The Enhancement of Polyphosphonate Salt Electrospray Mass Spectrometry and the High-performance Liquid Chromatographic Separation of Triphosphate Esters by Diethylamine Treatment

Abstract

Negative-ion electrospray mass spectrometry was used to analyse the following polyphosphonated alkali metal salts: adenosine 5-triphosphate disodium salt, cytidine 5-triphosphate disodium salt, guanosine 5-triphosphate trisodium salt, uridine 5-triphosphate trisodium salt, inosine 5-triphosphate trisodium salt, phytic acid dodecasodium salt hydrate, and coenzyme A trisodium salt. Before diethylamine (DEA) treatment, these compounds produced low intensity signals. The signals were generally a series of ion peaks which were identified as analyte acid ions with varying amounts of sodium adduct ions. With DEA treatment, there was a significant increase in the intensities of the acid ions and of those molecular fragments that retained a phosphonate group. All ion signals associated with sodium adduction were greatly reduced or eliminated. Preliminary results indicate that the polyphosphonated salts experience a sodium displacement mechanism similar to that previously reported for polysulphonated salts. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.