Selective reagents in chemical ionization mass spectrometry: Tetramethylsilane

Trimethylsilyl group migration in the mass spectra of trimethylsilyl ethers of cholesterol oxidation products. product ion characterization by linked-scan tandem mass spectrometry

Loss of the A ring in the electron-impact mass spectra of the trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives of several cholesterol oxidation products is accompanied by intramolecular migration of the 3-O-TMS group to the charge-retaining portion of the molecule. Linked-scan techniques (B/E and B(2)/E) were used to establish the fragmentation processes leading to the formation of the rearrangement ion. The TMS group appears to migrate to heteroatomic sites in the 5-; 6-, or 7-positions of the B ring. This structural assignment is supported by isotopic labeling studies and collision-induced dissociation of the resulting product ion.

Radiative stabilization of trimethylsilyl adduct ions

Ketones and phenol react with trimethylsilyl ions to form adduct ions by radiatively or collisionally stabilized addition reactions, in contrast to aliphatic alcohols and ethers, which react with trimethylsilyl ions to form adduct ions by a rapid two-step process. Secondorder rate constants for the addition of trimethylsilyl ions to acetone were independent of pressure from 3×10(-7) to 50×10(-7) tort at room temperature; consequently, the adduct ions, [M+73](+), are formed primarily by radiatively stabilized addition in these ion cyclotron resonance experiments.

The use of electron impact and positive chemical ionization mass spectrometry in the screening of beta blockers and their metabolites in human urine

The use of several mass spectrometry technologies including electron impact (EI) and positive chemical ionization (CI) in both full-scan and multiple ion detection (MID) analysis for the urine analysis of several beta blockers and metabolites has been investigated. These drugs were extracted using an alkaline solid-phase extraction procedure and identified as their respective trimethylsilyl-trifluoroacetyl (TMS-TFA) derivatives on capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Isobutane proved to be the preferred reagent gas for the positive CI mass spectrometry of TMS-TFA derivatives of beta blockers, in comparison with others, such as methanol, ammonia and methane, since mass spectra with little fragmentation and abundant ions at high mass were obtained. By combining EI mass spectrometry and isobutane positive CI mass spectrometry using the ion trap detector, the identities of the main co-extracted metabolites were confirmed. Absolute detection limits were 0.15 ng for full-scan analysis (EI as well as positive CI mass spectrometry) and 0.08 ng for MID analysis (EI as well as CI mass spectrometry). The detection times of beta blockers in human urine were at least two- to three-fold the elimination half-life of these drugs. The analytical potential of the above mass spectrometric techniques has been discussed.