Mass spectrometry configuration

Carol-Visser, J., Van der Schans, M., Fidder, A., Hulst, A.G., Van Baar, B.L.M., Irth, H., Noort, D. (2008). Development of an automated on-line pepsin digestion-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry configuration for the rapid analysis of protein adducts of chemical warfare agents. J. Chromatogr. B 870 91-7. 

The most popular two-dimensional mass spectrometry configuration at present is the QQQ, or triple-sector quadrupole, represented schematically in Fig. 3.9. Three scan modes are possible with this configuration product ion scan, precursor ion scan, and constant neutral loss scan. Product ion scan is the most widely used, and involves using Qj to selectively transmit one precursor ion to Q2 where it is fragmented, normally by collisions with an inert gas such as helium. This type of fragmentation is referred to as collision-induced dissociation, or CID. Q2 is operated in radio frequency mode only, and thus stores ions of a broad m/z range until they are transmitted to Q3 for mass analysis of the product ions. 

Figure 9 Schematic representation of six on-line pyrolysis-mass spectrometry configurations. ( ) Ionization zone ( ) pyrolysis zone.

The various stages of this process depend critically on the type of gas, its pressure, and the configuration of the electrodes. (Their distance apart and their shapes control the size and shape of the applied electric field.) By controlling the various parameters, the discharge can be made to operate as a corona, a plasma, or an arc at atmospheric pressure. All three discharges can be used as ion sources in mass spectrometry. 

Among the modem procedures utilized to estabUsh the chemical stmcture of a molecule, nuclear magnetic resonance (nmr) is the most widely used technique. Mass spectrometry is distinguished by its abiUty to determine molecular formulas on minute amounts, but provides no information on stereochemistry. The third most important technique is x-ray diffraction crystallography, used to estabUsh the relative and absolute configuration of any molecule that forms suitable crystals. Other physical techniques, although useful, provide less information on stmctural problems. 

The degradation of 2,6-xylenol (2,6-dimethylphenol) by bacteria produces a metabolite with elemental composition C8///0O2 as determined by high-resolution mass spectrometry Which carbon skeleton and which relative configuration are deducible from the NMR experiments 44, all obtained from one 1.5 mg sample ... 

FIGURE 5.24 Tandem mass spectrometry, (a) Configuration used in tandem MS. 

Figure 4.4 Different configurations of dynamic FAB. From applications literature published by Kratos Analytical Ltd, Manchester, UK, and reproduced by permission of Mass Spectrometry International Ltd.

Wonders AH, Housmans THM, Rosea V, Koper MTM. 2006. On-hne mass spectrometry systems for measurements at single-crystal electrodes in hanging meniscus configuration. J Appl Electrochem 36 1215-1221. 

Spontaneous self assembly of a dinuclear triple helical complex is observed with linked bis-[4,5]-pineno-2,2 -bipyridines. Studies by electrospray mass spectrometry, CD and NMR determined that the major species in solution was a complex of Zn L = 2 3 stoichiometry with a triple helical structure and an enantiomerically pure homochiral configuration at the metal centers. The preference for the formation of one of the possible stereoisomers over the other is of interest.265 Another binuclear triple helical complex is formed from zinc addition to bis[5-(l-methyl-2-(6-methyl-2 -pyridyl)benzimidazolyl)]methane. Spectrophotometric titrations with a zinc solution... 

Currently PCR and mass spectrometry are performed by two separate instruments. However, there is no reason why PCR followed by simple automated cleanup and mass spectrometry cannot be incorporated into a single integrated instrument. Essentially every configuration of the modern ESI mass spectrometer has been used successfully for the analysis of PCR products, from the highest to the lowest resolution involving. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR), triple quadrupole, quadrupole-time of flight (Q-TOF), and ion trap.22-24 MS discriminates between two structurally related PCR products by MW difference. Mass accuracy is needed to differentiate the... 

Further improvements in retrospectivity and detection limits will hinge on future enhancements of sensitivity and resolution of electro-spray mass spectrometry instruments and of several hybrid configurations. 

Multiple mass analyzers exist that can perform tandem mass spectrometry. Some use a tandem-in-space configuration, such as the triple quadrupole mass analyzers illustrated (Fig.3.9). Others use a tandem-in-time configuration and include instruments such as ion-traps (ITMS) and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICRMS or FTMS). A triple quadrupole mass spectrometer can only perform the tandem process once for an isolated precursor ion (e.g., MS/MS), but trapping or tandem-in-time instruments can perform repetitive tandem mass spectrometry (MS ), thus adding n 1 degrees of structural characterization and elucidation. When an ion-trap is combined with HPLC and photodiode array detection, the net result is a profiling tool that is a powerful tool for both metabolite profiling and metabolite identification. 

TOF analyzers are especially compatible with MALDI ion sources and hence are frequently coupled in aMALDI-TOF configuration. Nevertheless, many commercial mass spectrometers combine ESI with TOF with great success. For proteomics applications, the quadrupole TOF (QqTOF) hybrid instruments with their superior mass accuracy, mass range, and mass resolution are of much greater utility than simple TOF instruments.21,22 Moreover, TOF instruments feature high sensitivity because they can generate full scan data without the necessity for scanning that causes ion loss and decreased sensitivity. Linear mode TOF instruments cannot perform tandem mass spectrometry. This problem is addressed by hybrid instruments that incorporate analyzers with mass selective capability (e.g., QqTOF) in front of a TOF instrument. 

A systematic investigation of the free amino acids of the Leguminosae led to the isolation of a novel ninhydrin-positive compound from the leaves of Derris elliptica Benth. (Papilionidae) (93). This substance was analyzed as C6H,3N04 (microanalysis and high resolution mass spectrometry) and was shown to be an amino alcohol. The absence of a carbonyl in the 1R, the loss of 31 mass units in the mass spectrum, and a positive periodate cleavage reaction were best embodied into a dihydroxydihydroxymethylpyrrolidine structure. The relative simplicity of the NMR spectra (three peaks in the 13C spectrum four spin-system in the H spectrum) pointed out a symmetrical structure. Inasmuch as the material was optically active ([a]D 56.4, c = 7, H20), meso structures were ruled out, and the 2R, 3R, 4R, 5R relative configuration was retained (93). This structure (53) was further confirmed by an X-ray determination (94). 

The first part of this book is dedicated to a discussion of mass spectrometry (MS) instrumentation. We start with a list of basic definitions and explanations (Chapter 1). Chapter 2 is devoted to the mass spectrometer and its building blocks. In this chapter we describe in relative detail the most common ion sources, mass analyzers, and detectors. Some of the techniques are not extensively used today, but they are often cited in the MS literature, and are important contributions to the history of MS instrumentation. In Chapter 3 we describe both different fragmentation methods and several typical tandem MS analyzer configurations. Chapter 4 is somewhat of an outsider. Separation methods is certainly too vast a topic to do full justice in less than twenty pages. However, some separation methods are used in such close alliance with MS that the two techniques are always referred to as one combined analytical tool, for example, GC-MS and LC-MS. In effect, it is almost impossible to study the MS literature without coming across at least one separation method. Our main goal with Chapter 4 is, therefore, to facilitate an introduction to the MS literature for the reader by providing a short summary of the basic principles of some of the most common separation methods that have been used in conjunction with mass spectrometry. 

No tandem MS experiment can be successful if the precursor ions fail to fragment (at the right time and place). The ion activation step is crucial to the experiment and ultimately defines what types of products result. Hence, the ion activation method that is appropriate for a specific application depends on the MS instrument configuration as well as on the analyzed compounds and the structural information that is wanted. Various, more or less complementary, ion activation methods have been developed during the history of tandem MS. Below we give brief descriptions of several of these approaches. A more detailed description of peptide fragmentation mles and nomenclature is provided in Chapter 2. An excellent review of ion activation methods for tandem mass spectrometry is written by Sleno and Volmer, see Reference 12, and for a more detailed review on slow heating methods in tandem MS, see Reference 13. 

Fig. 11.16. Representation of three tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) scan modes illustrated for a triple quadrupole instrument configuration. The top panel shows the attributes of the popular and prevalent product ion CID experiment. The first mass filter is held at a constant m/z value transmitting only ions of a single mlz value into the collision region. Conversion of a portion of translational energy into internal energy in the collision event results in excitation of the mass-selected ions, followed by unimolecular dissociation. The spectrum of product ions is recorded by scanning the second mass filter (commonly referred to as Q3 ). The center panel illustrates the precursor ion CID experiment. Ions of all mlz values are transmitted sequentially into the collision region as the first analyzer (Ql) is scanned. Only dissociation processes that generate product ions of a specific mlz ratio are transmitted by Q3 to the detector. The lower panel shows the constant neutral loss CID experiment. Both mass analyzers are scanned simultaneously, at the same rate, and at a constant mlz offset. The mlz offset is selected on the basis of known neutral elimination products (e.g., H20, NH3, CH3COOH, etc.) that may be particularly diagnostic of one or more compound classes that may be present in a sample mixture. The utility of the two compound class-specific scans (precursor ion and neutral loss) is illustrated in Fig. 11.17.

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