conjunction with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, as a route towards fast pesticide residue analysis, was investigated. A Varian GC-MS system equipped with a mass spectrometer model 1200 was used. LP-GC-MS experiments were performed on a HP-5 10 m x 0.32 mm x 0.25 microm analytical column connected to a 2.5 m x 0.15 mm non-coated restriction precolumn at the inlet end. For comparison purposes conventional GC-MS analysis was performed on a RTX-5 30 m x 0.25 mm x 0.5 microm column. Under the optimized conditions the analysis time was reduced to 13.3 min with the LP-GC approach which corresponds to an almost threefold gain in speed versus the conventional GC (37 min). Despite the poorer separation power of the LP-GC column, the experiments conducted with tomato and onion extracts spiked with 78 pesticides proved that LP-GC-MS is of practical value to perform full scan screening analysis. Moreover, the rate of false negative results was higher in the case of conventional GC-MS while the LP-GC-MS enabled correct identification of pesticides at lower levels since the peaks were improved in both size and shape. Validation experiments were performed on a sample of 12 representative pesticides for comparison of performance characteristics of the LP-GC and GC approaches with mass spectrometer operated in scan, SIM and MS/MS mode. The LP-GC column set-up interfaced to the MS detector was found to be superior to the conventional GC with respect to obtained linearity, accuracy and precision parameters. Also, lower limits of detection in real extracts were achieved using the LP-GC approach. Finally, the LP-GC-MS/MS analysis of tomato samples with incurred pesticide residues demonstrated the applicability of the developed method for analysis of real samples.     

Anionic copper complex fragmentations from enkephalins under low-energy collision-induced dissociation in an ion trap mass spectrometer

Peptide metallation with Cu2+ was explored in the negative ESI mode using an ion trap mass spectrometer. Under these conditions, the [(M-3H) + CuII]- species formed were investigated under low-energy collision-induced dissociation conditions. MS2 experiments indicate a very different behavior of CuII metallated complexes compared with [M-H]- species. CuII induces an easy loss of CO2 and specific side-chain cleavages (by radical losses) at the C-terminal residue, as observed previously by prompt 'in source' dissociation experiments. The loss of CO2 yields an unstable carbylide that leads to further dissociations involving the migration of a proton or a hydrogen radical (through the reduction of CuII). Multistage MS3 experiments were carried out to rationalize this behavior. Fragmentation pathways are proposed in order to explain the product ions observed. The side-chain radical loss at the C-terminus was demonstrated to be a consecutive process. Finally, evidence is provided that the specific side-chain cleavages can be used for the differentiation of Leu/Ile and Gln/Lys residues when they are located at the C-terminus. The existence of a zwitterionic form in the case of the anionic YGGFK-CuII complex is proposed.     

Sustained off-resonance irradiation collision-induced dissociation of linear,substituted and cyclic polyesters using a 9.4 T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer

The fragment ions obtained from sustained off-resonance irradiation collision-induced dissociation of linear polyesters, substituted polyesters and cyclic polyesters have been characterized using a 9.4 T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer. Charge-induced and charge-remote fragmentation channels, together with the participation of other nucleophilic groups, are proposed for the substituted polyesters. The linear polyesters were found to fragment at equivalent positions along the polymer chain whereas, under the experimental conditions employed, the cyclic polyester produced a single fragment.     

Applications of a new quadrupole mass spectrometer system for simultaneous thermal analysis-evolved gas analysis

A recently-developed quadrupole mass spectrometer system specifically designed for thermal analysis studies, has been linked to a thermobalance and a simultaneous TG-DTA unit, for evolved gas analysis. The performance and applicability of the system is illustrated by examples from four fields of study     

Charge state separation for protein applications using a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer

A novel method for separating ions according to their charge state using a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer is presented. The benefits of charge state separation are particularly apparent in protein identification applications at low femtomole concentration levels, where in conventional TOF MS spectra peptide ions are often lost in a sea of chemical noise. When doubly and triply charged tryptic peptide ions need to be filtered from singly charged background ions, the latter are suppressed by two to three orders of magnitude, while from 10-50% of multiply charged ions remain. The suppression of chemical noise reduces the need for chromatography and can make this experimental approach the electrospray equivalent of conventional MALDI peptide maps. If unambiguous identification cannot be achieved, MS/MS experiments are performed on the precursor ions identified through charge separation, while the previously described Q2-trapping duty cycle enhancement is tuned for approximately 1.4 of the precursor m/z to enhance intensities of ions with m/z values above that of the precursor. The resulting product ion spectra contain few fragments of impurities and provide quick and unambiguous identification through database search. The multiple charge separation technique requires minimal tuning and may become a useful tool for analysis of complex mixtures.     

Generating protein sequence tags by combining cone and conventional collision induced dissociation in a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer

The goal of proteomics research is to be able to identify and quantify the vast numbers of proteins within an organism or tissue. "Top-down" methods address this goal without the need for proteolytic digestion prior to mass analysis. We report here an approach for top-down protein identification that has been implemented on a commercially available, unmodified Qq-TOF mass spectrometer. Intact protein molecular ions first undergo cone fragmentation in the electrospray inlet. Conventional MS/MS is then performed on a mass selected cone fragment using CID in the Qq interface of the Qq-TOF mass spectrometer to generate a sequence tag through a pseudo-MS3 experiment. Seven proteins varying in molecular weight between 11 and 66 kDa were chosen to demonstrate applicability of method. After the molecular weight of the intact protein was determined, the cone voltage was varied to induce fragmentation. Cone fragment ions were then further dissociated using conventional CID, and the resulting MS/MS spectra were processed and analyzed for sequence tags. Sequence tags were easily identified from a MS/MS spectrum of a cone induced fragment ion both manually and through a de novo sequencing program included in the software associated with the mass spectrometer. Sequence tags were subjected to database searching using the PeptideSearch program of EMBL, and all protein sequence tags gave unambiguous search results. In all cases, sequence tags were found to originate from the n- and/or c-termini of the proteins.     

Provitamin D and vitamin D isomerizations in the mass spectrometer. Translational energy release and collision-induced dissociation studies

Collision-induced dissociation mass-analysed ion kinetic energy spectrometry and translational energy release studies have established that provitamin D₃ (7-dehydrocholesterol), provitamin D₂ (ergosterol), vitamin D₃ and vitamin D₂ isomerizations in the mass spectrometer occur at the fragment ion level leading to [M? H₂O? CH₃]⁺ ions of identical structure. It was found that the reaction, [M]⁺˙→[M? H₂O]⁺˙, plays a central role in these isomerizations.