Isomeric discrimination of arginine-containing dipeptides using electrospray ionization-ion trap mass spectrometry and the kinetic method

The Kinetic Method (KM), applied commonly for thermochemical determinations, is used here for sterically-controlled isomeric determination of N- versus C-terminal Arg-containing dipeptide isomers (ArgX versus XArg; where X = His, Leu, Lys, Pro, Ser, Phe, and Tyr). The KM is offered as an alternate approach to direct collision-induced dissociation (CID) procedures. Through formation, isolation, and dissociation of a sterically-encumbered, metal-centered complex with electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometry technology, reference dipeptide molecules are screened to quantitatively differentiate a mixture of isomers based on their arrangement about the metal center. Arg-containing dipeptide molecules are chosen because of their contribution in a wide array of protein and peptide functions. Additionally, problems cited previously for evaluation of systems containing Arg residues (due to the incorporation of the guanidinium moiety) by the KM are addressed. The method is shown to be successful for highlighting favorable reference analytes (e.g., ArgPhe, ArgLeu, ProArg, PheArg, among others) for exceptional discrimination (R(iso) > 2.0) of the majority of N- and C-terminal Arg-containing peptides tested.     

On the Stereochemistry of Vincetene

Summary.  The absolute configuration of the centre of asymmetry in the side chain of the alkaloid vincetene (1) was determined by ozonolysis and subsequent unequivocal transformations affording the (S)-enantiomer of 1,2-propanediyl dibenzoate (4). Received February 22, 2001. Accepted March 1, 2001     

Preparation of 2‐phenyl‐2‐hydroxymethyl‐4‐oxo‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroquinazoline and 2‐methyl‐4‐oxo‐3,4‐dihydroquinazoline derivatives formation

The cyclization of phenacyl anthranilate has been studied with the aim to develop the synthesis of 2‐(2′‐aminophenyl)‐4‐phenyloxazole. However, a different course of the reaction than expected was observed. 2‐Phenyl‐2‐hydroxymethyl‐4‐oxo‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroquinazoline ( 3a ) was formed by the reaction of phenacyl anthranilate ( 2 ) with ammonium acetate under various conditions. 3‐Hydroxy‐2‐phenyl‐4(1H)‐quinolinone ( 4 ) arose by heating compound 3a in acetic acid. The same compound was obtained by melting compound 3a , but the yield was lower. Different types of products resulted in the reaction of compound 3a with acetic anhydride. Under mild conditions acetylated products 2‐acetoxymethyl‐2‐phenyl‐4‐oxo‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroquinazoline ( 7a ) and 2‐acetoxymethyl‐3‐acetyl‐2‐phenyl‐4‐oxo‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroquinazoline ( 8 ) were prepared. If the reaction was carried out under reflux of the reaction mixture, molecular rearrangement took place to give cis and trans 2‐methyl‐4‐oxo‐3‐(1‐phenyl‐2‐acetoxy)vinyl‐3,4‐dihydroquinazolines ( 9a and 9b ). All prepared compounds have been characterised by their ¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁵N NMR spectra, IR spectra and MS.     

Separation of Structurally Related Anthocyanins by MEKC

Summary A method based on micellar electrokinetic chromatography has been developed for the simultaneous separation of six anthocyanins (malvidin-3,5-diglucoside, malvidin-3-glucoside, malvidin-3-galactoside, pelargonidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3,5-diglucoside, cyanidin-3-galactoside). Optimum selectivity was achieved in the buffer 30 mM phosphate + 400 mM borate-TRIS, pH=7.0 supported with 50 mM sodium dodecylsulphate. High content of borate was essential mainly for the separation of diastereomeric pair malvidin-3-glucoside-malvidin-3-galactoside. The calibration dependencies exhibit good linearity in the ranges of concentration 10–100 g mL^–1 for diglycosylated and 25–100 g mL^–1 for monoglycosylated derivatives (R² = 0.9711–0.9989). The optimized method was applied to a sample of wine grape skin extract. Malvidin-3-glucoside was identified as main anthocyanin colorant in this sample.     

Utilisation of separation methods in the analysis of chemical warfare agents

Chemical warfare agents and their degradation products represent a broad group of compounds with different chemical properties (polarity, volatility, thermostability, etc.). These chemicals often have to be detected and determined in complex matrices and therefore highly efficient separation techniques hyphenated to selective and sensitive detectors play an indispensable role. This review offers an overview of selected papers devoted to the title subject. It cannot be considered as a comprehensive literature compilation but should allow the reader to obtain an insight into the application of separation techniques in the important area of human protection and control of chemical weapons.     

Analysis of metal complex azo dyes by high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and multistage mass spectrometry

Five metal complex azo compounds were analyzed using negative-ion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Mass spectra of all compounds yield intense peaks corresponding to [M - H](-) ions without any fragmentation, where M denotes the neutral compound with a proton as the counterion. Under collision induced dissociation (CID) conditions, structurally important fragment ions were studied using the ion trap analyzer with a multistage mass spectrometry (MS(n) facility. Synthesized compounds with (15)N atoms in the azo group facilitated the fragmentation pattern recognition. A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method using 5 mM ammonium acetate in 70% aqueous acetonitrile as mobile phase was developed making possible the separation of all complex compounds tested. The lower detection limits of the ESI-MS method are in the range 10-20 ng of each compound. The HPLC/ESI-MS method makes possible the monitoring of ligand exchange in aqueous solutions of metal complex azo dyes, and also investigation of the stabilities of the complexes in solution. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Estimation of partition coefficients by MEKC part 2: anthocyanins

The octanol-water partition coefficients of seven anthocyanins (in neutral form, pH = 7.0) were measured by means of MEKC. A new iterative method for the estimation of migration time of electroosmotic flow (EOF) and micelles in MEKC is presented. This calculation is based on Gauss-Newton linearization of the dependence between migration indices and migration times of a set of suitable standards and the application of an advanced statistical evaluation procedure. The values of partition coefficients obtained with the aid of an iterative process are compared with values obtained on use of EOF and micelle markers.     

Simultaneous identification of historical pigments Prussian blue and indigo in paintings by electrospray mass spectrometry

A new analytical protocol for identification of Prussian blue (PB) and indigo was proposed. Pigments useful for dating of artworks were detected by flow injection analysis/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry after alkalization of their suspensions in water, decomposition of PB to iron (III) hydroxide and hexacyanoferrate (II) and reduction of indigo to soluble leucoindigo using sodium dithionite. Limits of detection (PB 47 pg, indigo 59 pg) complied with requirements for analysis of microsamples of historical paintings. Potential of the developed method was proven in analysis of blue samples of two oil paintings from the 20^th century. Further, PB was confirmed in a microsample from a painting of ‘Crucifixion’, St. Sebestian church on St. Hill in Mikulov, Czech Republic. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.