‘Mass spectrometry of vitamin B6: Different forms of the vitamin,its metabolites,antimetabolites, and analogs’

The mass spectra of the different forms of vitamin B₆, some metabolites and antimetabolites, and some analogs are reported. The free bases are suitable for study, but the 5-phosphates are not sufficiently volatile. The hydrochloride salts dissociate thermally in the inlet system into the free base and HCl and give the spectrum of the free base with the spectrum of HCL superimposed on it. The compounds studied are: pyridoxol, pyridoxamine and pyridoxal, which are different forms of vitamin B₆; 4-pyridoxic acid and its lactone, 5-pyridoxic acid lactone, isopyridoxal, 5-formyl-3-hydroxy-2-methylpyridine-4-carboxylic acid, and 3-hydroxy-2-methylpyridine-4,5-dicarboxylic acid, which are vitamin B₆ metabolites; α⁴-and α⁵-deoxypyridoxol, 3-deoxypyridoxol, and 4- and 5- norpyridoxol, which are antimetabolites and analogs of vitamin B₆.