Electron ionization mass spectral studies of bridgehead-substituted norbornan-2-ones: camphor derivatives

Molecular differentiation of five Cinnamomum camphora chemotypes using desorption atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry of raw leaves

Five chemotypes, the isoborneol-type, camphora-type, cineole-type, linalool-type and borneol-type of Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Presl have been identified at the molecular level based on the multivariate analysis of mass spectral fingerprints recorded from a total of 750 raw leaf samples (i.e., 150 leaves equally collected for each chemotype) using desorption atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (DAPCI-MS). Both volatile and semi-volatile metabolites of the fresh leaves of C. camphora were simultaneously detected by DAPCI-MS without any sample pretreatment, reducing the analysis time from half a day using conventional methods (e.g., GC-MS) down to 30 s. The pattern recognition results obtained using principal component analysis (PCA) was cross-checked by cluster analysis (CA), showing that the difference visualized by the DAPCI-MS spectral fingerprints was validated with 100% accuracy. The study demonstrates that DAPCI-MS meets the challenging requirements for accurate differentiation of all the five chemotypes of C. camphora leaves, motivating more advanced application of DAPCI-MS in plant science and forestry studies.

Differential analysis of camphor wood products by desorption atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry

In the course of this study, desorption atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (DAPCI-MS) was applied to readily acquire the mass spectral fingerprints of camphor wood and other wood samples under ambient conditions. Characteristic natural analytes, such as camphor and geraniol, were successfully detected in their protonated form and then identified by tandem mass spectrometry (MS(n)). Further principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) of the mass spectrometric results allow a confident discrimination of camphor wood products from inferior/fake ones. These experimental findings demonstrate that DAPCI-MS is a valuable tool for differential analysis of untreated camphor wood products with sufficient sensitivity and high throughput.