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Indelicato S, Bongiorno D, Ceraulo L. Recent Approaches for Chemical Speciation and Analysis by Electrospray Ionization (ESI) Mass Spectrometry. Front Chem 2021; 8:625945. [PMID: 33553108 PMCID: PMC7855954 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2020.625945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, the chemical speciation of several species has been increasingly monitored and investigated, employing electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). This soft ionization technique gently desolvates weak metal–ligand complexes, taking them in the high vacuum sectors of mass spectrometric instrumentation. It is, thus, possible to collect information on their structure, energetics, and fragmentation pathways. For this reason, this technique is frequently chosen in a synergistic approach to investigate competitive ligand exchange-adsorption otherwise analyzed by cathodic stripping voltammetry (CLE-ACSV). ESI-MS analyses require a careful experimental design as measurement may face instrumental artifacts such as ESI adduct formation, fragmentation, and sometimes reduction reactions. Furthermore, ESI source differences of ionization efficiencies among the detected species can be misleading. In this mini-review are collected and critically reported the most recent approaches adopted to mitigate or eliminate these limitations and to show the potential of this analytical technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Indelicato
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università degli studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - David Bongiorno
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università degli studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Leopoldo Ceraulo
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università degli studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
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Indelicato S, Bongiorno D, Ceraulo L, Calabrese V, Piazzese D, Napoli A, Mazzotti F, Avellone G, Di Stefano V, Turco Liveri V. Electrospray ion mobility mass spectrometry of positively and negatively charged (1R,2S)-dodecyl(2-hydroxy-1-methyl-2-phenylethyl)dimethylammonium bromide aggregates. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2016; 30:230-238. [PMID: 26661990 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.7422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2015] [Revised: 10/06/2015] [Accepted: 10/06/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Self-assembling processes of surfactants in the gas phase constitute a developing research field of interest since they allow information to be gained on the peculiar structural organization of these aggregates, on their ability to incorporate from small molecules up to proteins and on their possible use as carriers of drugs in the gas phase or as cleaning agents and exotic reaction media. METHODS The mass spectra of charged aggregates of the chiral surfactant (1R,2S)-dodecyl(2-hydroxy-1-methyl-2-phenylethyl)dimethylammonium bromide (DMEB) in the gas phase have been recorded using a Synapt G2-Si mass spectrometer in the positive and negative ion mode. For comparison purposes, the mass spectra of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate and sodium octane sulfonate aggregates have also been recorded under the same experimental conditions. The collisional cross sections of positively and negatively charged DMEB aggregates were obtained through an appropriate calibration of the measured drift times. RESULTS For all the surfactants investigated, it has been found that there is a lowest and a highest limit of the aggregation number at each charge state: no aggregates are found outside this range. Moreover, the occurrence at each aggregation number and extra charge of a unique value of drift time points toward aggregates whose conformations do not show discernible shape change in the experiment time scale. The analysis of the collisional cross sections emphasizes that the DMEB aggregates are nearly spherical clusters somewhat affected by the charge state and constituted by interlaced polar and apolar domains. CONCLUSIONS The analysis of all the experimental findings indicates that in the gas phase DMEB forms supramolecular aggregates characterized by an internal organization whose stability is triggered by the charge state. The comparison of the behavior of DMEB aggregates with that of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate and sodium octane sulfonate aggregates allows us to highlight the effects on the aggregate organization in gas phase due to nature of the head group and alkyl chain steric hindrance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Indelicato
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi 32, I-90123, Palermo, Italy
| | - David Bongiorno
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi 32, I-90123, Palermo, Italy
| | - Leopoldo Ceraulo
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi 32, I-90123, Palermo, Italy
| | - Valentina Calabrese
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi 32, I-90123, Palermo, Italy
| | - Daniela Piazzese
- Dipartimento di Fisica e Chimica, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 17, I-90128, Palermo, Italy
| | - Anna Napoli
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie Chimiche, Università della Calabria, Via P. Bucci Cubo 12/C, I-87036, Arcavacata di Rende, (CS)-Italy
| | - Fabio Mazzotti
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie Chimiche, Università della Calabria, Via P. Bucci Cubo 12/C, I-87036, Arcavacata di Rende, (CS)-Italy
| | - Giuseppe Avellone
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi 32, I-90123, Palermo, Italy
| | - Vita Di Stefano
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi 32, I-90123, Palermo, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Turco Liveri
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi 32, I-90123, Palermo, Italy
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Bongiorno D, Ceraulo L, Indelicato S, Turco Liveri V, Indelicato S. Charged supramolecular assemblies of surfactant molecules in gas phase. MASS SPECTROMETRY REVIEWS 2016; 35:170-187. [PMID: 26113001 DOI: 10.1002/mas.21476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this review is to critically analyze recent literature on charged supramolecular assemblies formed by surfactant molecules in gas phase. Apart our specific interest on this research area, the stimuli to undertake the task arise from the widespread theoretical and applicative benefits emerging from a comprehensive view of this topic. In fact, the study of the formation, stability, and physicochemical peculiarities of non-covalent assemblies of surfactant molecules in gas phase allows to unveil interesting aspects such as the role of attractive, repulsive, and steric intermolecular interactions as driving force of supramolecular organization in absence of interactions with surrounding medium and the size and charge state dependence of aggregate structural and dynamical properties. Other interesting aspects worth to be investigated are joined to the ability of these assemblies to incorporate selected solubilizates molecules as well as to give rise to chemical reactions within a single organized structure. In particular, the incorporation of large molecules such as proteins has been of recent interest with the objective to protect their structure and functionality during the transition from solution to gas phase. Exciting fall-out of the study of gas phase surfactant aggregates includes mass and energy transport in the atmosphere, origin of life and simulation of supramolecular aggregation in the interstellar space. Moreover, supramolecular assemblies of amphiphilic molecules in gas phase could find remarkable applications as atmospheric cleaning agents, nanosolvents and nanoreactors for specialized chemical processes in confined space. Mass spectrometry techniques have proven to be particularly suitable to generate these assemblies and to furnish useful information on their size, size polydispersity, stability, and structural organization. On the other hand molecular dynamics simulations have been very useful to rationalize many experimental findings and to furnish a vivid picture of the structural and dynamic features of these aggregates. Thus, in this review, we will focus on the most important achievements gained in recent years by both these investigative tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Bongiorno
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi 32, I-90123, Palermo, Italy
- Centro Grandi Apparecchiature-UniNetLab, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Marini 14, I-90128, Palermo, Italy
| | - Leopoldo Ceraulo
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi 32, I-90123, Palermo, Italy
- Centro Grandi Apparecchiature-UniNetLab, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Marini 14, I-90128, Palermo, Italy
| | - Sergio Indelicato
- Core Laboratory of Quality control and Chemical Risk, Policlinico P. Giaccone, Università di Palermo, via del Vespro 129, I-90127, Palermo, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Turco Liveri
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi 32, I-90123, Palermo, Italy
| | - Serena Indelicato
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi 32, I-90123, Palermo, Italy
- Centro Grandi Apparecchiature-UniNetLab, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Marini 14, I-90128, Palermo, Italy
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