Sequence analysis of styrenic copolymers by tandem mass spectrometry.

Styrene and smaller molar amounts of either m-dimethylsilylstyrene (m-DMSS) or p-dimethylsilylstyrene (p-DMSS) were copolymerized under living anionic polymerization conditions, and the compositions, architectures, and sequences of the resulting copolymers were characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS(2)). MS analysis revealed that linear copolymer chains containing phenyl-Si(CH3)2H pendants were the major product for both DMSS comonomers. In addition, two-armed architectures with phenyl-Si(CH3)2-benzyl branches were detected as minor products. The comonomer sequence in the linear chains was established by MS(2) experiments on lithiated oligomers, based on the DMSS content of fragments generated by backbone C-C bond scissions and with the help of reference MS(2) spectra obtained from a polystyrene homopolymer and polystyrene end-capped with a p-DMSS block. The MS(2) data provided conclusive evidence that copolymerization of styrene/DMSS mixtures leads to chains with a rather random distribution of the silylated comonomer when m-DMSS is used, but to chains with tapered block structures, with the silylated units near the initiator, when p-DMSS is used. Hence, MS(2) fragmentation patterns permit not only differentiation of the sequences generated in the synthesis, but also the determination of specific comonomer locations along the polymer chain.

Differentiation of linear and cyclic polymer architectures by MALDI tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS2).

[M + Ag](+) ions from cyclic and linear polystyrenes and polybutadienes, formed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI), give rise to significantly different fragmentation patterns in tandem mass spectrometry (MS(2)) experiments. In both cases, fragmentation starts with homolytic cleavage at the weakest bond, usually a C-C bond, to generate two radicals. From linear structures, the separated radicals depolymerize extensively by monomer losses and backbiting rearrangements, leading to low-mass radical ions and much less abundant medium- and high-mass closed-shell fragments that contain one of the original end groups, along with internal fragments. With cyclic structures, depolymerization is less efficient, as it can readily be terminated by intramolecular H-atom transfer between the still interconnected radical sites (disproportionation). These differences in fragmentation reactivity result in substantially different fragment ion distributions in the MS(2) spectra. Simple inspection of the relative intensities of low- versus high-mass fragments permits conclusive determination of the macromolecular architecture, while full spectral interpretation reveals the individual end groups of linear polymers or the identity of the linker used to form the cyclic polymer.