Direct fission versus sequential evaporation mechanism of sputtered caesium iodide cluster ions

Influence of Single Skimmer Versus Dual Funnel Transfer on the Appearance of ESI-Generated LiCl Cluster/ß-Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complexes

Singly and doubly charged adducts of LiCl with β-cyclodextrin (βCD) of the type (βCD)(LiCl)(n)Li(+) and (βCD)2(LiCl)(p)Li2(2+) were studied using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Insight into their structural composition was gained by analysis of their collision-induced dissociation (CID) mass spectra. The conditions the ions experience in the transfer region interfacing the ESI source and the mass analyzer were found to have a marked influence on the nature of the detected ions. In one instrument incorporating a single skimmer, individually attached LiCl ion pairs were observed, whereas the dual funnel ion guides of the second instrument allow the detection of previously unknown labile inclusion complexes of (LiCl)n clusters in βCD.

Ion-pair evaporation from ionic liquid clusters

A differential mobility analyzer (DMA) is used in atmospheric pressure N(2) to select a narrow range of electrical mobilities from a complex mix of cluster ions of composition (CA)(n)(C(+))(z). The clusters are introduced into the N(2) gas by electrospraying concentrated (approximately 20 mM) acetonitrile solutions of ionic liquids (molten salts) of composition CA (C(+) = cation, A(-) = anion). Mass analysis of these mobility-selected ions reveals the occurrence of individual neutral ion-pair evaporation events from the smallest singly charged clusters: (CA)(n)C(+)-->(CA)(n-1)C(+)+CA. Although bulk ionic liquids are effectively involatile at room temperature, up to six sequential evaporation events are observed. Because this requires far more internal energy than available in the original clusters, substantial heating (approximately 10 eV) must take place in the ion guides leading to the mass analyzer. The observed increase in IL evaporation rate with decreasing size is drastic, in qualitative agreement with the exponential vapor pressure dependence predicted by Kelvin's formula. A single evaporation event is barely detectable at n = 13, while two or more are prominent for n < or = 9. Magic number clusters (CA)(4)C(+) with singularly low volatilities are found in three of the four ionic liquids studied. Like their recently reported liquid phase prenucleation cluster analogs, these magic number clusters could play a key role as gas-phase nucleation seeds. All the singularly involatile clusters seen are cations, which may help understand commonly observed sign effects in ion-induced nucleation. No other charge-sign asymmetry is seen on cluster evaporation.

Surface-induced dissociation shows potential to be more informative than collision-induced dissociation for structural studies of large systems

The ability to preserve noncovalent, macromolecular assemblies intact in the gas phase has paved the way for mass spectrometry to characterize ions of increasing size and become a powerful tool in the field of structural biology. Tandem mass spectrometry experiments have the potential to expand the capabilities of this technique through the gas-phase dissociation of macromolecular complexes, but collisions with small gas atoms currently provide very limited fragmentation. One alternative for dissociating large ions is to collide them into a surface, a more massive target. Here, we demonstrate the ability and benefit of fragmenting large protein complexes and inorganic salt clusters by surface-induced dissociation (SID), which provides more extensive fragmentation of these systems and shows promise as an activation method for ions of increasing size.

Efficient clustering of cyclic sulfonium salts applying liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry

Salt-like cluster ions of the ([cation](n)[anion](n-1))(+) type are commonly composed of mono-atomic, inorganic components. Clusters containing organic ions are also known, with nitrogen-centred cations being particularly prominent. However, sulphur-centred analogues, such as organic sulphonium salts, represent a notable exception. Fast atom bombardment and liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry of such compounds show, in general, a low tendency towards the formation of clusters. The present study reveals that sputtering of cyclic sulphonium salts leads to the efficient formation of cluster ions beyond previous observations. Cluster ions are characterised by isotopic pattern analysis and collision-induced dissociation.