Electrospray Ionization Linear Ion Trap Research Articles

Infrared Photodissociation Spectroscopy of Water-Tagged Ions with a Widely Tunable Quantum Cascade Laser for Planetary Science Applications.

This work presents a benchtop method for collecting the room temperature gas phase infrared (IR) action spectra of protonated amino acids and their isomers. The adopted setup uses a minimally modified commercial electrospray ionization linear ion trap mass spectrometer (ESI-LIT-MS) coupled to a broadband continuous wave (cw) quantum cascade laser (QCL) source. This approach leverages messenger assisted action spectroscopic techniques using water-tagged molecular ions with complex formation, irradiation, and subsequent analysis, all taking place within a single linear ion trap stage. This configuration thus circumvents the use of multiple mass selection and analysis stages, cryogenic buffer cells, and complex high-power laser systems typically called upon to execute these techniques. The benchtop action spectrometer is used to collect the 935-1600 cm-1 (6.2-10.7 μm) IR action spectrum of a collection of amino acids and a dipeptide with results cross referenced against literature examples obtained with a free electron laser source. Recorded IR spectra are used for the analysis of binary mixture samples composed of constitutional isomers α-alanine and β-alanine with ratios determined to ∼4% measurement uncertainty without the aid of a front-end separation stage. This turn-key QCL-based approach is a major step in showing the viability of tag-based action spectroscopic techniques for use in future in situ planetary science sensors and general analytical applications.

Comprehensive Identification of Glycosphingolipids in Human Plasma Using Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry.

Glycosphingolipids (GSL) represent a highly heterogeneous class of lipids with many cellular functions, implicated in a wide spectrum of human diseases. Their isolation, detection, and comprehensive structural analysis is a challenging task due to the structural diversity of GSL molecules. In this work, GSL subclasses are isolated from human plasma using an optimized monophasic ethanol–water solvent system capable to recover a broad range of GSL species. Obtained deproteinized plasma is subsequently purified and concentrated by C18-based solid-phase extraction (SPE). The hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization linear ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC-ESI-LIT-MS/MS) is used for GSL analysis in the human plasma extract. Our results provide an in-depth profiling and structural characterization of glycosphingolipid and some phospholipid subclasses identified in the human plasma based on their retention times and the interpretation of tandem mass spectra. The structural composition of particular lipid species is readily characterized based on the detailed interpretation of mass spectrometry (MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) spectra and further confirmed by specific fragmentation behavior following predictable patterns, which yields to the unambiguous identification of 154 GSL species within 7 lipid subclasses and 77 phospholipids representing the highest number of GSL species ever reported in the human plasma. The developed HILIC-ESI-MS/MS method can be used for further clinical and biological research of GSL in the human blood or other biological samples.

Investigation of interactions between cytochrome c and ginsenosides by native mass spectrometry and molecular docking simulations.

Ginsenosides are considered to be the main functional components in ginseng and possess various important pharmacological activities. The study of the interactions between ginsenosides and proteins is indispensable for understanding the pharmacological activities of ginsenosides. In this work, the interactions of ginsenosides with cytochrome c (cyt c) were investigated by native mass spectrometry and molecular docking simulations. The interactions of four ginsenosides (Rb1 , Rb3 , Rf, Rg1 ) and cyt c in NH4 OAc solution were investigated by electrospray ionization linear ion trap mass spectrometry (ESI-LTQ-MS). Molecular docking simulations of cyt c complexes were carried out by AutoDock. The native mass spectrometry results showed that the four ginsenosides were directly bound to cyt c, with stoichiometric ratios of 1:1 and 2:1 in NH4 OAc. The order of relative binding abilities of ginsenosides to cyt c obtained by ESI-MS was Rb1 > Rb3 > Rf > Rg1 , which was consistent with the docking results. Moreover, molecular docking simulations also indicated potential binding sites of cyt c and ginsenosides. Hydrogen-bond interaction played a very important role in cyt c binding with ginsenosides. It has been demonstrated that native MS is a useful tool to investigate the interactions of ginsenosides with cyt c. Molecular docking is a good complement to ESI analysis, and can provide information on potential binding sites of cyt c-ginsenoside complexess. This strategy will be helpful to further understand the interactions of proteins and small molecules.

Overexpression of ceramide synthase 1 increases C18-ceramide and leads to lethal autophagy in human glioma.

Ceramide synthase 1 (CERS1) is the most highly expressed CERS in the central nervous system, and ceramide with an 18-carbon–containing fatty acid chain (C18-ceramide) in the brain plays important roles in signaling and sphingolipid development. However, the roles of CERS1 and C18-ceramide in glioma are largely unknown. In the present study, measured by electrospray ionization linear ion trap mass spectrometry, C18-ceramide was significantly lower in glioma tumor tissues compared with controls (P < 0.001), indicating that C18-ceramide might have a role in glioma. These roles were examined by reconstitution of C18-ceramide in U251 and A172 glioma cells via addition of exogenous C18-ceramide or overexpression of CERS1, which has been shown to specifically induce the generation of C18-ceramide. Overexpression of CERS1 or adding exogenous C18-ceramide inhibited cell viability and induced cell death by activating endoplasmic reticulum stress, which induced lethal autophagy and inhibited PI3K/AKT signal pathway in U251 and A172 glioma cells. Moreover, overexpression of CERS1 or adding exogenous C18-ceramide increased the sensitivity of U251 and A172 glioma cells to teniposide (VM-26). Thus, the combined therapy of CERS1/C18-ceramide and VM-26 may be a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of human glioma.

Enhancing structural characterisation of glucuronidated O-linked glycans using negative mode ion trap higher energy collision-induced dissociation mass spectrometry.

High protein production and secretion with eukaryotic glycosylation machinery make T. reesei RUT-C30 a suitable expression host for recombinant proteins. The N-glycosylation of secreted proteins of RUT-C30 is known to vary depending on culture nutrients but O-glycosylation has been less extensively studied. O-Glycans and glycopeptides from secreted proteins were separated by porous graphitised carbon and C-18 liquid chromatography, respectively. O-Glycans were analysed in negative ion mode by electrospray ionisation linear ion trap mass spectrometry and glycopeptides in positive ion mode by electrospray ionisation hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry. Tandem mass spectrometry was used on O-glycans and glycopeptides including ion trap higher energy collision-induced dissociation (tHCD) to detect glycan fragments not detectable with standard ion trap fragmentation. tHCD allowed targeted MS3 experiments to be performed on structures containing hexuronic acid, which was not possible with ion trap CID, validating this novel O-glycan composition. Positive mode C18-LC/ESI-MS/MS was used to identify and characterise glycopeptides found to be modified with this class of O-glycans, identifying cellobiohydrolase I as a carrier of these novel O-glycans. Negative mode ion trap higher energy collision-induced dissociation allowed detection and targeted MS3 experiments to be performed on the hexuronic acid substituent of O-glycan structures, which was not possible with ion trap CID, validating the novel O-glycan composition to include hexuronic acid. Using glycopeptide analysis, this novel O-glycan composition was found to be present on the catalytic domain of cellobiohydrolase I, the most abundant secreted protein by T. reesei. These are the first reported O-glycans to contain acidic sugars in fungi and they could have significant implications for cellobiohydrolase I structure and activity as well as the activity of recombinant proteins expressed in this host system. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Comparison of MALDI and ESI for Relative Quantification of Citrullination via Skewed Isotopic Distribution Patterns

Arginine residues in a protein can be enzymatically deiminated to citrulline residues, and this post‐translational modification of proteins, called citrullination, has been known to be associated with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Since citrullination of an arginine residue causes a mass shift of only 1 Da, isotopic distribution patterns of citrullinated and its control (non‐citrullinated) peptides overlap each other, and the resulting isotopic pattern is skewed with respect to that of the control peptide. Recently, Deforce and coworkers utilized the citrullination‐induced skewed isotopic patterns for estimating the extent of citrullination (J. Proteome Res. 2012, 11, 5245). However, electrospray ionization (ESI), which Deforce and coworkers employed, is not fully suitable for this type of quantification because the number of potential charge sites on a citrullinated peptide is less than that on its control peptide and this leads to different ion abundances for a given charge state. In this study, we employed matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) instead of ESI for quantification of citrullination because the preference for singly charged ion formation by MALDI may overcome the aforementioned issue. Our results show that the isotopic patterns generated by MALDI time‐of‐flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) reflect the citrullination contents better than those generated by ESI linear ion trap (LIT) MS.

Analysis of breast cancer-associated glycosphingolipids using electrospray ionization-linear ion trap quadrupole mass spectrometry

Abnormal glycosphingolipids (GSLs) are expressed in many human tumors. These tumor-associated GSLs may have important roles in tumor progression. However, they are hard to be detected because of their low concentration and the limited availability of antibodies and lectins that recognize them. Thus, mass spectrometry is an effective method to analyze GSLs with high sensitivity. Here, we use electrospray ionization-linear ion trap quadrupole mass spectrometry (ESI-LTQ-MS) and liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) to determine the structure of a certain GSL in human breast cancer tissue. To obtain the breast cancer-associated GSLs, we applied relative abundance contrast of GSLs and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) analyses. We also used α1,2 fucosidase and fucosyltransferases as tools in the structural analysis. Based on this analysis, we identified the ion with m/z 1184 molecular ion as fucosyl-lactoceramide (Fuc-LacCer) with a C16 fatty acid ceramide. Quantitative analysis of GSLs revealed both Fuc-LacCer and Globo-H increased in breast cancer tissues. However, these two breast cancer-associated GSLs had different roles. The results of SNR analysis suggested the abnormal Fuc-LacCer is specific to breast cancer. The GSL profiling of breast cancer cells showed fucosyltransferase 1 contributed to the biosynthesis of Globo-H and Fuc-LacCer. In conclusion, MS analysis identified an accumulation of Fuc-LacCer in breast cancer tissue. Our findings provide GSL profiles of human breast cancer and develop an MS method for the study of cancer-associated GSLs.

The effect of non-covalent binding of sodium to a peptide on the H/D exchange reaction

The gas phase H/D exchange of some sodium attached peptide ions, (5Ala-<italic>n</italic>H+<italic>n</italic>Na).H⁺, <italic>n</italic> = 2,3,4,5 have been studied with an electrospray ionization linear ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-LIT-TOFMS) system. The exchange reaction rates of the peptide with different sodium ions have been investigated and the mechanism of the sodium ion effect was discussed. When two Na⁺ attached to the peptide and formed (5Ala-2H+2Na).H⁺, there was no H/D exchange in our experimental conditions. The exchange rates were accelerated if 3, 4 or 5 Na⁺ attached to the peptide and formed (5Ala-3H+3Na).H⁺, (5Ala-4H+4Na).H⁺, and (5Ala-5H+5Na).H⁺ ions. The peptide might have different conformations if different sodium ions were attached. The effect of the <italic>q</italic>-value of the quadrupole field on the H/D exchange rate were also studied in this work. The exchange rate was not changed if the <italic>q</italic> < 0.8, and the rate were certainly increased when the <italic>q</italic> is close to 0.908 because the ions have higher kinetic energy at this point.

High expression of lactotriaosylceramide, a differentiation-associated glycosphingolipid, in the bone marrow of acute myeloid leukemia patients

Glycosphingolipids (GSLs) are information-bearing biomolecules that play critical roles in embryonic development, signal transduction and carcinogenesis. Previous studies indicate that certain GSLs are associated with differentiation in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. In this study, we collected bone marrow samples from healthy donors and AML patients and analyzed the GSL expression profiles comprehensively using electrospray ionization linear ion-trap mass spectrometry. The results showed that AML patients had higher expression of the GSL lactotriaosylceramide (Lc3), GM3 and neolactotetraosylceramide (nLc4) in their bone marrow than did the healthy donors (P < 0.05), especially the M1 subtype of AML. To further explore the molecular mechanisms of Lc3, we examined the expression of the Lc3 synthase β1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase5 (β3Gn-T5) and found that the bone marrow samples of AML patients had 16-fold higher expression of β3Gn-T5 than those of healthy donors (P < 0.05). Our results suggest that AML-associated GSLs Lc3, GM3 and nLc4 are possibly involved in initiation and differentiation of AML.

Synthesis of the 3-sulfates of S-acyl glutathione conjugated bile acids and their biotransformation by a rat liver cytosolic fraction

The 3-sulfates of the S-acyl glutathione (GSH) conjugates of five natural bile acids (cholic, chenodeoxycholic, deoxycholic, ursodeoxycholic, and lithocholic) were synthesized as reference standards in order to investigate their possible formation by a rat liver cytosolic fraction. Their structures were confirmed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance, as well as by means of electrospray ionization-linear ion-trap mass spectrometry with negative-ion detection. Upon collision-induced dissociation, structurally informative product ions were observed. Using a triple-stage quadrupole instrument, selected reaction monitoring analyses by monitoring characteristic transition ions allowed the achievement of a highly sensitive and specific assay. This method was used to determine whether the 3-sulfates of the bile acid–GSH conjugates (BA–GSH) were formed when BA–GSH were incubated with a rat liver cytosolic fraction to which 3′-phosphoadenosine 5′-phosphosulfate had been added. The S-acyl linkage was rapidly hydrolyzed to form the unconjugated bile acid. A little sulfation of the GSH conjugates occurred, but greater sulfation at C-3 of the liberated bile acid occurred. Sulfation was proportional to the hydrophobicity of the unconjugated bile acid. Thus GSH conjugates of bile acids as well as their C-3 sulfates if formed in vivo are rapidly hydrolyzed by cytosolic enzymes.

Synthesis of the 3-sulfates of N-acetylcysteine conjugated bile acids (BA-NACs) and their transient formation from BA-NACs and subsequent hydrolysis by a rat liver cytosolic fraction as shown by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry

Previous work from this laboratory has reported the chemical synthesis of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) conjugates of natural bile acids (BAs) and shown that such novel conjugates can be formed in vivo in rats to which NAC has been administered. The subsequent fate of such novel conjugates is not known. One possible biotransformation is sulfation, a major pathway for BAs N-acylamidates in patients with cholestatic liver disease. Here, we report the chemical synthesis of the 3-sulfates of the S-acyl NAC conjugates of five natural BAs (cholic, chenodeoxycholic, deoxycholic, ursodeoxycholic, and lithocholic). We also measured the sulfation of N-acetylcysteine-natural bile acid (BA-NAC) conjugates when they were incubated with a rat liver cytosolic fraction. The chemical structures of the BA-NAC 3-sulfates were confirmed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance, as well as by means of electrospray ionization-linear ion trap mass spectrometry with negative-ion detection. Upon collision-induced dissociation of singly and doubly charged deprotonated molecules, structurally informative product ions were observed. Using a triple-stage quadrupole instrument, selected reaction monitoring analyses by monitoring characteristic transition ions allowed the achievement of a highly sensitive and specific assay. When BA-NACs were incubated with a rat liver cytosolic fraction to which 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphosulfate was added, sulfation occurred, but the dominant reaction was hydrolysis of the S-acyl linkage to form the unconjugated BAs. Subsequent sulfation occurred at C-3 on the unconjugated BAs that had been formed from the BA-NACs. Such sulfation was proportional to the hydrophobicity of the unconjugated bile acid. Thus, NAC conjugates of BAs as well as their C-3 sulfates if formed in vivo are rapidly hydrolyzed by cytosolic enzymes.

Speciation of oxaliplatin adducts with DNA nucleotides

This paper describes a set of fast and selective high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods coupled to electro-spray ionisation linear ion trap mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), sector-field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SF-ICP-MS) and UV detection for in vitro studies of the bifunctional adducts of oxaliplatin with mono-nucleotides, di-nucleotides and cellular DNA. The stationary phases and the optimised conditions used for each separation are discussed. Interaction of oxaliplatin with A and G mono-nucleotides resulted in the formation of five bifunctional platinum diaminocyclohexane (DACHPt) adducts. These were two isomers of the A-DACHPt-A and A-DACHPt-G adducts, and one G-DACHPt-G adduct, as confirmed by MS/MS spectra obtained by collision induced dissociation. These adducts were also characterised by UV absorption data and SF-ICP-MS elemental (195)Pt and (31)P signals. Further, interaction of oxaliplatin with AG and GG di-nucleotides resulted in the formation of three adducts: DACHPt-GG and two isomers of the DACHPt-AG adduct, as confirmed by ESI-MS and the complementary data obtained by UV and SF-ICP-MS. Finally, a very sensitive LC-ICP-MS method for the quantification of oxaliplatin GG intra-strand adducts (DACHPt-GG) was developed and used for monitoring the in vitro formation and repair of these adducts in human colorectal cancer cells. The method detection limit was 0.14 ppb Pt which was equivalent to 0.22 Pt adduct per 10(6) nucleotides based on a 10 μg DNA sample. This detection limit makes this method suitable for in vivo assessment of DACHPt-GG adducts in patients undergoing oxaliplatin chemotherapy.

Identification of bile acid S-acyl glutathione conjugates in rat bile by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization–linear ion trap mass spectrometry

Acyl-adenylates and acyl-CoA thioesters of bile acids (BAs) are reactive acyl-linked metabolites that have been shown to acylate the thiol group of glutathione (GSH); the reaction is catalyzed by glutathione S-transferase (GST) and the product is a thioester-linked BA-GSH conjugate. Such GSH conjugates are present in bile in lithocholic acid and ursodeoxycholic acid dosed-rats. To determine whether such novel BA-GSH conjugates are present in the bile of normal rats, we first synthesized the GSH conjugates of the major and minor biliary BAs of the rat and defined their MS and proton NMR properties. We then analyzed the BA-GSH composition in the bile of anesthetized biliary fistula rats by means of liquid chromatographic separation and electrospray ionization–linear ion trap mass spectrometric detection in negative- and positive-ion scan modes, monitoring characteristic transitions of the analytes. GSH conjugates of cholic, ω-muricholic, hyodeoxycholic, deoxycholic, 12-oxolithocholic, and lithocholic acids were present with concentrations in the range of 1.4–2.8 nmol/ml, some four orders of magnitude less than those of natural BA N-acyl amidates. Our results indicate that BA-GSH conjugates are formed and excreted in bile in the healthy rat, although this novel mode of BA conjugation is a very minor pathway.

Novel myelin penta- and hexa-acetyl-galactosyl-ceramides: structural characterization and immunoreactivity in cerebrospinal fluid

Fast migrating cerebrosides (FMC) are derivatives of galactosylceramide (GalCer). The structures of the most hydrophobic FMC-5, FMC-6, and FMC-7 were determined by electrospray ionization linear ion-trap mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy complementing previous NMR spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to be 3-O-acetyl-sphingosine-GalCer derivatives with galactose O-acetyl modifications. FMC-5 and FMC-6 are 3-O-acetyl-sphingosine-2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-GalCer with nonhydroxy and hydroxy-N-fatty-acids, while FMC-7 has an additional O-acetylation of the 2-hydroxy-fatty acid. The immuno-reactivity in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to these acetylated glycolipids was examined in central nervous system (CNS) infectious disease, noninflammatory disorders, and multiple sclerosis (MS). Screening for lipid binding in MS and other neurological disease groups revealed that the greatest anti-hydrophobic FMC reactivity was observed in the inflammatory CNS diseases (meningitis, meningo-encephalitis, and subacute sclerosing panencephalitis). Some MS patients had increased reactivity with the hydrophobic FMCs and with glycoglycerophospholipid MfGL-II from Mycoplasma fermentans. The cross-reactivity of highly acetylated GalCer with microbial acyl-glycolipid raises the possibility that myelin-O-acetyl-cerebrosides, bacterial infection, and neurological disease are linked.

Compensation of gradient related effects when using capillary liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for the absolute quantification of phosphorylated peptides

The application of reversed phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC) hyphenated to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for the accurate quantification of bio-molecules via covalently bound hetero atoms such as phosphorus is restricted, due to the known effects of increasing amounts of organic solvents on the ionization behavior of certain elements. An approach for the compensation of variations in the elemental response, due to changes in the solvent composition during the RP gradient separation of phosphorylated peptides is described, which includes the application of a second, matched reversed gradient, that is mixed post-column with the RP column outflow before entering the LC–ICP-MS interface. The experimental design allows the application of gradient separations, while the element-specific detection is carried out under isocratic conditions with a constant organic solvent intake into the plasma. A constant elemental response is a general pre-requisite for the application of ICP-MS for the absolute quantification of peptides via their hetero atom content, especially when no corresponding high purity standards are available or natural mono-isotopic hetero element tags are utilized. As complementary technique LC–electrospray ionization linear ion trap mass spectrometry (ESI-QTRAP-MS) has been used for peptide identification and to elucidate their phosphorus stoichiometry. Highly reproducible separations have been obtained with retention time and peak area RSDs of 0.05% and 7.6% ( n = 6), respectively. Detection limits for phosphorus of 6 μg L −1 (6 pg absolute), have been realized, which corresponds to approximately 200 fmol of an average molecular weight, singly phosphorylated peptide. In addition an automatic routine for flow injection analysis (FIA) at the end of each chromatographic separation has been developed, to calibrate each chromatographic separation, which allows absolute quantification of the separated species, whenever their tag stoichiometry is known. Phosphorylated peptides as well as tryptic protein digests have been used as model compounds for method development and to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed setup for phosphopeptide quantification on the basis of simple inorganic phosphorus standards.

Control of Strobilurin Fungicides in Wheat Using Direct Analysis in Real Time Accurate Time-of-Flight and Desorption Electrospray Ionization Linear Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry

Ambient mass spectrometry has been used for the analysis of strobilurin residues in wheat. The use of this novel, challenging technique, employing a direct analysis in a real time (DART) ion-source coupled with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOF MS) and a desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) source coupled with a linear ion trap tandem MS (LIT MS(n)), permitted a direct screen of the occurrence of target fungicides in treated grains in less than 1 min. For quantification purpose by DART-TOF MS, an ethyl acetate extract had to be prepared. With the use of a prochloraz as an internal standard, the performance characteristics obtained by repeated analyses of extract, spiked at 50 microg kg(-1) with six strobilurins (azoxystrobin, picoxystrobin, dimoxystrobin, kresoxim-methyl, pyraclostrobin, and trifloxystrobin), were in the following range: recoveries 78-92%, repeatability (RSD) 8-15%, linearity (R(2)) 0.9900-0.9978. The analysis of wheat with incurred strobilurin residues demonstrated good trueness of data generated by the DART-TOF MS method; the results were in a good agreement with those obtained by the conventional approach, i.e., by the QuEChERS sample handling procedure followed by identification/quantification employing high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Tandem mass spectrometry using DESI-LIT MS(n) provided a sufficient number of product ions for confirmation of the identity of azoxystrobin and pyraclostrobin in incurred wheat samples.

Characterisation of anthocyanins in red cabbage using high resolution liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detection and electrospray ionization-linear ion trap mass spectrometry

The aim of this work was to analyse and tentatively identify anthocyanin species in red cabbage using HPLC/DAD-ESI/Qtrap MS. The extraction was realized by using a pressurized liquid technique and the separation of the pigments was achieved by a high resolution liquid chromatography system with a 1.8μm particles C-18 column. Photodiode array detection was employed to determine the UV/Vis spectral characteristic of the pigments. Electrospray ionization-linear ion trap mass spectrometry allowed the specific determination of the fragmentation patterns of the anthocyanins, by performing different ion scan modes. Twenty four anthocyanins were separated and identified, all having cyanidin as aglycon, represented as mono- and/or di-glycoside, and acylated, or not, with aromatic and aliphatic acids. Nine anthocyanins were identified for the first time in red cabbage.

Quantitative comparison of a flared and a standard heated metal capillary inlet with a voltage‐assisted air amplifier on an electrospray ionization linear ion trap mass spectrometer

The performance characteristics (i.e., ion abundance and electrospray ion current) of a flared and blunt-ended heated metal capillary were evaluated with a voltage-assisted air amplifier on a linear ion trap mass spectrometer (LTQ-MS). The results demonstrated that a standard capillary afforded higher ion abundance than a flared capillary, thus further work is necessary to investigate conditions for which significant benefits with the flared capillary will be observed. The compatibility of a voltage-assisted air amplifier is explored for both types of capillaries and in all cases resulted in improved ion abundance and spray current.

Remote Mass Spectrometric Sampling of Electrospray- and Desorption Electrospray-Generated Ions Using an Air Ejector

A commercial air ejector was coupled to an electrospray ionization linear ion trap mass spectrometer (LTQ) to transport remotely generated ions from both electrospray (ESI) and desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) sources. We demonstrate the remote analysis of a series of analyte ions that range from small molecules and polymers to polypeptides using the AE-LTQ interface. The details of the ESI-AE-LTQ and DESI-AE-LTQ experimental configurations are described and preliminary mass spectrometric data are presented.

Investigation of the gas phase reactivity of the 1-adamantyl radical using a distonic radical anion approach

The gas phase reactions of the bridgehead 3-carboxylato-1-adamantyl radical anion were observed with a series of neutral reagents using a modified electrospray ionisation linear ion trap mass spectrometer. This distonic radical anion was observed to undergo processes suggestive of radical reactivity including radical-radical combination reactions, substitution reactions and addition to carbon-carbon double bonds. The rate constants for reactions of the 3-carboxylato-1-adamantyl radical anion with the following reagents were measured (in units 10(-12) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1)): (18)O(2) (85 +/- 4), NO (38.4 +/- 0.4), I(2) (50 +/- 50), Br(2) (8 +/- 2), CH(3)SSCH(3) (12 +/- 2), styrene (1.20 +/- 0.03), CHCl(3) (H abstraction 0.41 +/- 0.06, Cl abstraction 0.65 +/- 0.1), CDCl(3) (D abstraction 0.035 +/- 0.01, Cl abstraction 0.723 +/- 0.005), allyl bromide (Br abstraction 0.53 +/- 0.04, allylation 0.25 +/- 0.01). Collision rates were calculated and reaction efficiencies are also reported. This study represents the first quantitative measurement of the gas phase reactivity of a bridgehead radical and suggests that distonic radical anions are good models for the study of their elusive uncharged analogues.