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At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Positive ion transmission mode ion/ion reactions in a hybrid linear ion trap.

A triple quadrupole mass spectrometer capable of ion trapping experiments has been adapted for ion/ion reaction studies. The instrument is based on a commercially available linear ion trap (LIT) tandem mass spectrometer (i.e., an MDS SCIEX 2000 Q TRAP) that has been modified by mounting an atmospheric sampling glow discharge ionization (ASGDI) source to the side of the vacuum manifold for production of singly charged anions. The ASGDI source is located line of sight to the side of the third quadrupole of the triple quadrupole assembly (Q3). Anions are focused into the side of the rod array (i.e., anion injection occurs orthogonal to the normal ion flight path). A transmission mode method to perform ion/ion reactions has been developed whereby positive ions are transmitted through the pressurized collision quadrupole (Q2) while anions are stored in Q2. The Q2 LIT is used to trap negative ions whereas the Q3 LIT is used to accumulate positive ions transmitted from Q2. Anions are injected to Q3 and transferred to Q2, where they are stored and collisionally cooled. Multiply charged protein/peptide ions, formed by electrospray, are then mass selected by the first quadrupole assembly (Q1) operated in the rf/dc mode and injected into Q2. The positive ions, including the residual precursor ions and the product ions arising from ion/ion proton-transfer reactions, are accumulated in Q3 until they are analyzed via mass-selective axial ejection for mass analysis. The parameters that affect ion/ion reactions are discussed, including pressure, nature of the gas in Q2, and operation of Q2 as a linear accelerator. Ion/ion reactions in this mode can be readily utilized to separate ions with the same m/z but largely different mass and charge, e.g., +1 bradykinin and +16 myoglobin, in the gas phase.

Animals↗

Ion trap collisional activation of the (M + 2H)2+ - (M + 17H)17+ ions of human hemoglobin beta-chain.

The parent ions of human hemoglobin beta-chain ranging in charge from 2+ to 17+ have been subjected to ion trap collisional activation. The highest charge-state ions (17+ to 13+) yielded series of products arising from dissociation of adjacent residues. The intermediate charge-state ions (12+ to 5+) tended to fragment preferentially at the N-terminal sides of proline residues and the C-terminal sides of acidic residues. Many, but not all, of the possible cleavages at proline, aspartic acid, and glutamic acid residues were represented in the spectra. The lowest charge-state ions were difficult to dissociate with high efficiency and yielded spectra with poorly defined product ion signals. This observation is attributed to sequential fragmentations arising from losses of small molecules such as water and/or ammonia. The poor fragmentation efficiency observed for the low charge states is due at least in part to the low trapping wells used to store the ions. Higher ion stabilities due to lower Coulombic repulsion and charges being sequestered at highly basic sites may also play an important role. Ion/ion proton-transfer reactions involving protein parent ions allows for the formation of a wide range of parent ion charge states. In addition, the ion/ion proton-transfer reactions involving protein dissociation products simplify interpretation of the product ion spectra.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Hydration energies in the gas phase of select (MX)mM+ ions, where M+ = Na+, K+, Rb+, Cs+, NH4+ and X- = F-, Cl-, Br-, I-, NO2-, NO3-. Observed magic numbers of (MX)mM+ ions and their possible significance.

The sequential hydration energies and entropies with up to four water molecules were obtained for MXM(+) = NaFNa(+), NaClNa(+), NaBrNa(+), NaINa(+), NaNO(2)Na(+), NaNO(3)Na(+), KFK(+), KBrK(+), KIK(+), RbIRb(+), CsICs(+), NH(4)BrNH(4)(+), and NH(4)INH(4)(+) from the hydration equilibria in the gas phase with a reaction chamber attached to a mass spectrometer. The MXM(+) ions as well as (MX)(m)M(+) and higher charged ions such as (MX)(m)M(2)(2+) were obtained with electrospray. The observed trends of the hydration energies of MXM(+) with changing positive ion M(+) or the negative ion X(-) could be rationalized on the basis of simple electrostatics. The most important contribution to the (MXM-OH(2))(+) bond is the interaction of the permanent and induced dipole of water with the positive charge of the nearest-neighbor M(+) ion. The repulsion due to the water dipole and the more distant X(-) has a much smaller effect. Therefore, the bonding in (MXM-OH(2))(+) for constant M and different X ions changes very little. Similarly, for constant X and different M, the bonding follows the hydration energy trends observed for the naked M(+) ions. The sequential hydration bond energies for MXM(H(2)O)(n)(+) decrease with n in pairs, where for n = 1 and n = 2 the values are almost equal, followed by a drop in the values for n = 3 and n = 4, that again are almost equal. The hydration energies of (MX)(m)M(+) decrease with m. The mass spectra with NaCl, obtained with electrospray and observed in the absence of water vapor, show peaks of unusually high intensities (magic numbers) at m = 4, 13, and 22. Experiments with variable electrical potentials in the mass spectrometer interface showed that some but not all of the ion intensity differentiation leading to magic numbers is due to collision-induced decomposition of higher mass M(MX)(m)(+) and M(2)(MX)(m)(2+) ions in the interface. However, considerable magic character is retained in the absence of excitation. This result indicates that the magic ions are present also in the saturated solution of the droplets produced by electrospray and are thus representative of particularly stable nanocrystals in the saturated solution. Hydration equilibrium determinations in the gas phase demonstrated weaker hydration of the magic ion (NaCl)(4)Na(+).

Journal Article↗

Gas phase chemistry of the 2-tert-butyl-3-phenylphosphirenylium cation: novel onium ions by nucleophilic attack at phosphorus and de novo P-spiro bicyclic phosphonium ions via [4 + 2+] cycloaddition with dienes.

The 2-tert-butyl-3-phenylphosphirenylium ion 13 is formed in abundance in the gas phase from 1-chloro-1H-phosphirene 6 upon 70 eV electron ionization. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) and ion-molecule reactions followed by CID of the product ions were performed via pentaquadrupole mass spectrometry to probe the structure and reactivity of 13 towards representative nucleophiles and dienes. Under CID conditions, 13 produces a variety of fragment ions mainly via dissociation processes that are preceded by isomerizations. In ion-molecule reactions, 13 reacts readily with ethers, sulfides, pyridine and aniline to form hitherto unknown oxonium, sulfonium and azonium ions via nucleophilic attack at phosphorus. With butadiene, isoprene, 1-acetoxybutadiene, and with Danishefsky's diene (1-methoxy-3-silyloxybuta-1,3-diene), 13 undergoes [4 + 2+] cycloaddition at phosphorus to generate novel P-spiro bicyclic phosphonium ions. With butadiene and isoprene, a second [4 + 2] cycloaddition occurs which generates P-spiro tricyclic phosphonium ions. Whereas 13 also reacts readily with 1-acetoxybutadiene via[4 + 2+] cycloaddition, most of the nascent P-spiro cycloadducts are unstable and dissociate by the loss of either a neutral ketene or acetic acid molecule. B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) calculations were performed to gain insight into the structures of the product ions. The present study constitutes the first successful attempt to unravel the chemistry of 13, a unique 2 pi-Hückel phosphirenylium ion for which no direct solution chemical reactivity data are as yet available. The present findings also create a parallel with the solution reactivity of 1-halo-1H-phosphirenes and 1-triflato-1H-phosphirenes as precursors to phosphirenylium ions.

Journal Article↗

Gas phase ion chemistry of charged silver(I) adenine ions via multistage mass spectrometry experiments and DFT calculations.

Electrospray ionization (ESI) of solutions containing adenine and AgNO(3) yields polymeric [Ad(x)+ Ag(y)-zH]((y-z)+) species. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been used to examine potential structures for several of the smaller ions while multistage mass spectrometry experiments have been used to probe their unimolecular reactivity (via collision-induced dissociation (CID)) and bimolecular reactivity (via ion-molecule reactions with the neutral reagents acetonitrile, methanol, butylamine and pyridine). DFT calculations of neutral adenine tautomers and their silver ion adducts provide insights into the binding modes of adenine. We find that the most stable [Ad + Ag](+) ion does not correspond to the most stable neutral adenine tautomer, consistent with previous studies that have shown that transition metal ions can stabilize rare tautomeric forms of nucleobases. Both the charge and the stoichiometry of the [Ad(x)+ Ag(y)-zH]((y-z)+) complexes play pivotal roles in directing the types of fragmentation and ion-molecule reactions observed. Thus, [Ad(2)+ Ag(2)](2+) is observed to dissociate to [Ad + Ag](+) and to react with butylamine via proton transfer, while [Ad(2)+ Ag(2)- H](+) fragments via loss of neutral adenine to form the [Ad + Ag(2)- H](+) ion and does not undergo proton transfer to butylamine. DFT calculations on several isomeric [Ad(2)+ Ag(2)](2+) ions suggest that planar centrosymmetric cations, in which two adjacent silver atoms are bridged by two N7H adenine tautomers via N(3),N(9)-bidentate interactions, are the most stable. The [Ad + Ag(2)-H](+) ion adds two neutral reagents in ion-molecule reactions, consistent with the presence of two vacant coordination sites. It undergoes a silver atom loss to form the [Ad + Ag - H](+) radical cation, which in turn fragments quite differently to the even electron [Ad + Ag](+) ion. Several other pairs of radical cation/even electron adenine-silver complexes were also found to undergo different fragmentation reactions.

Journal Article↗

Modified Kelvin-Thomson equation considering ion-dipole interaction: comparison with observed ion-clustering enthalpies and entropies.

The classical Kelvin-Thomson (CKT) equation does not consider the interaction of condensing molecules with the ions and hence is not able to treat polar and nonpolar molecules differently. The ion-clustering enthalpy and entropy changes predicted by CKT equation for small ions are known to be significantly less negative than those observed. In this paper, we derive a modified Kelvin-Thomson (MKT) equation, which considers the effect of dipole-ion interaction, by taking into account the kinetic energy change of condensing polar ligands as they approach the ions or the extra energy needed for dipole molecules to escape from the ion cluster. The clustering enthalpies and entropies for protonated clusters (H(+)L(n), with L=H(2)O, NH(3), CH(3)OH, and C(5)H(5)N) are calculated based on MKT equation and compared with experimental data. Our calculations indicate that enthalpy values given by MKT equation are in very good agreement with experimental results for small ions (n< or =5) of all four species investigated. MKT predictions appear to be consistent with observed enthalpies for CH(3)OH at n> or =6 and for H(2)O at n=14-25, however, MKT equation cannot reproduce the observed discontinuous transition in enthalpy changes at n=6 for NH(3) and at n=7-13 for H(2)O which is probably associated with the formation of inner shell. The stepwise entropy changes for small ions are 5-15 cal mol(-1) K(-1) more negative when the effect of dipole-ion interaction is considered, which suggests that the ordered structure of the cluster ions can somewhat be accounted for by the dipole-ion interaction term.

Journal Article↗

Comparison of mono- and polyatomic primary ions for the characterization of organic dye overlayers with static secondary ion mass spectrometry.

Organic carbocyanine dye coatings have been analyzed by time-of-flight static secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-S-SIMS) using three types of primary ions: Ga(+) operating at 25 keV, and Xe(+) and SF(5) (+) both operating at 9 keV. Secondary ion yields obtained with these three primary ions have been compared for coatings with different layer thickness, varying from (sub)-monolayer to multilayers, on different substrates (Si, Ag and AgBr cubic microcrystals). For (sub)-monolayers deposited on Ag, Xe(+) and SF(5) (+) primary ions generate similar precursor ion intensities, but with Ga(+) slightly lower precursor ion intensities were obtained. Thick coatings on Ag as well as mono- and multilayers on Si produce the highest precursor and fragment ion intensities with the polyatomic primary ion. The yield difference between SF(5) (+) and Xe(+) can reach a factor of 6. In comparison with Ga(+), yield enhancements by up to a factor of 180 are observed with SF(5) (+). For the mass spectrometric analysis of dye layers on AgBr microcrystals, SF(5) (+) again proves to be the primary ion of choice.

Carbocyanines↗

Preliminary evaluation of an SF5+ polyatomic primary ion beam for analysis of organic thin films by secondary ion mass spectrometry.

Organic vapor deposited thin films of pure biomolecules, polymer films and biomolecules dispersed in gelatin and biological tissue have been analyzed in a magnetic sector secondary ion mass spectrometer using an SF5+ primary ion beam at keV impact energies. In comparison to Ar+ bombardment under identical conditions, bombardment with SF5+ gives a 10 to 50 fold enhancement in the secondary ion yields for characteristic molecular ions. The SF5+ primary ion beam can be focussed to a small spot allowing molecular ion images to be obtained at micrometer spatial resolution with enhanced sensitivity. More importantly, the decay in molecular ion signal as a function of primary ion dose commonly observed in SIMS using monoatomic primary ions is either eliminated or greatly reduced, allowing molecular depth profiles to be obtained of organic thin films. By continuing to sample intact molecules as sputtering proceeds into the sample, the total number of detected characteristic secondary ions is increased by as much as a factor of approximately 700 for SF5+ bombardment as compared to Ar+ bombardment under identical analytical conditions. This effect is thought to be a result of the high erosion rate and the low penetration depth inherent in the use of a polyatomic primary projectile.

Fluorides↗

Specific ion effects via ion hydration: II. Double layer interaction.

A simple modified Poisson-Boltzmann formalism, which accounts also for those interactions between electrolyte ions and colloidal particles not included in the mean potential, is used to calculate the force between two parallel plates. It is shown that the short-range interactions between ions and plates, such as those due to the change in the hydration free energy of a structure-making/breaking ion that approaches the interface, affect the double layer interaction at large separations through the modification of the surface potential and surface charge density. While at short separations (below the range of the short-range ion-hydration forces) the interaction can be attractive, at larger separations the interaction is always repulsive, as in the traditional theory. When the long-range van der Waals interactions between the ions and the system (ion-dispersion interactions) are accounted for in the modified Poisson-Boltzmann approach, an attractive force between plates can be generated. At sufficiently large separations, this attraction can become even stronger than the traditional van der Waals attraction between plates of finite thickness, thus generating a dominant long-range 'double layer attraction'. At small plate separations, the attraction generated by the ion-dispersion forces combined with the electrostatic repulsion due to the double layers overlap can lead to a variety of interactions, from a weak attraction (which is typically by at least one order of magnitude smaller than the traditional van der Waals attraction between plates) to a strong double layer repulsion (for sufficiently large surface charges). Both types of ion interactions (long-range van der Waals or short-range ionic hydration) strongly affect the magnitude of the double layer interaction, and can account for the specific ion effects observed experimentally. However, they do not affect qualitatively the traditional theory of the colloid stability, which predicts that the colloid is stable when there is a sufficiently large charge on the surface, and coagulates when the van der Waals interactions between two colloidal particles dominate. The only qualitative difference found when the ion-dispersion interactions were incorporated into the traditional double layer theory was the emergence of a 'double layer attraction' at very large separations, which, however, does not affect much the stability of colloids.

Colloids↗

Isothermal titration calorimetric procedure to determine protein-metal ion binding parameters in the presence of excess metal ion or chelator.

Determination of binding parameters for metal ion binding to proteins usually requires preceding steps to remove protein-bound metal ions. Removal of bound metal ions from protein is often associated with decreased stability and inactivation. We present two simple isothermal titration calorimetric procedures that eliminate separate metal ion removal steps and directly monitor the exchange of metal ions between buffer, protein, and chelator. The concept is to add either excess chelator or metal ion to the protein under investigation and subsequently titrate with metal ion or chelator, respectively. It is thereby possible in the same experimental trial to obtain both chelator-metal ion and protein-metal ion binding parameters due to the different thermodynamic "fingerprints" of chelator and protein. The binding models and regression routines necessary to analyze the corresponding binding isotherms have been constructed. Verifications of the models have been done by titrations of mixtures of calcium chelators (BAPTA, HEDTA, and EGTA) and calcium ions and they were both able to account satisfactorily for the observed binding isotherms. Therefore, it was possible to determine stoichiometric and thermodynamic binding parameters. In addition, the concept has been tested on a recombinant alpha-amylase from Bacillus halmapalus where it proved to be a consistent procedure to obtain calcium binding parameters.

Bacillus↗

Phospholipid subclass specific alterations in the passive ion permeability of membrane bilayers: separation of enthalpic and entropic contributions to transbilayer ion flux.

Alterations in phospholipid class, subclass, and individual molecular species contribute to the diversity of biologic membranes, but their effects on membrane passive ion permeability have not been systematically studied. Herein, we developed a simple and efficient fluorescence technique based upon the loss of valinomycin-inducible membrane potential to characterize the passive flux of ions across phospholipid bilayers. Detailed kinetic characterization of ion flux across membrane bilayers composed of discrete chemical entities demonstrated that the class, subclass, and individual molecular species of each phospholipid have substantive effects on membrane passive ion permeability properties. Increasing the degree of unsaturation in either the sn-1 or sn-2 aliphatic chains in phosphatidylcholine markedly enhanced transmembrane ion flux, with over 10-fold differences in the first-order rate constant manifested in molecular species containing four double bonds in comparison to those possessing three double bonds (e.g., kapp = 0.0014 min-1 for 1-octadec-9'-enoyl-2-octadec-9', 12'-dienoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (18:1-18:2 phosphatidylcholine) while kapp = 0.021 min-1 for 1,2-dioctadec-9', 12'-dienoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (18:2-18:2 phosphatidylcholine)). Moreover, although the apparent first-order rate constants for transmembrane ion flux in vesicles composed of phosphatidylcholine or plasmanylcholine containing palmitate at the sn-1 position and arachidonate at the sn-2 position were similar (kapp = 0.04 min-1 at 22 degreesC for both), the kapp for corresponding vesicles composed of plasmenylcholine was 20-fold less (kapp = 0.002 min-1 at 22 degreesC). Examination of the temperature dependence of passive membrane ion permeability demonstrated that altered ion flux across membranes composed of choline glycerophospholipids was primarily due to entropic effects without substantial changes in the activation energy for ion translocation. For example, Ea = 19.7 +/- 0.5 and 20.7 +/- 0.6 kcal.mol-1 for 1-hexadecanoyl-2-eicosa-5',8',11', 14'-tetraenoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (16:0-20:4 phosphatidylcholine) and 1-O-(Z)-hexadec-1'-enyl-2-eicosa-5',8',11', 14'-tetraenoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (16:0-20:4 plasmenylcholine), respectively, while their difference in the entropies of activation (DeltaS) was 4.3 +/- 0.5 cal.mol-1.K-1. Collectively, these results identify substantial differences in the membrane passive ion permeability properties of phospholipid classes, subclasses, and molecular species present in biologic membranes of eukaryotic cells and identify entropic alterations as an important contributor to these differences.

Cholesterol↗

Multi-Ion mechanism for ion permeation and block in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator chloride channel.

The mechanism of Cl ion permeation through single cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) channels was studied using the channel-blocking ion gluconate. High concentrations of intracellular gluconate ions cause a rapid, voltage-dependent block of CFTR Cl channels by binding to a site approximately 40% of the way through the transmembrane electric field. The affinity of gluconate block was influenced by both intracellular and extracellular Cl concentration. Increasing extracellular Cl concentration reduced intracellular gluconate affinity, suggesting that a repulsive interaction occurs between Cl and gluconate ions within the channel pore, an effect that would require the pore to be capable of holding more than one ion simultaneously. This effect of extracellular Cl is not shared by extracellular gluconate ions, suggesting that gluconate is unable to enter the pore from the outside. Increasing the intracellular Cl concentration also reduced the affinity of intracellular gluconate block, consistent with competition between intracellular Cl and gluconate ions for a common binding site in the pore. Based on this evidence that CFTR is a multi-ion pore, we have analyzed Cl permeation and gluconate block using discrete-state models with multiple occupancy. Both two- and three-site models were able to reproduce all of the experimental data with similar accuracy, including the dependence of blocker affinity on external Cl (but not gluconate) ions and the dependence of channel conductance on Cl concentration. The three-site model was also able to predict block by internal and external thiocyanate (SCN) ions and anomalous mole fraction behavior seen in Cl/SCN mixtures.

Animals↗

Overcoming the problem of non-ideal liquid ion exchanger selectivity in microelectrode ion flux measurements.

Ion-selective microelectrodes are a powerful tool in studies on various aspects of cell membrane biology in both animal and plant tissues. Further application of this technique is, however, limited to a large extent by the problem of non-ideal selectivity of the liquid ion exchanger used in the preparation of microelectrodes for ion flux measurements. Because of this problem, which is persistent in many commercial liquid ion exchangers, the microelectrode does not discriminate between the ion of interest and other interfering ions (for example, Mg2+ and Ca2+; Na+ and K+), thereby leading to inaccurate concentration readings and, consequently, inaccurate flux calculations. In this work we show that the existing analytical procedure to overcome this problem, using the inverted Nicolsky-Eisenman equation, is inadequate, and suggest an alternative analytical procedure that can be applied directly to the data obtained with commercially available liquid ion exchangers. We show that this alternative procedure allows accurate measurement of ionic concentrations with non-ideal ion-selective microelectrodes in the presence of interfering ions, and illustrate the method by direct experiment using Ca2+ and Mg2+ as a "case study". Several more examples are given, further illustrating practical applications of the method for study of plant responses to salinity, osmotic and reactive oxygen species stresses.

Algorithms↗

Ion selectivity and activation of the M2 ion channel of influenza virus.

The influenza A virus-associated M2 ion channel is generally believed to function during uncoating of virions in infected cells. On endocytosis of a virion into the lumen of endosomes, the M2 ion channel is thought to cause acidification of the virion interior. In addition, the influenza virus M2 ion channel is thought to function in the exocytic pathway by equilibrating the pH gradient between the acidic lumen of the trans-Golgi network and the neutral cytoplasm. A necessary test of the proposed roles of the influenza virus M2 ion channel in the virus life cycle is to show directly that the M2 ion channel conducts protons. We have measured the ionic selectivity and activation of three subtypes (Udorn, Weybridge, and Rostock) of the M2 ion channel in oocytes of Xenopus laevis by measurement of 1) the intracellular pH (pHin) of voltage-clamped oocytes, 2) the current-voltage relationship in solutions of various pH and ionic composition, and 3) the flux of 86Rb. We took advantage of the low pHin achieved during incubation in low pH medium to study the effects of low pHin on M2 activation. Oocytes expressing each of the three subtypes of the M2 protein a) underwent a slow acidification when incubated in medium of low pH (acidification was blocked by the M2 ion channel inhibitor, amantadine); b) had current-voltage relationships that shifted to more positive values and had greater conductance when the pHout was lowered (this relationship was modified when Na- was replaced by NH4+ or Li+); c) had an amantadine-sensitive influx of Rb+. The effects on the current-voltage relationship of reduced pHin were opposed to the increased conductance found with reduced pHout. We interpret these results to indicate that the M2 ion channel is capable of conducting H+ and that other ions may also be conducted. Moreover, the channel conductance is reduced by decreased pHin. These findings are consistent with the proposed roles of the M2 protein in the life cycle of influenza A virus.

Animals↗

Laser-induced fluorescence of Ba+ ions trapped and mass-selected in a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer.

We present the design and preliminary results from a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (ICR) mass spectrometer developed for the direct detection of UV/visible laser-induced fluorescence of trapped, mass-selected, gas-phase ions. A 3 T superconducting magnet and an open-ended multi-section cylindrical Penning trap capture and confine ions created by electron impact or laser desorption. Azimuthal quadrupolar excitation in the presence of ion/neutral collisions cools, axializes and mass selects ions as they fill the trap. A pulsed dye laser pumped by an Nd:YAG laser provides electronic energy excitation. A Brewster window and baffles on each side of the vacuum chamber reduce the scattered light from the excitation laser. Laser-induced fluorescence is collected from mirrors and lenses and directed through a quartz window and fiber-optic bundle to a photomultiplier. The ICR and optical events are controlled by a modular ICR data station and GPIB and RS-232 interfaces. An excitation spectrum is demonstrated for atomic Ba+ ions, and should extend to laser-induced fluorescence of virtually any stable positive or negative gas-phase ions of arbitrary molecular weight: molecular or quasimolecular ions, fragment ions, adduct ions, and ions formed from ion/molecule reactions.

Barium↗

Contributions of C3H6O+. ions with the oxygen on the middle carbon to gas phase ion chemistry

The numerous ways in which studies of C3H6O+. ions with the oxygen on the second carbon have added to our knowledge of gas phase ion chemistry are reviewed. The enol form of this ion (1) first attracted interest during early investigations of the mechanism of the McLafferty Rearrangement and later in characterizing the double McLafferty Rearrangement. Next, it was found that 1 isomerizes to the higher energy acetone ion (2). This discovery sparked studies of the relative stabilities of ionized and neutral enol and ketone species. It also led to the discovery that 1-->2 surmounts a substantial barrier, and that 2 dissociates faster than the excess energy deposited in it by the isomerization can become randomly distributed; i.e., dissociation following 1-->2 is nonergodic. This fact is manifested by a more abundant loss of the methyl formed by isomerization and a greater associated translational energy release. Propene oxide and methyl vinyl ether ions also appear to ionize to 2 and to dissociate nonergodically. Methane is eliminated from 2 through a methyl-acetyl ion complex. Characterization of this reaction by photoionization mass spectrometry, ab initio theory, and RRKM calculations helped to establish that complex-mediated alkane eliminations are generally confined to a region just above threshold. At higher energies, because attractions between ions and nonpolar neutrals are weak, simple dissociation is too fast for complex-mediated H-transfer to compete with it. Studies of the collision-induced dissociations of 2 demonstrate that the first electronically excited A state of 2 is very long-lived and efficiently releases its energy into translational energy when the ion collides with a neutral at low impact energies. Finally, ion-molecule reactions of 2 and acetone-containing ion clusters in the gas phase are described.

Journal Article↗

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry with pulsed in-source collision gas and in-source ion accumulation.

A new matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) source for Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTMS) has been developed. The new source is equipped with a hexapole ion guide. The sample on the laser target is one millimeter from the hexapole ion guide, so that ions are desorbed directly into the guide. A device for pulsing collision gas in direct proximity to the laser target makes it possible to cool the ions, which have a kinetic energy spread of several electron volts when produced by the MALDI process. These ions are trapped in the hexapole where positive potentials at the laser target and at an extraction plate help trap ions along the longitudinal axis. After a pre-defined trapping time the voltage of the extraction plate is reversed and the trapped ions are extracted for transmission to the ion cyclotron resonance cell. Accumulation of ions from multiple laser shots in the hexapole before mass spectrometric analysis increases sensitivity. Preliminary sensitivity studies with substance P show that 10 attomoles of analyte applied on the target can be detected with a signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio >15.

Animals↗

Pulsed helium introduction into a quadrupole ion trap for reduced collisional quenching during infrared multiphoton dissociation of electrosprayed ions

Previous infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) experiments utilizing a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer yielded limited photodissociation efficiencies. Helium buffer gas continuously infused into the analyzer region at pressures of typically 1 x 10(-3) Torr to improve ion trap performance can collisionally quench photoexcited ions during the IRMPD process. Photodissociation experiments have indicated that uncorrected pressures below 2 x 10(-5) Torr are necessary to avoid collisional deactivation of photoexcited ions. This paper describes IRMPD in the quadrupole ion trap at reduced pressures utilizing a dual-pulsed introduction of helium buffer gas incorporated into the ion trap scan function. The pulsed introduction of helium buffer gas before ion injection allows the efficient trapping of ions injected from an electrospray source and the removal of helium before laser irradiation. A second pulse of helium directly before ion detection improves the intensity of the ion signal. The use of this dual-pulsed inlet of helium for improved IRMPD is demonstrated with the carbohydrate antibiotics neomycin and erythromycin. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Journal Article↗