Fragmentation pathways of deprotonated ortho-hydroxybenzyl alcohol.

The ortho, meta, and para isomers of hydroxybenzyl alcohol can be unequivocally distinguished by the collision-induced dissociation mass spectra of their anions. The presence of a prominent peak at m/z 121 for an elimination of a dihydrogen molecule renders the ortho-isomer spectrum markedly different from those of its meta and para congeners. Investigations carried out with deuterium-labeled isotopologues of the ortho isomer verified that the labile hydrogen atom on the hydroxyl group and one of the benzylic hydrogen atoms are specifically removed in the formation of the m/z 121 ion. The ortho-isomer spectrum also showed a prominent peak at m/z 93. Experimental data indicated that the m/z 93 product ion originates either from a two-step H2 and CO elimination mechanism or from a direct loss of a HCHO molecule from the precursor anion. The intensity ratio of the m/z 93 and 94 peaks in the spectrum recorded from the m/z 124 ion generated from a sample of o-hydroxybenzyl alcohol dissolved in D2 O supported the notion that the direct HCHO loss is the more dominant pathway for the generation of the phenolate ion under low activation conditions. In contrast, the two-step mechanism becomes the more dominant pathway under high collisional activation conditions. The spectrum also showed a weak peak at m/z 105 for a water loss. Based on computational data, the m/z 105 ion generated in this way appears to be a composite generated from a common ion-neutral complex intermediate in which a hydroxyl anion is positioned equidistantly between one of the benzylic hydrogens and a nearby hydrogen atom of the benzene ring. Upon activation, the complex dissociates to form either a phenide or a quinone methide anion. The reaction forming a carbon dioxide adduct under ion-mobility conditions was used to support the proposed water-loss mechanism.

An LC-MS/MS method for the determination of antibiotic residues in distillers grains.

Antibiotics are used in ethanol production to discourage the growth of bacteria that would result in lower ethanol content and a lower quality product. A survey conducted by the FDA (FY 2010 Nationwide Survey of Distillers Grains for Antibiotic Residues, 2009 [1]) revealed that the residues of these antibiotics can remain in the distillers grains (DG) by-product, which is used as an animal feed ingredient. The low levels of antibiotic residues in DG could be a public health concern, as they could lead to antimicrobial resistance. To enable the quantitative determination of these antibiotics (erythromycin, penicillin G, virginiamycin M1 and virginiamycin S1), we developed a sensitive LC-MS/MS method. The residues were extracted from distillers grains with a mixture of acetonitrile and buffer followed by acetonitrile. The combined extract was diluted with water and washed with hexane. An aliquot was cleaned up on an Oasis HLB solid phase extraction cartridge. Extracts were analyzed by LC-tandem mass spectrometry. The method was successfully validated using a variety of different matrices such as corn DG, corn & milo DG, and deoiled corn DG. Absolute recoveries of the analytes ranged from 53 to 106%. Accuracy ranged from 90 to 101% based on calibration by matrix standards. The limits of quantitation and relative standard deviation were all satisfactory to support future surveillance studies.

Screening for toxic phorbol esters in jerky pet treat products using LC-MS.

Since 2007, the U.S. FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) has been investigating reports of pets becoming ill after consuming jerky pet treats. Jerky used in pet treats contains glycerin, which can be made from vegetable oil or as a byproduct of biodiesel production. Because some biodiesel is produced using oil from Jatropha curcas, a plant that contains toxic compounds including phorbol esters, CVM developed a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) screening method to evaluate investigational jerky samples for the presence of these toxins. Results indicated that the samples analyzed with the new method did not contain Jatropha toxins at or above the lowest concentration tested.

Formation of Carbamate Anions by the Gas-phase Reaction of Anilide Ions with CO2.

The anilide anion (m/z 92) generated directly from aniline, or indirectly as a fragmentation product of deprotonated acetanilide, captures CO2 readily to form the carbamate anion (m/z 136) in the collision cell, when CO2 is used as the collision gas in a tandem-quadrupole mass spectrometer. The gas-phase affinity of the anilide ion to CO2 is significantly higher than that of the phenoxide anion (m/z 93), which adds to CO2 only very sluggishly. Our results suggest that the efficacy of CO2 capture depends on the natural charge density on the nitrogen atom, and relative nucleophilicity of the anilide anion. Generally, conjugate bases generated from aniline derivatives with proton affinities (PA) less than 350 kcal/mol do not tend to add CO2 to form gaseous carbamate ions. For example, the anion generated from p-methoxyaniline (PA = 367 kcal/mol) reacts significantly faster than that obtained from p-nitroaniline (PA = 343 kcal/mol). Although deprotonated p-aminobenzoic acid adds very poorly because the negative charge is now located primarily on the carboxylate group, it reacts more efficiently with CO2 if the carboxyl group is esterified. Moreover, mixture of CO2 and He as the collision gas was found to afford more efficient adduct formation than CO2 alone, or as mixtures made with nitrogen or argon, because helium acts as an effective "cooling" gas and reduces the internal energy of reactant ions.

Tentative Structural Assignment of a Glucuronide Metabolite of Methyltestosterone in Tilapia Bile by Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.

Methyltestosterone (MT), a strong androgenic steroid, is not approved for use in fish aquaculture in the United States. It is used in the U.S. under an investigational new animal drug exemption (INAD) only during the early life stages of fish. There is a possibility that farmers feed fish with MT to enhance production for economic gains. Therefore, there is a need to develop methods for the detection of MT and its metabolite residues in fish tissue for monitoring purposes. Previously, our laboratory developed a liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight (LC-QTOF) method for characterization of 17-O-glucuronide metabolite (MT-glu) in bile of tilapia dosed with MT. The system used was an Agilent 6530 Q-TOF equipped with electrospray jet stream technology, operating in positive ion mode. Retrospective analysis of the data generated in that experiment by a feature-finding algorithm, combined with a search against an in-house library of possible MT-metabolites, resulted in the discovery of a major glucuronide metabolite of MT in the bile extracts. Preliminary data indicate it to be a glucuronide of a hydroxylated MT (OHMT-glu) which persists in tilapia bile for at least 2 weeks after dosing. We present the tentative structural assignment of the OHMT-glu in tilapia bile and time course of development. This glucuronide can serve as a marker to monitor illegal use of MT in tilapia culture.

Pygidial gland chemistry and potential alarm-recruitment function in column foraging, but not solitary, Nearctic Messor harvesting ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae).

We investigated the role of the pygidial gland on foraging behavior in two ecologically dominant column foraging Nearctic harvesting ants (Messor pergandei and Messor andrei). Using chemical analyses and behavioral tests, we show that n-tridecane is the major biologically active compound of pygidial gland secretions in both species, and that this chemical functions as a powerful alarm-recruitment pheromone. Another major compound of pygidial gland contents is benzaldehyde; this substance does not release behavioral reactions in M. pergandei workers but might function as a defensive secretion. Six solitary foraging Nearctic Messor and two column foraging Palearctic Messor species, did not have large pygidial gland reservoirs.

Formation of the bisulfite anion (HSO(3) (-) , m/z 81) upon collision-induced dissociation of anions derived from organic sulfonic acids.

In the negative-ion collision-induced dissociation mass spectra of most organic sulfonates, the base peak is observed at m/z 80 for the sulfur trioxide radical anion (SO(3) (-·) ). In contrast, the product-ion spectra of a few sulfonates, such as cysteic acid, aminomethanesulfonate, and 2-phenylethanesulfonate, show the base peak at m/z 81 for the bisulfite anion (HSO(3) (-) ). An investigation with an extensive variety of sulfonates revealed that the presence of a hydrogen atom at the ß-position relative to the sulfur atom is a prerequisite for the formation of the bisulfite anion. The formation of HSO(3) (-) is highly favored when the atom at the ß-position is nitrogen, or the leaving neutral species is a highly conjugated molecule such as styrene or acrylic acid. Deuterium-exchange experiments with aminomethanesulfonate demonstrated that the hydrogen for HSO(3) (-) formation is transferred from the ß-position. The presence of a peak at m/z 80 in the spectrum of 2-sulfoacetic acid, in contrast to a peak at m/z 81 in that of 3-sulfopropanoic acid, corroborated the proposed hydrogen transfer mechanism. For diacidic compounds, such as 4-sulfobutanoic acid and cysteic acid, the m/z 81 ion can be formed by an alternative mechanism, in which the negative charge of the carboxylate moiety attacks the α-carbon relative to the sulfur atom. Experiments conducted with deuterium-exchanged and deuterium-labeled analogs of sulfocarboxylic acids demonstrated that the formation of the bisulfite anion resulted either from a hydrogen transfer from the ß-carbon, or from a direct attack by the carboxylate moiety on the α-carbon.

"Meta elimination," a diagnostic fragmentation in mass spectrometry.

The diagnostic value of the "ortho effect" for unknown identification by mass spectrometry is well known. Here, we report the existence of a novel "meta effect," which adds to the repertoire of useful mass spectrometric fragmentation mechanisms. For example, the meta-specific elimination pathway described in this report enables unequivocal identification of meta isomers from ortho and para isomers of carboxyanilides. The reaction follows a specific path to eliminate a molecule of meta-benzyne, from the anion produced after the initial decarboxylation of the precursor. Consequently, in the CID spectra of carboxyanilides, a peak for the (R-CO-NH)(-) anion is observed only for the meta isomers. For example, the peaks observed at m/z 58, 86, 120, 128, and 170 from acetamido-, butamido-, benzamido, heptamido-, and decanamido-benzoates, respectively, were specific only to the spectra of meta isomers.

Low-energy collision-induced fragmentation of negative ions derived from diesters of aliphatic dicarboxylic acids made with hydroxybenzoic acids.

Diesters of ortho-hydroxybenzoic acid (salicylic acid) made with glutaric, adipic, and pimelic acids are the monomers of some potential drug candidates for aspirin patches. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) spectra of negative ion derived from these compounds show a 120-Da 'neutral loss' specific to the ortho isomers. In contrast, the anions derived from diesters of meta- and para-hydroxybenzoic acids show a 138-Da loss for an elimination of elements of hydroxybenzoic acid by a charge-remote mechanism. Deuterium labeling studies confirmed that the hydrogen atom transferred for hydroxybenzoic acid loss originates specifically from the alpha position of the dicarboxylic acid moiety. Although all spectra showed a peak at m/z 137, a charge-mediated process specific for the ortho compounds renders it the most prominent peak in the spectra of ortho compounds. Appropriate deuterium labeling experiments demonstrated that the hydrogen atom transferred for the formation of the m/z 137 ion in ortho compounds is specifically derived from the alpha position of the dicarboxylic acid moiety.

Loss of benzene to generate an enolate anion by a site-specific double-hydrogen transfer during CID fragmentation of o-alkyl ethers of ortho-hydroxybenzoic acids.

Collision-induced dissociation of anions derived from ortho-alkyloxybenzoic acids provides a facile way of producing gaseous enolate anions. The alkyloxyphenyl anion produced after an initial loss of CO(2) undergoes elimination of a benzene molecule by a double-hydrogen transfer mechanism, unique to the ortho isomer, to form an enolate anion. Deuterium labeling studies confirmed that the two hydrogen atoms transferred in the benzene loss originate from positions 1 and 2 of the alkyl chain. An initial transfer of a hydrogen atom from the C-1 position forms a phenyl anion and a carbonyl compound, both of which remain closely associated as an ion/neutral complex. The complex breaks either directly to give the phenyl anion by eliminating the neutral carbonyl compound, or to form an enolate anion by transferring a hydrogen atom from the C-2 position and eliminating a benzene molecule in the process. The pronounced primary kinetic isotope effect observed when a deuterium atom is transferred from the C-1 position, compared to the weak effect seen for the transfer from the C-2 position, indicates that the first transfer is the rate determining step. Quantum mechanical calculations showed that the neutral loss of benzene is a thermodynamically favorable process. Under the conditions used, only the spectra from ortho isomers showed peaks at m/z 77 for the phenyl anion and m/z 93 for the phenoxyl anion, in addition to that for the ortho-specific enolate anion. Under high collision energy, the ortho isomers also produce a peak at m/z 137 for an alkene loss. The spectra of meta and para compounds show a peak at m/z 92 for the distonic anion produced by the homolysis of the O-C bond. Moreover, a small peak at m/z 136 for a distonic anion originating from an alkyl radical loss allows the differentiation of para compounds from meta isomers.