Selective generation of charge-cependent/independent ion energy distributions from a heated capillary electrospray source

Comparison of the internal energy deposition of direct analysis in real time and electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

The internal energy (E(int)) distributions of a series of p-substituted benzylpyridinium ions generated by both direct analysis in real time (DART) and electrospray ionization (ESI) were compared using the "survival yield" method. DART mean E(int) values at gas flow rates of 2, 4, and 6 L min(-1), and at set temperatures of 175, 250, and 325 degrees C were in the 1.92-2.21 eV range. ESI mean E(int) at identical temperatures in aqueous and 50% methanol solutions ranged between 1.71 and 1.96 eV, and 1.53 and 1.63 eV, respectively. Although the results indicated that ESI is a "softer" ionization technique than DART, there was overlap between the two techniques for the particular time-of-flight mass spectrometer used. As a whole, there was an increase in E(int) with increasing reactive and drying gas temperatures for DART and ESI, respectively, indicating thermal ion activation. Three dimensional computational fluid dynamic simulations in combination with direct temperature measurements within the DART ionization region revealed complex inversely coupled fluid-thermal phenomena affecting ion E(int) values during atmospheric transport. Primarily, that DART gas temperature in the ionization region was appreciably less than the set gas temperature of DART due to the set gas flow rates. There was no evidence of E(int) deposition pathways from metastable-stimulated desorption, but fragmentation induced by high-energy helium metastables was observed at the highest gas flow rates and temperatures.

Relative importance of basicity in the gas phase and in solution for determining selectivity in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry is a critically important technique for the determination of small molecules, but its application for this purpose is complicated by its selectivity. For positive ion ESI-MS analysis of basic analytes, several investigators have pointed to the importance of analyte basicity as a source of selectivity. Currently, however, it is not known whether basicity in the gas phase or in solution is ultimately most important in determining responsiveness. The objective of these studies was to investigate the relative importance of basicity in solution and in the gas phase as factors that predict selectivity in positive ion ESI-MS analysis. ESI-MS response was compared for a diverse series of protonatable analytes in two different solvents, neat methanol and methanol with 0.5% acetic acid. A correlation was observed between analyte pK(b) and electrospray response. However, the response for the analytes with very high pK(b) values was significantly higher than would be expected based on concentration of the protonated form or the analyte in solution, and this higher response did not appear to result from gas-phase proton transfer reactions. Although all of the analytes investigated had higher gas-phase basicities than the solvent, their relative responses were not dictated by gas-phase basicity. Higher response was observed for all of the analytes studied in acidified methanol compared with neat methanol, and this higher response was most pronounced for weakly basic analytes. These findings support the use of analyte pK(b) for rational method development in ESI-MS analysis of small molecules.

Internal energy distributions in desorption electrospray ionization (DESI)

The internal energy distributions of typical ions generated by desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) were measured using the "survival yield" method, and compared with corresponding data for electrospray ionization (ESI) and electrosonic spray ionization (ESSI). The results show that the three ionization methods produce populations of ions having internal energy distributions of similar shapes and mean values (1.7-1.9 eV) suggesting similar phenomena, at least in the later stages of the process leading from solvated droplets to gas-phase ions. These data on energetics are consistent with the view that DESI involves "droplet pick-up" (liquid-liquid extraction) followed by ESI-like desolvation and gas-phase ion formation. The effects of various experimental parameters on the degree of fragmentation of p-methoxy-benzylpyridinium ions were compared between DESI and ESSI. The results show similar trends in the survival yields as a function of the nebulizing gas pressure, solvent flow rate, and distance from the sprayer tip to the MS inlet. These observations are consistent with the mechanism noted above and they also enable the user to exercise control over the energetics of the DESI ionization process, through manipulation of external and internal ion source parameters.

Internal energy and fragmentation of ions produced in electrospray sources

This review addresses the determination of the internal energy of ions produced by electrospray ionization (ESI) sources, and the influence of the internal energy on analyte fragmentation. A control of the analyte internal energy is crucial for several applications of electrospray mass spectrometry, like structural studies, construction of reproducible and exportable spectral libraries, analysis of non-covalent complexes. Sections II and III summarize the Electrospray mechanisms and source design considerations which are relevant to the problem of internal energy, and Section IV gives an overview of the inter-relationships between ion internal energy, reaction time scale, and analyte fragmentation. In these three sections we tried to make the most important theoretical elements understandable by all ESI users, and their understanding requires a minimal background in physical chemistry. We then present the different approaches used to experimentally determine the ion internal energy, as well as various attempts in modeling the internal energy uptake in electrospray sources. Finally, a tentative comparison between electrospray and other ionization sources is made. As the reader will see, although many reports appeared on the subject, the knowledge in the field of internal energy of ions produced by soft ionization sources is still scarce, because of the complexity of the system, and this is what makes this area of research so interesting. The last section presents some perspectives for future research.

Practical implications of some recent studies in electrospray ionization fundamentals

In accomplishing successful electrospray ionization analyses, it is imperative to have an understanding of the effects of variables such as analyte structure, instrumental parameters, and solution composition. Here, we review some fundamental studies of the ESI process that are relevant to these issues. We discuss how analyte chargeability and surface activity are related to ESI response, and how accessible parameters such as nonpolar surface area and reversed phase HPLC retention time can be used to predict relative ESI response. Also presented is a description of how derivitizing agents can be used to maximize or enable ESI response by improving the chargeability or hydrophobicity of ESI analytes. Limiting factors in the ESI calibration curve are discussed. At high concentrations, these factors include droplet surface area and excess charge concentration, whereas at low concentrations ion transmission becomes an issue, and chemical interference can also be limiting. Stable and reproducible non-pneumatic ESI operation depends on the ability to balance a number of parameters, including applied voltage and solution surface tension, flow rate, and conductivity. We discuss how changing these parameters can shift the mode of ESI operation from stable to unstable, and how current-voltage curves can be used to characterize the mode of ESI operation. Finally, the characteristics of the ideal ESI solvent, including surface tension and conductivity requirements, are discussed. Analysis in the positive ion mode can be accomplished with acidified methanol/water solutions, but negative ion mode analysis necessitates special constituents that suppress corona discharge and facilitate the production of stable negative ions.

Advances in instrumentation in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and related liquid-introduction techniques

In the past few years, the instrumental developments in the field of combined liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and related liquid-introduction techniques has been extremely fast. Soon after the demonstration of the ability to obtain multiply-charged ions from proteins by electrospray ionization, a major impetus was given to the field. Numerous LC-MS systems based on atmospheric-pressure ionization sources have now been described. This paper reviews these instrumental developments with reference to currently available commercial LC-MS systems. Not only low and high flow-rate electrospray on quadrupole instrument is discussed, but also electrospray on ion-trap, double-focusing sector, time-of-flight, and Fourier-transform ion-cyclotron resonance instruments are reviewed.

A high performance low magnetic field internal electrospray ionization-fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer

A new in-magnetic field electrospray ionization (ESI) and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer has been constructed and evaluated. This system is characterized by the use of multiple concentric cryopanels to achieve ultrahigh vacuum in the ion cyclotron resonance cell region, a probe-mounted internal ESI source, and a novel in-field shutter. Initial experiments demonstrate high resolution mass measurement capability at a field strength of 1 T. Mass resolution of 700,000 has been obtained for the 3+ charge state of Met-Lys-bradykinin (at m/z 440) generated by electrospray ionization. When electron impact ionization was employed, resolution in excess of 9,200,000 was achieved for nitrogen molecular ions (N 2 (+) ). Isotopic resolution for molecular ions of bovine ubiquitin (MW=8565 µ) also was achieved by using small ion populations.

The importance of charge-separation reactions in tandem mass spectrometry of doubly protonated angiotensin II formed by electrospray ionization: Experimental considerations and structural implications

The occurrence of charge-separation reactions in tandem mass spectrometry of doubly protonated angiotensin II is demonstrated by the use of mass-analyzed ion kinetic energy spectrometry (MIKES) and kinetic energy release distributions (KERDs). Linked scans at a constant B/E severely discriminate against product ions formed by charge-separation reactions. Although the products are significantly more abundant in MIKES experiments, instrumental discrimination still makes quantitation of relative product ion abundances highly inaccurate. The most probable KERs (T m. p.) and the average KERs (T ave.) of the reactions are determined from the KERDs, and these values are compared to the KERs determined from the peak widths at half-height (T 0. 5). The measurement of T 0. 5 is a poor approximation to T m. p. and T ave.. The T m. p. is used to calculate a most probable intercharge distance, which is compared to results from molecular dynamics calculations. The results provide evidence with regard to the mechanisms of fragmentation of multiply charged ions and the location of the charge site in relation to the decomposition reactions.

Remeasurement at high resolving power in fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

The Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry remeasurement experiment is demonstrated and evaluated under high resolution conditions. Signal-to-noise enhancement is observed for isotopically resolved bovine insulin peaks at a resolution of ∼ 31,000 (full width at half height). The experiment is sensitive to spacecharge effects and resultant changes in scan-to-scan signal-to-noise and resolution. Coulombic repulsion in the ion cloud during the high resolution remeasurement experiment can cause the cyclotron frequency to shift through the duration of the experiment, which results in broadened peak shapes when individual remeasurement spectra are coadded. By either reducing the number of ions in the cell or allowing the ion cloud to diffuse during the lifetime of the experiment, high resolution remeasurement spectra can be coadded without peak broadening or degradation of signal-to-noise ratio.

Simplified application of quadrupolar excitation in Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

A new method for application of quadrupolar excitation to the trapped ion cell of a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometer is presented. Quadrupolar excitation is conventionally applied to the two pairs of opposed electrodes that normally perform the excitation and detection functions in the FTICR experiment. Symmetry arguments and numerically calculated isopotential contours within the trapped ion cell lead to the conclusion that quadrupolar excitation can be applied to a single pair of opposed side electrodes. Examples of effective quadrupolar axialization via this method include a sevenfold signal-to-noise enhancement derived from 50 remeasurements of a single population of trapped bovine insulin ions and the selective isolation of a single charge state of horse heart myoglobin after an initial measurement that revealed the presence of 14 charge states.

Ion kinetic energy modulation for improved ion trapping in electrospray ionization fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

A new technique for manipulating the kinetic energy distribution of electrospray ions that arrive at a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance trapped-ion cell is presented. Narrow kinetic energy distributions can complicate the selection of appropriate trapping conditions for electrospray ions and introduce charge discrimination in resulting mass spectra. Modulation of the applied skimmer potential controllably broadens the kinetic energy distribution, which improves the reproducibility of acquired spectra and eliminates charge discrimination. Mass spectra of horse heart cytochrome c are presented to demonstrate the utility of the technique. For example, applied static skimmer potentials of 12 and 9 V yield charge state distributions ranging from [M+19H](+19) to [M+12H](+12) and [M+15H](+15) to [M+7H](+7), respectively. A 12 ± 2 V, 100-Hz modulation of the skimmer potential yields an electrospray spectrum with charge states that range from [M+19H](+19) to [M+7H](+7), which is more representative of the source distribution.