Collision energy effects on the collision-induced dissociation of multiply charged melittin

Experimental and Computational Studies on the Gas-Phase Acidity of 5,5-Dialkyl Barbituric Acids

The gas phase acidities (GA) of 5,5-alkylbarbituric acids have been experimentally determined by electrospray ionization-triple quadrupole (ESI-TQ) mass spectrometry and by using the extended kinetic Cooks method (EKCM). The GAs of C-H (1330.9 ± 10.0 kJ mol^-1) and N-H (1361.5 ± 10.5 kJ mol^-1) deprotonated sites of bifunctional barbituric acid were determined from the selective production of their corresponding heterodimers. The GA value in the N-H site was confirmed by measuring the GAs of 5,5-dimethyl- and 5,5-diethyl barbituric acids (∼1368 kJ mol^-1). The experimental results have been rationalized and discussed with the support of quantum chemical calculations with Gaussian-n (G3 and G4) composite methods, which confirmed the excellent consistency of the results.

Tandem Parallel Fragmentation of Peptides for Mass Spectrometry

Parallel fragmentations of peptides in the source region and in the collision cell of tandem mass spectrometers are sequentially combined to develop parallel collision-induced-dissociation mass spectrometry (p2CID MS). Compared to MS/MS spectra, the p2CID mass spectra show increased signal intensities (2-400-fold) and number of sequence ions. This improvement is attributed to the fact that p2CID MS virtually samples all the ions generated by electrospray ionization, including intact and fragment ions of different charge states from a peptide. We implement the method using a quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometer. The instrument is operated in TOF-MS mode that allows the ions from source region broadband-passing the first mass analyzer to enter the collision cell. Cone voltage and collision energy are investigated to optimize the outcome of the two parallel CID processes. In the in-source parallel CID, elevated cone voltage produces singly charged intact peptide ions and large fragment ions, as well as decreases the charge-state distribution of peptide ions mainly to double and single charges. The in-collision-cell parallel CID is optimized to dissociate the ions from the source region to produce small and medium fragment ions. The method of p2CID MS is especially useful for sequencing of large peptides with labile amide bonds and peptides with C-terminal arginine. It has unique potential for de novo sequencing of peptides and proteome analysis, especially for affinity-enriched subproteomes.

Simplification of product ion spectra derived from multiply charged parent ions via ion/ion chemistry

High-mass multiply charged ions fragment to yield a mixture of products of varying mass and charge. When the measurement of mass-to-charge ratio is used to determine products ion mass, product ion charge must first be established. To minimize charge-state ambiguity in product ion spectra derived from multiply charged parent ions, product ions have been subjected to proton-transfer reactions with oppositely charged ions to reduce product ion charge states largely to +1. This procedure greatly simplifies the interpretation of product ion spectra derived from multiply charged ions. Illustrative data are presented for the +4 and +3 parent ions derived from electrospray of melittin and the +12 to +4 parent ions of bovine ubiquitin, whereby product ions were formed in a conventional quadrupole ion trap tandem mass spectrometry experiment. Data are also shown for product ion mixtures derived from interface-induced dissociation of multiply charged ions derived from bovine ubiquitin, tuna cytochrome c, bovine cytochrome c, and equine cytochrome c. The use of ion/ion chemistry to simplify product ion spectra derived from multiply charged parent ions significantly extends the size range of macromolecules for which the quadrupole ion trap can derive structural information.

Activation of Peptide ions by blackbody radiation: factors that lead to dissociation kinetics in the rapid energy exchange limit

Unimolecular rate constants for blackbody infrared radiative dissociation (BIRD) were calculated for the model protonated peptide (AlaGly)(n) (n = 2-32) using a variety of dissociation parameters. Combinations of dissociation threshold energies ranging from 0.8 to 1.7 eV and transition entropies corresponding to Arrhenius preexponential factors ranging from very "tight" (A(infinity) = 10(9.9) s(-1)) to "loose" (A(infinity) = 10(16.8) s(-1)) were selected to represent dissociation parameters within the experimental temperature range (300-520 K) and kinetic window (k(uni) = 0.001-0.20 s(-1)) typically used in the BIRD experiment. Arrhenius parameters were determined from the temperature dependence of these values and compared to those in the rapid energy exchange (REX) limit. In this limit, the internal energy of a population of ions is given by a Boltzmann distribution, and kinetics are the same as those in the traditional high-pressure limit. For a dissociation process to be in this limit, the rate of photon exchange between an ion and the vacuum chamber walls must be significantly greater than the dissociation rate. Kinetics rapidly approach the REX limit either as the molecular size or threshold dissociation energy increases or as the transition-state entropy or experimental temperature decreases. Under typical experimental conditions, peptide ions larger than 1.6 kDa should be in the REX limit. Smaller ions may also be in the REX limit depending on the value of the threshold dissociation energy and transition-state entropy. Either modeling or information about the dissociation mechanism must be known in order to confirm REX limit kinetics for these smaller ions. Three principal factors that lead to the size dependence of REX limit kinetics are identified. With increasing molecular size, rates of radiative absorption and emission increase, internal energy distributions become relatively narrower, and the microcanonical dissociation rate constants increase more slowly over the energy distribution of ions. Guidelines established here should make BIRD an even more reliable method to obtain information about dissociation energetics and mechanisms for intermediate size molecules.

Time-of-flight mass spectrometry: State-of the-art in chemical analysis and molecular science

Time-of-flight instruments form a well-established group of mass spectrometers, with its popularity still increasing. This article gives a survey of the technical basics and important instrumental developments in this field. Special notice is taken of factors that limit the mass resolution and to techniques to overcome them. The possibilities to perform tandem MS experiments in flight-time mass analyzers and their combination with ion-trapping devices are discussed. Finally, some examples of the modern applications of these instruments in molecular science and instrumental analysis are reviewed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.