Field desorption mass spectra of flavonoid acylglycosides. I. Natural acetyl derivatives

The field desorption mass spectra (FD spectra) of 17 natural flavonoid acetylglycosides have been studied. In the spectra of each of the 0-monoglycosides the molecular ion (M or M + H) appears as the main peak and it is accompanied by the ions of the aglycone (A or A + H) and of the acylated anhydrosugar (S). The intensity of the latter peak is largely connected with the structure of the substance. In the FD spectra of flavone 0-biosides, fragment S is absent but its mass can be calculated from the difference (M – A). Useful information for establishing the position of the acetyl group is given by the fragments S₁ and (M – S₁) corresponding to the detachment of the terminal sugar residue. The FD spectra of flavone C-glycosides differ greatly from the spectra of the 0-glycosides: In them the main peak is that of the ion (M), but peaks (A) and (S) are absent and the ions present resemble the fragmentation of the C-glycosides under the action of electron impact.All-Union Scientific-Institute of Medicinal Plants, Moscow. L. Ya. Karpov Scientific-Research Institute of Physical Chemistry, Moscow. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 5, pp. 573–582, September–October, 1984.