Recognition and quantification of binary and ternary mixtures of isomeric peptides by the kinetic method: metal ion and ligand effects on the dissociation of metal-bound complexes.

The kinetic method is applied to differentiate and quantify mixtures of isomeric tripeptides based on the competitive dissociations of divalent metal ion-bound clusters in an ion trap mass spectrometer. This methodology is extended further to determine compositions of ternary mixtures of the isomers Gly-Gly-Ala (GGA), Ala-Gly-Gly (AGG), and Gly-Ala-Gly (GAG). This procedure also allows to perform chiral quantification of a ternary mixture of optical isomers. The divalent metal ion Ca(II) is particularly appropriate for isomeric distinction and quantification of the isobaric tripeptides Gly-Gly-Leu/Gly-Gly-Ile (GGL/GGI). Among the first-row transition metal ions, Cu(II) yields remarkably effective isomeric differentiation for both the isobaric tripeptides, GGI/GGL using GAG as the reference ligand, and the positional isomers GAG/GGA using GGI as the reference ligand. This is probably due to agostic bonding: alpha-agostic bonding occurs between Cu(II) and GAG and beta-agostic bonding between Cu(II) and GGI, each produces large but different steric effects on the stability of the Cu(II)-bound dimeric clusters. These data form the basis for possible future quantitative analyses of mixtures of larger peptides such as are generated, for example, in combinatorial synthesis of peptides and peptide mimics.

Clustering of nucleosides in the presence of alkali metals: Biologically relevant quartets of guanosine, deoxyguanosine and uridine observed by ESI-MS/MS.

Electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectra of nucleosides, recorded in the presence of alkali metals, display alkali metal ion-bound quartets and other clusters that may have implications for understanding non-covalent interactions in DNA and RNA. The tetramers of guanosine and deoxyguanosine and also their metaclusters (clusters of clusters), cationized by alkali metals, were observed as unusually abundant magic number clusters. The observation of these species in the gas phase parallels previous condensed-phase studies, which show that guanine derivatives can form quartets and metaclusters of quartets in solution in the presence of metal cations. This parallel behavior and also internal evidence suggest that bonding in the guanosine tetramers involves the bases rather than the sugar units. The nucleobases thymine and uracil are known to form magic number pentameric adducts with K+, Cs+ and NH4+ in the gas phase. In sharp contrast, we now show that the nucleosides uridine and deoxythymidine do not form the pentameric clusters characteristic of the corresponding bases. More subtle effects of the sugars are evident in the fact that adenosine and cytidine form numerous higher order clusters with alkali metals, whereas deoxyadenosine and deoxycytidine show no clustering. It is suggested that hydrogen bonding between the bases in the tetramers of dG and rG are the dominant interactions in the clusters, hence changing the ribose group to deoxyribose (and vice versa) generally has little effect. However, the additional hydroxyl group of RNA nucleosides enhances the non-selective formation of higher-order aggregates for adenosine and cytidine and results in the lack of highly stable magic number clusters. Some clusters are the result of aggregation in the course of ionization (ESI) whereas others appear to be intrinsic to the solution being examined.

Determination of pentachlorophenol by negative ion chemical ionization with membrane introduction mass spectrometry.

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) was used as a model compound to explore the potential of desorption chemical ionization (DCI) in the determination of polychlorinated pesticides using membrane introduction mass spectrometry (MIMS). A direct insertion membrane probe was modified so that a chemical ionization plasma could be established at the membrane surface. Using selected ion monitoring (SIM) in a tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometer with isobutane chemical ionization (CI), the PCP detection limit under positive chemical ionization is 20 ppb whereas negative CI gives detection limits in the low ppb range. This performance is achieved without any pre-treatment or derivatization of the sample. Negative ion CI gives a signal that is linear over a concentration range of 2-1000 ppb. Comparison of data obtained with low ppb samples of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, 2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol and pentachlorophenol suggests that the sensitivity of this analytical procedure increases with increase in the number of electronegative substituents in the molecule.

Clustering of nucleobases with alkali metals studied by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry: implications for mechanisms of multistrand DNA stabilization.

Self-clustering of the five common nucleobases was investigated by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry and shown to provide insight into the non-covalent interactions between identical bases. Alkali and ammonium cations significantly increase self-aggregation of the nucleobases and lead to the formation of uniquely stable magic number clusters. Sodium adducts of guanine, thymine and uracil preferentially take the form of tetrameric (quartet) clusters. This gas-phase result correlates with previously reported solution-phase data on sodium cation stabilized guanosine, thymine and uracil quartet structures believed to be responsible for telomere stabilization. In the presence of potassium, cesium or ammonium cations, pentameric magic number clusters are formed from thymine and uracil, while in solution the nucleoside isoguanosine yields clusters of this favored size. The formation of magic number metaclusters occurs for thymine and uracil in the presence of ammonium cations. These doubly charged 10- and 15-mers are tentatively attributed to the formation of pentamer/ammonium cation/ pentamer sandwich structures.

Analytical performance of a miniature cylindrical ion trap mass spectrometer.

The analytical performance of a fieldable cylindrical ion trap (CIT)-based miniature mass spectrometer is described. A detailed description of the instrument itself is to be found in the immediately preceding paper (Patterson, G. E.; Guymon, A. J.; Riter, L S.; Everly, M.; Griep-Raming, J.; Laughlin, B. C.; Ouyang, Z.; Cooks, R. G., Miniature Cylindrical Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer, Anal. Chem. 2002, 24, 6145-6153). Applications employing the MS/MS and MSn capabilities of the miniature instrument and analytical performance criteria are given here. The limit of detection for methyl salicylate, introduced as the pure vapor, is estimated as 1 pg. The resolution, R = m/delta m, where delta m, measured as full width at half-maximum, is estimated as 100. Monitoring of organic compounds in air is performed using a permeation membrane introduction device coupled to the mass spectrometer. Water monitoring is performed using an external membrane introduction mass spectrometry (MIMS) system, with acetophenone and toluene serving as model compounds. Data are given for chemical warfare agent simulants, methyl salicylate, and dimethyl methyl phosphonate (DMMP) in air. On-line detection of menthol vapor emitted from a cough drop is reported. Methyl salicylate in air gives a recognizable mass spectrum at 400 ppb in the ambient system, while use of a heated membrane brings the detection limit down to 10 ppb.