Size effect on fragmentation in tandem mass spectrometry.

The collision energy or collision voltage necessary to obtain 50% fragmentation (characteristic collision energy/voltage, CCE or CCV) has been systematically determined for different types of molecules [poly(ethylene glycols) (PEG), poly(tetrahydrofuran) (PTHF), and peptides] over a wide mass (degrees of freedom) range. In the case of lithium-cationized PEGs a clear linear correlation (R(2) > 0.996) has been found between CCE and precursor ion mass on various instrument types up to 4.5 kDa. A similar linear correlation was observed between CCV and the mass-to-charge ratio. For singly and multiply charged polymers studied under a variety of experimental conditions and on several instruments, all data were plotted together and showed correlation coefficient R(2) = 0.991. A prerequisite to observe such a good linear correlation is that the energy and entropy of activation in a class of polymers is likely to remain constant. When compounds of different structure are compared, the CCV will depend not only on the molecular mass but the activation energy and entropy as well. This finding has both theoretical and practical importance. From a theoretical point of view it suggests fast energy randomization up to at least 4.5 kDa so that statistical rate theories are applicable in this range. These results also suggest an easy method for instrument tuning for high-throughput structural characterization through tandem MS: after a standard compound is measured, the optimum excitation voltage is in a simple proportion with the mass of any structurally similar analyte at constant experimental conditions.

Sterically-directed consecutive and size-selective self-assembly of palladium diphosphane complexes with an Ar-BIAN ligand: unexpected formation of pentameric and hexameric aggregates.

The coordination properties of N,N'-bis[4-(4-pyridyl)phenyl]acenaphthenequinonediimine (L(1)) and N,N'-bis[4-(2-pyridyl)phenyl]acenaphthenequinonediimine (L(2)) were investigated in self-assembly with palladium diphosphane complexes [Pd(P;P)(H(2)O)(2)](OTf)(2) (OTf = triflate) by using various analytical techniques, including multinuclear ((1)H, (15)N, and (31)P) NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (P;P = dppp, dppf, dppe; dppp = bis(diphenylphosphanyl)propane, dppf = bis(diphenylphosphanyl)ferrocene, and dppe = bis(diphenylphosphanyl)ethane). Beside the expected trimeric and tetrameric species, the interaction of an equimolar mixture of [Pd(dppp)](2+) ions and L(1) also generates pentameric aggregates. Due to the E/Z isomerism of L(1), a dimeric product was also observed. In all of these species, which correspond to the general formula [Pd(dppp)L(1)](n)(OTf)(2n) (n = 2-5), the L(1) ligand is coordinated to the Pd center only through the terminal pyridyl groups. Introduction of a second equivalent of the [Pd(dppp)](2+) tecton results in coordination to the internal, sterically more encumbered chelating site and induces enhancement of the higher nuclearity components. The presence of higher-order aggregates (n = 5, 6), which were unexpected for the interaction of cis-protected palladium corners with linear ditopic bridging ligands, has been demonstrated both by mass-spectrometric and DOSY NMR spectroscopic analysis. The sequential coordination of the [Pd(dppp)](2+) ion is attributed to the dissimilar steric properties of the two coordination sites. In the self-assembled species formed in a 1:1:1 mixture of [Pd(dppp)](2+)/[Pd(dppe)](2+)/L(1), the sterically more demanding [Pd(dppp)](2+) tectons are attached selectively to the pyridyl groups, whereas the more hindered imino nitrogen atoms coordinate the less bulky dppe complexes, thus resulting in a sterically directed, size-selective sorting of the metal tectons. The propensity of the new ligands to incorporate hydrogen-bonded solvent molecules at the chelating site was confirmed by X-ray diffraction studies.

Analysis of complex oligosaccharides using graphitized carbon liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry.

The sugar fraction of alpha-1 acid glycoprotein (AGP) was studied using porous graphitized carbon (PGC) chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Electrospray ionization provides efficient control over fragmentation; at low collision energy only molecular species were observed, allowing accurate oligosaccharide profiling. PGC chromatography was useful separating 18 sugars differing in monosaccharide composition. Most of these were separated into several isomeric forms; altogether 49 different oligosaccharides were found in AGP.

Recoverable fluorous CBS methodology for asymmetric reduction of ketones.

[reaction: see text]. An operationally simple and recoverable fluorous CBS methodology was developed. The in situ-generated fluorous oxazaborolidine efficiently catalyzed the reduction of ketones with high enantioselectivity and reactivity. The subsequent recycling of the fluorous prolinol precatalyst was achieved by fluorous solid-phase extraction.

Efficient separation of a trifluoromethyl substituted organocatalyst: just add water.

A practical, cost-saving tagging approach is developed which takes advantage of the hydrophobicity of trifluoromethyl groups, exemplified by the application and recovery of a CBS precatalyst using tuned aqueous-organic media with minimum 50% water content.

Molecular structure and catechol oxidase activity of a new copper(I) complex with sterically crowded monodentate N-donor ligand.

The attempted alkylation of 1,3-bis(2'-pyridylimino)isoindoline (indH) by the use of n-BuLi and subsequent alkyl halides led to quaternization of the pyridine nitrogens and the zwitterionic monodentate N-ligand (Me(2)ind)I was formed. By the use of the ligand the copper(I) complex [Cu(I)(Me(2)ind)I(2)] was prepared and its structure determined. It was found to be good catalyst for the oxidation of 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol (DTBCH(2)) to 3,5-di-tert-butyl-1,2-benzoquinone (DTBQ) and H(2)O(2) by dioxygen. Detailed kinetic studies revealed first-order dependence on the catalyst and dioxygen concentration and saturation type behavior with respect to the substrate.

GlycoMiner: a new software tool to elucidate glycopeptide composition.

New computer software, GlycoMiner, has been developed to automatically identify tandem (MS/MS) spectra obtained in liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) runs which correspond to N-glycopeptides. The program complements conventional proteomics analysis, and can be used in a high-throughput environment. The program interprets the spectra and determines the structure of the corresponding glycopeptides. GlycoMiner runs under Windows, can process spectra obtained on various instruments, and can be downloaded from our website (w3.chemres.hu/ms/glycominer). The algorithm works similarly to a human expert; evaluates the low mass oxonium ions; deduces oligosaccharide losses from the protonated molecule; and identifies the mass of the peptide residue. The program has been tested on tryptic digests of two glycopeptides: AGP (which has five different N-glycosylation sites) and transferrin (with two N-glycosylation sites). Results have been evaluated both manually and by GlycoMiner. Out of 3132 MS/MS spectra 338 were found to correspond to glycopeptides; identification by GlycoMiner showed a 0.1% false positive and 0.1% false negative rate. From these it was possible to identify 196 glycan structures manually; GlycoMiner correctly identified all of these, with no false positives. The rest were low quality spectra, not suitable for structure assignment.

Analysis of sterols by high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry combined with chemometrics.

A newly developed high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS) method has been successfully used to analyze plasma concentrations of various phytosterols (cholestanol and beta-sitosterol) and cholesterol metabolites (desmosterol and lathosterol). This was based on an unusual solvent combination of water/methanol vs. methanol/acetone/n-hexane applied on a Purospher Star RP-18e (125 x 2 mm, 3 microm) column, which proved excellent for the separation, identification and quantification of plasma sterols. Simple solid-phase extraction preparation of plasma samples was performed, followed by the developed fast and robust HPLC separation. Results on four groups of people were compared, those with low, normal and high plasma cholesterol levels and those with high cholesterol levels on statin therapy, and the results were evaluated using linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Variable selection for LDA was achieved using backward removal selection. Highly discriminatory variables were the ratios of desmosterol to sitosterol and of lathosterol to total plasma cholesterol. The latter ratio was also excellent for distinguishing subjects on statin therapy. The success rate of classification was 100%. The present pilot study shows the potential of HPLC/MS analysis and chemometrics for studying cholesterol-related disorders and warrants future full-scale medical study.

Mass spectrometric and quantum-chemical study on the structure, stability, and chirality of protonated serine dimers.

Stability and structure of homo- and heterochiral protonated serine (Ser) dimers were investigated by a combination of mass spectrometry and ab initio quantum chemical calculations. This established that the energy difference between the most stable homo- and heterochiral forms is very small: tandem mass spectrometry with Cooks' kinetic method yielded a negligible difference in Gibbs free energy (0.2+/-0.2 kJ mol(-1)). The various isomeric forms of (Ser)2 H+ and their energetics were determined by extensive electronic-structure calculations, which yielded homo- and heterochiral forms of the isomers with distinctly different relative energies. The most stable homochiral isomer is stabilized by two hydrogen bonds and is far more stable than any other homochiral isomer. The most stable heterochiral isomer has completely different features, and it is characterized by a salt-bridge structure. This clearly shows that salt-bridge structures do exist in the gas phase even in comparatively small molecules and in the absence of particularly basic or acidic functional groups.

Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry of aldehydes in biological matrices.

Application of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) for detection of aldehydes in biological samples such as blood, yoghurt, and milk, is reported. Sample preparation is easy, and the presented method is both sensitive and selective. It is based on the widely used dinitrophenylhydrazine derivatization, followed by extraction with n-hexane and a simple reversed-phase HPLC separation. Detection is performed by atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) in negative ion mode, with detection limits in the low picogram range. Using MS/MS, acetone and propionaldehyde can clearly be distinguished, facilitating propionaldehyde quantitation even in the presence of high acetone levels. Quantitation by direct MS/MS is also feasible, well suited for high-throughput applications, although not as accurate as using HPLC/MS/MS.

Direct tandem mass spectrometric analysis of amino acids in dried blood spots without chemical derivatization for neonatal screening.

Neonatal screening performed by electrospray tandem mass spectrometry is a powerful technique in clinical diagnostics. In the present paper an alternative to the widely accepted method involving butylation has been developed. In the new method butylation is not required, and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) was used instead of constant neutral loss scanning. The method was optimized for detection of 23 L-amino acids in their native form. Quantitation was based on isotope-labeled internal standards, calibration curves were linear from 0 to 500 micromol/L, and detection limits were in the range 2-42 micrmol/L. The utility of the present technique is illustrated in the case of one neonate suffering from citrullinaemia.