1
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Sano M, Kamei K, Yatsuhashi T, Sakota K. Localization and Orientation of Dye Molecules at the Surface of a Levitated Microdroplet in Air Revealed by Whispering Gallery Mode Resonances. J Phys Chem Lett 2024; 15:8133-8141. [PMID: 39087939 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c01819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
Microdroplets offer unique environments that accelerate chemical reactions; however, the mechanisms behind these processes remain debated. The localization and orientation of solute molecules near the droplet surface have been proposed as factors for this acceleration. Since significant reaction acceleration has been observed for electrospray- and sonic-spray-generated aerosol droplets, the analysis of microdroplets in air has become essential. Here, we utilized whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonances to investigate the localization and orientation of dissolved rhodamine B (RhB) in a levitated microdroplet (∼3 μm in diameter) in air. Fluorescence enhancement upon resonance with the WGMs revealed the localization and orientation of RhB near the droplet surface. Numerical modeling using Mie theory quantified the RhB orientation at 68° to the surface normal, with a small fraction randomly oriented inside the droplet. Additionally, low RhB concentrations increased surface localization. These results support the significance of surface reactions in the acceleration of microdroplet reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Motoya Sano
- Division of Molecular Material Science, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, 3-3-138, Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
| | - Kota Kamei
- Division of Molecular Material Science, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, 3-3-138, Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Yatsuhashi
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, 3-3-138, Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
| | - Kenji Sakota
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, 3-3-138, Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
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2
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Nandy A, Mondal S, Koner D, Banerjee S. Heavy Water Microdroplet Surface Enriches the Lighter Isotopologue Impurities. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:19050-19058. [PMID: 38958201 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c03315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
Water microdroplets promote unusual chemical reactions at the air-water interface. However, the interfacial structure of water microdroplets and its potential influence on chemical processes are still enigmatic. Here, we present evidence of in-droplet fractionation of water isotopologues. Employing a sonic spray, we atomized the heavy water (D2O, 99.9 atom % D) solution of three classes of organic compounds (basic, acidic, and neutral). The analytes were predominantly desorbed from the resulting droplet surface in protonated form rather than deuterated form, as detected by mass spectrometry. This result remained unaltered upon adding formic acid-d2 (DCOOD) to the droplet. Monitoring Dakin oxidation of benzaldehyde at the surface of binary microdroplets composed of 1:1 (v/v) D2O/H218O revealed the preferred formation of phenolate-16O over phenolate-18O. Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometric analysis of the vapor composition in the sprayed aerosol revealed the preferential evaporation of lighter water isotopologue impurities from the surface of heavy water microdroplets. These results indicate the enrichment of lighter water isotopologue impurities (HOD/H2O) on the surface of heavy water microdroplets, implying possible future developments for water isotopologue fractionation using microdroplets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhijit Nandy
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Tirupati, Tirupati 517507, India
| | - Supratim Mondal
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Tirupati, Tirupati 517507, India
| | - Debasish Koner
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Kandi 502284, India
| | - Shibdas Banerjee
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Tirupati, Tirupati 517507, India
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3
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Zhang X, Huang K, Fu Y, Zhang N, Kong X, Cheng Y, Zheng M, Cheng Y, Zhu T, Fu B, Feng S, Chen H. Demethylation C-C coupling reaction facilitated by the repulsive Coulomb force between two cations. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5881. [PMID: 38997250 PMCID: PMC11245495 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49946-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Carbon chain elongation (CCE) is normally carried out using either chemical catalysts or bioenzymes. Herein we demonstrate a catalyst-free approach to promote demethylation C-C coupling reactions for advanced CCE constructed with functional groups under ambient conditions. Accelerated by the electric field, two organic cations containing a methyl group (e.g., ketones, acids, and aldehydes) approach each other with such proximity that the energy of the repulsive Coulomb interaction between these two cations exceeds the bond energy of the methyl group. This results in the elimination of a methyl cation and the coupling of the residual carbonyl carbon groups. As confirmed by high-resolution mass spectrometry and isotope-labeling experiments, the C-C coupling reactions (yields up to 76.5%) were commonly observed in the gas phase or liquid phase, for which the mechanism was further studied using molecular dynamics simulations and stationary-point calculations, revealing deep insights and perspectives of chemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoping Zhang
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory for Mass Spectrometry and Instrumentation, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, P. R. China
| | - Keke Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
| | - Yanlin Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Center for Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Dalian Institution of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, 116023, P. R. China
| | - Ni Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, 330004, P. R. China
| | - Xianglei Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Elemento-organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P. R. China
| | - Yuanyuan Cheng
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory for Mass Spectrometry and Instrumentation, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, P. R. China
| | - Mingyu Zheng
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory for Mass Spectrometry and Instrumentation, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, P. R. China
| | - Yihao Cheng
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory for Mass Spectrometry and Instrumentation, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, P. R. China
| | - Tenggao Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, 330004, P. R. China
| | - Bina Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Center for Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Dalian Institution of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, 116023, P. R. China.
- Hefei National Laboratory, Hefei, 230088, China.
| | - Shouhua Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China.
| | - Huanwen Chen
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory for Mass Spectrometry and Instrumentation, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, P. R. China.
- School of Pharmacy, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, 330004, P. R. China.
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4
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Bain A, Lalemi L, Croll Dawes N, Miles REH, Prophet AM, Wilson KR, Bzdek BR. Surfactant Partitioning Dynamics in Freshly Generated Aerosol Droplets. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:16028-16038. [PMID: 38822805 PMCID: PMC11177314 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c03041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
Aerosol droplets are unique microcompartments with relevance to areas as diverse as materials and chemical synthesis, atmospheric chemistry, and cloud formation. Observations of highly accelerated and unusual chemistry taking place in such droplets have challenged our understanding of chemical kinetics in these microscopic systems. Due to their large surface-area-to-volume ratios, interfacial processes can play a dominant role in governing chemical reactivity and other processes in droplets. Quantitative knowledge about droplet surface properties is required to explain reaction mechanisms and product yields. However, our understanding of the compositions and properties of these dynamic, microscopic interfaces is poor compared to our understanding of bulk processes. Here, we measure the dynamic surface tensions of 14-25 μm radius (11-65 pL) droplets containing a strong surfactant (either sodium dodecyl sulfate or octyl-β-D-thioglucopyranoside) using a stroboscopic imaging approach, enabling observation of the dynamics of surfactant partitioning to the droplet-air interface on time scales of 10s to 100s of microseconds after droplet generation. The experimental results are interpreted with a state-of-the-art kinetic model accounting for the unique high surface-area-to-volume ratio inherent to aerosol droplets, providing insights into both the surfactant diffusion and adsorption kinetics as well as the time-dependence of the interfacial surfactant concentration. This study demonstrates that microscopic droplet interfaces can take up to many milliseconds to reach equilibrium. Such time scales should be considered when attempting to explain observations of accelerated chemistry in microcompartments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison Bain
- School
of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock’s Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K.
- Department
of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, United States
| | - Lara Lalemi
- School
of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock’s Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K.
| | - Nathan Croll Dawes
- School
of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock’s Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K.
| | - Rachael E. H. Miles
- School
of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock’s Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K.
| | - Alexander M. Prophet
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Chemical
Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Kevin R. Wilson
- Chemical
Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Bryan R. Bzdek
- School
of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock’s Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K.
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5
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Spoorthi BK, Debnath K, Basuri P, Nagar A, Waghmare UV, Pradeep T. Spontaneous weathering of natural minerals in charged water microdroplets forms nanomaterials. Science 2024; 384:1012-1017. [PMID: 38815034 DOI: 10.1126/science.adl3364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
In this work, we show that particles of common minerals break down spontaneously to form nanoparticles in charged water microdroplets within milliseconds. We transformed micron-sized natural minerals like quartz and ruby into 5- to 10-nanometer particles when integrated into aqueous microdroplets generated via electrospray. We deposited the droplets on a substrate, which allowed nanoparticle characterization. We determined through simulations that quartz undergoes proton-induced slip, especially when reduced in size and exposed to an electric field. This leads to particle scission and the formation of silicate fragments, which we confirmed with mass spectrometry. This rapid weathering process may be important for soil formation, given the prevalence of charged aerosols in the atmosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- B K Spoorthi
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
| | - Koyendrila Debnath
- Theoretical Sciences Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Pallab Basuri
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
| | - Ankit Nagar
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
| | - Umesh V Waghmare
- Theoretical Sciences Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Thalappil Pradeep
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
- International Centre for Clean Water, IIT Madras Research Park, Chennai 600113, India
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6
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Fan J, Liang L, Zhou X, Ouyang Z. Accelerating protein aggregation and amyloid fibrillation for rapid inhibitor screening. Chem Sci 2024; 15:6853-6859. [PMID: 38725489 PMCID: PMC11077537 DOI: 10.1039/d4sc00437j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The accumulation and deposition of amyloid fibrils, also known as amyloidosis, in tissues and organs of patients has been found to be linked to numerous devastating neurodegenerative diseases. The aggregation of proteins to form amyloid fibrils, however, is a slow pathogenic process, and is a major issue for the evaluation of the effectiveness of inhibitors in new drug discovery and screening. Here, we used microdroplet reaction technology to accelerate the amyloid fibrillation process, monitored the process to shed light on the fundamental mechanism of amyloid self-assembly, and demonstrated the value of the technology in the rapid screening of potential inhibitor drugs. Proteins in microdroplets accelerated to form fibrils in milliseconds, enabling an entire cycle of inhibitor screening for Aβ40 within 3 minutes. The technology would be of broad interest to drug discovery and therapeutic design to develop treatments for diseases associated with protein aggregation and fibrillation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjin Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments, Department of Precision Instrument, Tsinghua University Beijing 100084 China
| | - Liwen Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments, Department of Precision Instrument, Tsinghua University Beijing 100084 China
| | - Xiaoyu Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments, Department of Precision Instrument, Tsinghua University Beijing 100084 China
| | - Zheng Ouyang
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments, Department of Precision Instrument, Tsinghua University Beijing 100084 China
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7
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Bouza M, Foest D, Brandt S, García-Reyes JF, Franzke J. Enhanced Compound Analysis Using Reactive Paper Spray Mass Spectrometry: Leveraging Schiff Base Reaction for Amino Acid Detection. Anal Chem 2024; 96:5289-5297. [PMID: 38507224 PMCID: PMC10993198 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c00215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Paper spray mass spectrometry (PS-MS) has evolved into a promising tool for monitoring reactions in thin films and microdroplets, known as reactive PS, alongside its established role in ambient and direct ionization. This study addresses the need for rapid, cost-effective methods to improve analyte identification in biofluids by leveraging reactive PS-MS in clinical chemistry environments. The technique has proven effective in derivatizing target analytes, altering hydrophobicity to enhance elution and ionization efficiency, and refining detection through thin-film reactions on paper, significantly expediting reaction rates by using amino acids (AAs) as model analytes. These molecules are prone to interacting with substrates like paper, impeding elution and detection. Additionally, highly abundant species in biofluids, such as lipids, often suppress AA ionization. This study employs the Schiff base (SB) reaction utilizing aromatic aldehydes for AA derivatization to optimize reaction conditions time, temperature, and catalyst presence and dramatically increasing the conversion ratio (CR) of formed SB. For instance, using leucine as a model AA, the CR surged from 57% at room temperature to 89% at 70 °C, with added pyridine during and after 7.5 min, displaying a 43% CR compared to the bulk reaction. Evaluation of various aromatic aldehydes as derivatization agents highlighted the importance of specific oxygen substituents for achieving higher conversion rates. Furthermore, diverse derivatization agents unveiled unique fragmentation pathways, aiding in-depth annotation of the target analyte. Successfully applied to quantify AAs in human and rat plasma, this reactive PS-MS approach showcases promising potential in efficiently detecting conventionally challenging compounds in PS-MS analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Bouza
- Analytical
Chemistry Research Group, Department of Physical and Analytical Chemistry, University of Jaén, Campus Las Lagunillas, Jaén 23071, Spain
| | - Daniel Foest
- ISAS—Leibniz
Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften, Bunsen-Kirchhoff-Str. 11, Dortmund 44139, Germany
| | - Sebastian Brandt
- ISAS—Leibniz
Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften, Bunsen-Kirchhoff-Str. 11, Dortmund 44139, Germany
| | - Juan F. García-Reyes
- Analytical
Chemistry Research Group, Department of Physical and Analytical Chemistry, University of Jaén, Campus Las Lagunillas, Jaén 23071, Spain
| | - Joachim Franzke
- ISAS—Leibniz
Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften, Bunsen-Kirchhoff-Str. 11, Dortmund 44139, Germany
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8
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Ochirov O, Urban PL. Spontaneous Recycling of Electrosprayed Sample by Retrograde Motion of Microdroplets. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY 2024; 35:631-635. [PMID: 38353427 PMCID: PMC10921457 DOI: 10.1021/jasms.3c00444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Here, we discuss an interesting phenomenon occurring spontaneously near the sample liquid meniscus at the tip of the electrospray emitter. While most ejected droplets move from the emitter tip toward the counter electrode, some of the droplets decelerate and move backward to the liquid meniscus. When they hit the surface of the liquid meniscus, they either merge with the bulk liquid or get recharged during intermittent contact with the liquid meniscus and immediately reaccelerate toward the counter electrode. In some cases, while in contact with the meniscus they spontaneously form a secondary Taylor cone and emit progeny droplets. This observation suggests that the amount of electric charge transferred to such a droplet is sufficient to surpass the Rayleigh limit. Similar effects were previously observed for water as well as for NaCl-water and ethanol-water mixtures. However, here we observed it for electrolyte solutions commonly used in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry: methanol-water solutions with the addition of ammonium acetate, formic acid, or ammonium hydroxide. The reported phenomenon reveals the ongoing recycling of sample liquid in electrosprays. Such recycling can contribute to enhancement of sample utilization efficiency in electrospray ionization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ochir Ochirov
- Department of Chemistry, National
Tsing Hua University, 101, Section 2, Kuang-Fu Rd., Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan
| | - Pawel L. Urban
- Department of Chemistry, National
Tsing Hua University, 101, Section 2, Kuang-Fu Rd., Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan
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9
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Liu J, Zheng Z, Wang N, Li G. Plasma-Droplet Fusion-Mass Spectrometry Reveals Sub-Millisecond Protein Unfolding Dynamics Induced by Reactive Oxygen Species. Anal Chem 2024; 96:2292-2296. [PMID: 38295309 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c03419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Investigating the connection between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative protein unfolding is critical to reveal the mechanisms underlying disease involving elevated ROS and protein misfolding. This could inform the development of therapeutics targeting cells based on their redox status. In this study, we developed a plasma-droplet fusion-mass spectrometry platform to rapidly assess protein resilience to ROS. This home-built system fuses ROS generated from the microplasma source with protein microdroplets from a tunable nanospray source. At the droplet-plasma intersection, ROS interact with proteins before entering the mass spectrometer for mass identification and structural characterization. Benefiting from the small-sized microdroplet with adjustable traveling velocity, the platform enables the first sub-millisecond kinetic study of ROS-induced protein unfolding, with a rate constant of approximately 1.81 ms-1. Capturing ROS-induced protein unfolding intermediates and the resultant ligand release dynamics can be extended to many more protein systems. We foresee broad applications for establishing previously undetected protein unfolding events when biologically impactful ROS are enriched in time and space with functional proteins and complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Liu
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Research Center for Analytical Science, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Zhen Zheng
- School of Pharmacy, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Ning Wang
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Research Center for Analytical Science, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Gongyu Li
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Research Center for Analytical Science, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
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10
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Devlin SW, Bernal F, Riffe EJ, Wilson KR, Saykally RJ. Spiers Memorial Lecture: Water at interfaces. Faraday Discuss 2024; 249:9-37. [PMID: 37795954 DOI: 10.1039/d3fd00147d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
In this article we discuss current issues in the context of the four chosen subtopics for the meeting: dynamics and nano-rheology of interfacial water, electrified/charged aqueous interfaces, ice interfaces, and soft matter/water interfaces. We emphasize current advances in both theory and experiment, as well as important practical manifestations and areas of unresolved controversy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shane W Devlin
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Franky Bernal
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Erika J Riffe
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Kevin R Wilson
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Richard J Saykally
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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11
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Meng Y, Zare RN, Gnanamani E. Superfast Formation of C(sp 2 )-N, C(sp 2 )-P, and C(sp 2 )-S Vinylic Bonds in Water Microdroplets. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202316131. [PMID: 38116872 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202316131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
We report examples of C(sp2 )-N, C(sp2 )-S, and C(sp2 )-P bond-forming transformations in water microdroplets at room temperature and atmospheric pressure using N2 as a nebulizing gas. When an aqueous solution of vinylic acid and amine is electrosprayed (+3 kV), the corresponding C(sp2 )-N product is formed in a single step, which was characterized using mass spectrometry (MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS2 ). The scope of this reaction was extended to other amines and other unsaturated acids, including acrylic (CH2 =CHCOOH) and crotonic (CH3 CH=CHCOOH) acids. We also found that thiols and phosphines are viable nucleophiles, and the corresponding C(sp2 )-S and C(sp2 )-P products are observed in positive ion mode using MS and MS2 .
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Meng
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Richard N Zare
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Elumalai Gnanamani
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, 247667, India
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12
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Song Z, Liang C, Gong K, Zhao S, Yuan X, Zhang X, Xie J. Harnessing the High Interfacial Electric Fields on Water Microdroplets to Accelerate Menshutkin Reactions. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:26003-26008. [PMID: 38011046 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c11650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Even though it is still an emerging field, the application of a high external electric field (EEF) as a green and efficient catalyst in synthetic chemistry has recently received significant attention for the ability to deliver remarkable control of reaction selectivity and acceleration of reaction rates. Here, we extend the application of the EEF to Menshutkin reactions by taking advantage of the spontaneous high electric field at the air-water interfaces of sprayed water microdroplets. Experimentally, a series of Menshutkin reactions were accelerated by 7 orders of magnitude. Theoretically, both density functional theory calculations and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations predict that the reaction barrier decreases significantly in the presence of oriented external electric fields, thereby supporting the notion that the electric fields in the water droplets are responsible for the catalysis. In addition, the ordered solvent and reactant molecules oriented by the electric field alleviate the steric effect of solvents and increase the successful collision rates, thus facilitating faster nucleophilic attack. The success of Menshutkin reactions in this study showcases the great potential of microdroplet chemistry for green synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhexuan Song
- Key Laboratory of Cluster Science of Ministry of Education, Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Chiyu Liang
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Ke Gong
- Key Laboratory of Cluster Science of Ministry of Education, Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Supin Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Cluster Science of Ministry of Education, Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Xu Yuan
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Xinxing Zhang
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Jing Xie
- Key Laboratory of Cluster Science of Ministry of Education, Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
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13
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Davis BTV, Velyvis A, Vahidi S. Fluorinated Ethylamines as Electrospray-Compatible Neutral pH Buffers for Native Mass Spectrometry. Anal Chem 2023; 95:17525-17532. [PMID: 37997939 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c02640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Native electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) has emerged as a potent tool for examining the native-like structures of macromolecular complexes. Despite its utility, the predominant "buffer" used, ammonium acetate (AmAc) with pKa values of 4.75 for acetic acid and 9.25 for ammonium, provides very little buffering capacity within the physiological pH range of 7.0-7.4. ESI-induced redox reactions alter the pH of the liquid within the ESI capillary. This can result in protein unfolding or weakening of pH-sensitive interactions. Consequently, the discovery of volatile, ESI-compatible buffers, capable of effectively maintaining pH within a physiological range, is of high importance. Here, we demonstrate that 2,2-difluoroethylamine (DFEA) and 2,2,2-trifluoroethylamine (TFEA) offer buffering capacity at physiological pH where AmAc falls short, with pKa values of 7.2 and 5.5 for the conjugate acids of DFEA and TFEA, respectively. Native ESI-MS experiments on model proteins cytochrome c and myoglobin electrosprayed with DFEA and TFEA demonstrated the preservation of noncovalent protein-ligand complexes in the gas phase. Protein stability assays and collision-induced unfolding experiments further showed that neither DFEA nor TFEA destabilized model proteins in solution or in the gas phase. Finally, we demonstrate that multisubunit protein complexes such as alcohol dehydrogenase and concanavalin A can be studied in the presence of DFEA or TFEA using native ESI-MS. Our findings establish DFEA and TFEA as new ESI-compatible neutral pH buffers that promise to bolster the use of native ESI-MS for the analysis of macromolecular complexes, particularly those sensitive to pH fluctuations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley T V Davis
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Algirdas Velyvis
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Siavash Vahidi
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
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14
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Lu SM, Vannoy KJ, Dick JE, Long YT. Multiphase Chemistry under Nanoconfinement: An Electrochemical Perspective. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:25043-25055. [PMID: 37934860 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c07374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
Most relevant systems of interest to modern chemists rarely consist of a single phase. Real-world problems that require a rigorous understanding of chemical reactivity in multiple phases include the development of wearable and implantable biosensors, efficient fuel cells, single cell metabolic characterization techniques, and solar energy conversion devices. Within all of these systems, confinement effects at the nanoscale influence the chemical reaction coordinate. Thus, a fundamental understanding of the nanoconfinement effects of chemistry in multiphase environments is paramount. Electrochemistry is inherently a multiphase measurement tool reporting on a charged species traversing a phase boundary. Over the past 50 years, electrochemistry has witnessed astounding growth. Subpicoampere current measurements are routine, as is the study of single molecules and nanoparticles. This Perspective focuses on three nanoelectrochemical techniques to study multiphase chemistry under nanoconfinement: stochastic collision electrochemistry, single nanodroplet electrochemistry, and nanopore electrochemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si-Min Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, P.R. China
| | - Kathryn J Vannoy
- Department of Chemistry, Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Jeffrey E Dick
- Department of Chemistry, Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Yi-Tao Long
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, P.R. China
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15
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Ju Y, Zhang H, Jiang Y, Wang W, Kan G, Yu K, Wang X, Liu J, Jiang J. Aqueous microdroplets promote C-C bond formation and sequences in the reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:1892-1902. [PMID: 37679455 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02193-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
The reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle (rTCA) is a central anabolic network that uses carbon dioxide (CO2) and may have provided complex carbon substrates for life before the advent of RNA or enzymes. However, non-enzymatic promotion of the rTCA cycle, in particular carbon fixation, remains challenging, even with primordial metal catalysis. Here, we report that the fixation of CO2 by reductive carboxylation of succinate and α-ketoglutarate was achieved in aqueous microdroplets under ambient conditions without the use of catalysts. Under identical conditions, the aqueous microdroplets also facilitated the sequences in the rTCA cycle, including reduction, hydration, dehydration and retro-aldol cleavage and linked with the glyoxylate cycle. These reactions of the rTCA cycle were compatible with the aqueous microdroplets, as demonstrated with two-reaction and four-reaction sequences. A higher selectivity giving higher product yields was also observed. Our results suggest that the microdroplets provide an energetically favourable microenvironment and facilitate a non-enzymatic version of the rTCA cycle in prebiotic carbon anabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Ju
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, PR China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, PR China
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, PR China
| | - Hong Zhang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, PR China.
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, PR China.
| | - Yanxiao Jiang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, PR China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, PR China
| | - Wenxin Wang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, PR China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, PR China
| | - Guangfeng Kan
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, PR China
| | - Kai Yu
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, PR China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, PR China
| | - Xiaofei Wang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, PR China
| | - Jilin Liu
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, PR China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, PR China
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, PR China
| | - Jie Jiang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, PR China.
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, PR China.
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, PR China.
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16
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Wang J, Curtin K, Valentine SJ, Li P. Unlocking the potential of 3D printed microfluidics for mass spectrometry analysis using liquid infused surfaces. Anal Chim Acta 2023; 1279:341792. [PMID: 37827686 PMCID: PMC10570538 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.341792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Combining microfluidics with mass spectrometry (MS) analysis has great potential for enabling new analytical applications and simplifying existing MS workflows. The rapid development of 3D printing technology has enabled direct fabrication of microfluidic channels using consumer grade 3D printers, which holds great promise to facilitate the adoption of microfluidic devices by the MS community. However, photo polymerization-based 3D printed devices have an issue with chemical leeching, which can introduce contaminant molecules that may present as isobaric ions and/or severely suppress the ionization of target analytes when combined with MS analysis. Although extra cure and washing steps have alleviated the leeching issue, many such contaminant peaks can still show up in mass spectra. In this work, we report a simple surface modification strategy to isolate the chemical leachates from the channel solution thereby eliminating the contaminant peaks for MS analysis. The channel was prepared by fabricating a layer of polydimethylsiloxane graft followed by wetting the graft using silicone oil. The resulting liquid infused surface (LIS) showed significant reduction in contaminant peaks and improvement in the signal intensity of target analytes. The coating showed good stability after long-term usage (7 days) and long-term storage (∼6 months). Finally, the utility of the coating strategy was demonstrated by printing herringbone microfluidic mixers for studying fast reaction kinetics, which obtained comparable reaction rates to literature values. The effectiveness, simplicity, and stability of the present method will promote the adoption of 3D printed microdevices by the MS community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Wang
- C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Kathrine Curtin
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Stephen J Valentine
- C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Peng Li
- C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.
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17
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Devlin SW, Jamnuch S, Xu Q, Chen AA, Qian J, Pascal TA, Saykally RJ. Agglomeration Drives the Reversed Fractionation of Aqueous Carbonate and Bicarbonate at the Air-Water Interface. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:22384-22393. [PMID: 37774115 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c05093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
In the course of our investigations of the adsorption of ions to the air-water interface, we previously reported the surprising result that doubly charged carbonate anions exhibit a stronger surface affinity than singly charged bicarbonate anions. In contrast to monovalent, weakly hydrated anions, which generally show enhanced concentrations in the interfacial region, multivalent (and strongly hydrated) anions are expected to show a much weaker surface propensity. In the present work, we use resonantly enhanced deep-UV second-harmonic generation spectroscopy to measure the Gibbs free energy of adsorption of both carbonate (CO32-) and bicarbonate (HCO3-) anions to the air-water interface. Contrasting the predictions of classical electrostatic theory and in support of our previous findings from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we find that carbonate anions do indeed exhibit much stronger surface affinity than do the bicarbonate anions. Extensive computer simulations reveal that strong ion pairing of CO32- with the Na+ countercation in the interfacial region results in the formation of near-neutral agglomerate clusters, consistent with a theory of interfacial ion adsorption based on hydration free energy and capillary waves. Simulated X-ray photoelectron spectra predict a 1 eV shift in the carbonate spectra compared to that of bicarbonate, further confirming our experiments. These findings not only advance our fundamental understanding of ion adsorption chemistry but also impact important practical processes such as ocean acidification, sea-spray aerosol chemistry, and mammalian respiration physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shane W Devlin
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Sasawat Jamnuch
- ATLAS Materials Science Laboratory, Department of Nano Engineering and Chemical Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92023, United States
| | - Qiang Xu
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Amanda A Chen
- ATLAS Materials Science Laboratory, Department of Nano Engineering and Chemical Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92023, United States
| | - Jin Qian
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Tod A Pascal
- ATLAS Materials Science Laboratory, Department of Nano Engineering and Chemical Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92023, United States
- Materials Science and Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92023, United States
- Sustainable Power and Energy Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92023, United States
| | - Richard J Saykally
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
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18
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Cui J, Zhang J, Sun S, Fan W, Xi H, Xu X, Ji L, Zhang S, Wang D, Zhao W. Rapid and sensitive determination of free fatty acids based on in-source microdroplet-driven derivatization coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry. Anal Chim Acta 2023; 1278:341717. [PMID: 37709460 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.341717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 07/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Accurate and sensitive measurements of free fatty acids (FFAs) in biological samples are valuable for diagnosing and prognosing diseases. In this study, an in-source microdroplet derivation strategy combined with high-resolution mass spectrometry was developed to analyze FFAs in lipid extracts of biological samples directly. FFAs were rapidly derivated with 2-picolylamine (PA) in the microdroplet which is derived by electrospray. With the proposed method, twelve typical FFAs were determined reliably with high sensitivity and acceptable linearities (R2 ≥ 0.94). The LODs and LOQs for the twelve FFAs were 9-76 pg mL-1 and 30-253 pg mL-1, respectively. The developed method was applied to analyze the alteration of FFAs in liver and kidney samples of rats induced by perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) exposure. The good results demonstrate that the established analysis technique is dependable and has promising applications in detecting FFAs associated with complex biological samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Cui
- Flavor Research Center, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Jianxun Zhang
- Flavor Research Center, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China; The Key Laboratory of Tobacco Flavor Basic Research of CNTC, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Shihao Sun
- Flavor Research Center, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China; The Key Laboratory of Tobacco Flavor Basic Research of CNTC, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Wu Fan
- Flavor Research Center, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China; The Key Laboratory of Tobacco Flavor Basic Research of CNTC, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Hui Xi
- The Key Laboratory of Tobacco Flavor Basic Research of CNTC, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Xiujuan Xu
- The Key Laboratory of Tobacco Flavor Basic Research of CNTC, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Lingbo Ji
- The Key Laboratory of Tobacco Flavor Basic Research of CNTC, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Shusheng Zhang
- Flavor Research Center, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China; Center of Advanced Analysis and Gene Sequencing, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Dingzhong Wang
- Flavor Research Center, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China; The Key Laboratory of Tobacco Flavor Basic Research of CNTC, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute, Zhengzhou, 450001, China.
| | - Wuduo Zhao
- Flavor Research Center, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China; Center of Advanced Analysis and Gene Sequencing, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China.
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19
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Jia N, Torres de Oliveira L, Bégin-Drolet A, Greener J. A spectIR-fluidic reactor for monitoring fast chemical reaction kinetics with on-chip attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. ANALYTICAL METHODS : ADVANCING METHODS AND APPLICATIONS 2023; 15:5129-5138. [PMID: 37609867 DOI: 10.1039/d3ay00842h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Microfluidics has emerged as a powerful technology with diverse applications in microbiology, medicine, chemistry, and physics. While its potential for controlling and studying chemical reactions is well recognized, the extraction and analysis of useful chemical information generated within microfluidic devices remain challenging. This is mainly due to the limited tools available for in situ measurements of chemical reactions. In this study, we present a proof-of-concept spectIR-fluidic reactor design that combines microfluidics with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy for in situ kinetic studies of fast reactions. By integrating a multi-ridge silicon attenuated total reflection (ATR) wafer into the microfluidic device, we enable multi-point measurements for precise reaction time monitoring. As such, this work establishes a validated foundation for studying fast chemical reactions using on-chip ATR-FTIR spectroscopy in a microfluidic reactor environment, which enables simultaneous monitoring of reagents, intermediates, and products using a phosphate proton transfer reaction. The spectIR-fluidic reactor platform offers customizable designs, allowing for the investigation of reactions with various time scales, and has the potential to significantly advance studies exploring reaction mechanisms and optimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Jia
- Département de Chimie, Faculté des Sciences et de Génie, Université Laval, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada.
| | - Leon Torres de Oliveira
- Département de Chimie, Faculté des Sciences et de Génie, Université Laval, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada.
| | - André Bégin-Drolet
- Département de Génie Mécanique, Faculté des Sciences et de Génie, Université Laval, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Jesse Greener
- Département de Chimie, Faculté des Sciences et de Génie, Université Laval, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada.
- CHU de Québec, Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Université Laval, Québec, G1L 3L5, Canada
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20
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Chen CJ, Williams ER. Variable Mixing with Theta Emitter Mass Spectrometry: Changing Solution Flow Rates with Emitter Position. Anal Chem 2023; 95:14777-14786. [PMID: 37729435 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c02980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Two solutions can be rapidly mixed using theta glass emitters, with products measured using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The relative flow rates of the two emitter channels can be measured using different calibration compounds in each channel, or the flow rates are often assumed to be the same. The relative flow rates of each channel can be essentially the same when the emitters are positioned directly in front of the capillary entrance of a mass spectrometer, but the relative flow rates can be varied by up to 3 orders of magnitude by moving the position of the emitter tip ±1 cm in a direction that is perpendicular to the inner divider. Results of the emitter position on the different concentrations of reagents in the initially formed electrospray droplets are demonstrated through protein denaturation using a supercharging reagent as well as two different bimolecular reactions. The average charge state of myoglobin changed from +7.8 to +13.8 when 2.5% sulfolane was mixed with a 200 mM ammonium acetate solution containing the protein when the position of the emitter was scanned in front of the mass spectrometer inlet. The conversion ratio of a bimolecular reaction was changed from 0.98 to 0.04 with varying emitter positions. These results show that the relative flow rates must be carefully monitored because the droplet composition depends strongly on the position of the theta glass emitters. This method can be used to measure the dependence of reaction kinetics on different solution concentrations by using a single emitter and only two solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey J Chen
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Evan R Williams
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
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21
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Grooms AJ, Nordmann AN, Badu-Tawiah AK. Dual Tunability for Uncatalyzed N-Alkylation of Primary Amines Enabled by Plasma-Microdroplet Fusion. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023:e202311100. [PMID: 37770409 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202311100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
The fusion of non-thermal plasma with charged microdroplets facilitates catalyst-free N-alkylation for a variety of primary amines, without halide salt biproduct generation. Significant reaction enhancement (up to >200×) is observed over microdroplet reactions generated from electrospray. This enhancement for the plasma-microdroplet system is attributed to the combined effects of energetic collisions and the presence of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The ROS (e.g., O2 ⋅- ) act as a proton sink to increase abundance of free neutral amines in the charged microdroplet environment. The effect of ROS on N-alkylation is confirmed through three unique experiments: (i) utilization of radical scavenging reagent, (ii) characterization of internal energy distribution, and (iii) controls performed without plasma, which lacked reaction acceleration. Establishing plasma discharge in the wake of charged microdroplets as a green synthetic methodology overcomes two major challenges within conventional gas-phase plasma chemistry, including the lack of selectivity and product scale-up. Both limitations are overcome here, where dual tunability is achieved by controlling reagent concentration and residence time in the microdroplet environment, affording single or double N-alkylated products. Products are readily collected yielding milligram quantities in eight hours. These results showcase a novel synthetic strategy that represents a straightforward and sustainable C-N bond-forming process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J Grooms
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH-43210, USA
| | - Anna N Nordmann
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH-43210, USA
| | - Abraham K Badu-Tawiah
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH-43210, USA
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22
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Khuu T, Schleif T, Mohamed A, Mitra S, Johnson MA, Valdiviezo J, Heindel JP, Head-Gordon T. Intra-cluster Charge Migration upon Hydration of Protonated Formic Acid Revealed by Anharmonic Analysis of Cold Ion Vibrational Spectra. J Phys Chem A 2023; 127:7501-7509. [PMID: 37669457 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.3c03971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
The rates of many chemical reactions are accelerated when carried out in micron-sized droplets, but the molecular origin of the rate acceleration remains unclear. One example is the condensation reaction of 1,2-diaminobenzene with formic acid to yield benzimidazole. The observed rate enhancements have been rationalized by invoking enhanced acidity at the surface of methanol solvent droplets with low water content to enable protonation of formic acid to generate a cationic species (protonated formic acid or PFA) formed by attachment of a proton to the neutral acid. Because PFA is the key feature in this reaction mechanism, vibrational spectra of cryogenically cooled, microhydrated PFA·(H2O)n=1-6 were acquired to determine how the extent of charge localization depends on the degree of hydration. Analysis of these highly anharmonic spectra with path integral ab initio molecular dynamics simulations reveals the gradual displacement of the excess proton onto the water network in the microhydration regime at low temperatures with n = 3 as the tipping point for intra-cluster proton transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thien Khuu
- Sterling Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
| | - Tim Schleif
- Sterling Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
| | - Ahmed Mohamed
- Sterling Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
| | - Sayoni Mitra
- Sterling Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
| | - Mark A Johnson
- Sterling Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
| | - Jesús Valdiviezo
- Pitzer Theory Center, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Joseph P Heindel
- Pitzer Theory Center, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Teresa Head-Gordon
- Pitzer Theory Center, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
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23
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Meng Y, Zare RN, Gnanamani E. One-Step, Catalyst-Free Formation of Phenol from Benzoic Acid Using Water Microdroplets. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:19202-19206. [PMID: 37624585 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c08638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Benzoic acid dissolved in water is electrosprayed (-4 kV) by using nitrogen gas at a pressure of 120 psi to form ∼10 μm diameter microdroplets. Analysis with mass spectrometry (MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS2) of the resulting microdroplets shows the direct formation of phenol via decarboxylation without any catalyst or added reagents. This process represents an ecofriendly, environmentally benign method for producing phenol and related aromatic alcohols from their corresponding aromatic acids. The mechanism of this transformation was unambiguously characterized using mass spectrometry, radical trapping, and 18O labeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Meng
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Richard N Zare
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Elumalai Gnanamani
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee 247667, India
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24
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Ju Y, He Y, Kan G, Yu K, Jiang J, Wang X, Zhang H. Reaction acceleration in microdroplet mass spectrometry: Inlet capillary and solvent composition effects. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2023; 37 Suppl 1:e9498. [PMID: 36852554 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.9498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Microdroplet chemistry has attracted tremendous interest in recent years. We have previously reported that microdroplet mass spectrometry (MS) achieves reaction acceleration. Here we systematically investigated the effect of capillary heating of MS inlet and solvent polarity of microdroplets on the conversion ratios of dehydration and phosphorylation reactions. METHODS The micron-sized droplets generated by high-speed gas encapsulated the compounds. The conversion ratios of dehydration and phosphorylation reactions were investigated at different capillary temperatures of MS inlet between 30°C and 300°C. Subsequently, the effects of solvent polarity of different microdroplets (acetonitrile, acetonitrile/water [v/v: 9:1], and water) on microdroplet reactions were investigated. RESULTS The microdroplets could be used as reaction vessels for rapid dehydration and phosphorylation reactions. Microdroplet MS is characterized by the completion of the reaction in microseconds. The increase in capillary temperature increased the conversion ratio of dehydration reactions but had little effect on phosphorylation reactions. The stability of compounds supports this phenomenon. In addition, the increase in solvent polarity in microdroplets promoted the dehydration reaction but inhibited the nucleophilic substitution reaction (phosphorylation reaction). CONCLUSIONS Microdroplet MS achieved an acceleration of the reaction, which was attributed to capillary temperature, microdroplet solvents, and the stability of reaction products. This finding suggested that the inlet capillary and solvent system should be considered in the study and interpretation of microdroplet MS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Ju
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong, 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
| | - Yuwei He
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong, 264209, China
| | - Guangfeng Kan
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong, 264209, China
| | - Kai Yu
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong, 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
| | - Jie Jiang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong, 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
| | - Xiaofei Wang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong, 264209, China
| | - Hong Zhang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong, 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
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25
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Chen CJ, Williams ER. The role of analyte concentration in accelerated reaction rates in evaporating droplets. Chem Sci 2023; 14:4704-4713. [PMID: 37181782 PMCID: PMC10171075 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc00259d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Accelerated reactions in microdroplets have been reported for a wide range of reactions with some microdroplet reactions occurring over a million times faster than the same reaction in bulk solution. Unique chemistry at the air-water interface has been implicated as a primary factor for accelerated reaction rates, but the role of analyte concentration in evaporating droplets has not been as well studied. Here, theta-glass electrospray emitters and mass spectrometry are used to rapidly mix two solutions on the low to sub-microsecond time scale and produce aqueous nanodrops with different sizes and lifetimes. We demonstrate that for a simple bimolecular reaction where surface chemistry does not appear to play a role, reaction rate acceleration factors are between 102 and 107 for different initial solution concentrations, and these values do not depend on nanodrop size. A rate acceleration factor of 107 is among the highest reported and can be attributed to concentration of analyte molecules, initially far apart in dilute solution, but brought into close proximity in the nanodrop through evaporation of solvent from the nanodrops prior to ion formation. These data indicate that analyte concentration phenomenon is a significant factor in reaction acceleration where droplet volume throughout the experiment is not carefully controlled.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey J Chen
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Berkeley CA 94720 USA
| | - Evan R Williams
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Berkeley CA 94720 USA
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26
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Rao Z, Li X, Fang YG, Francisco JS, Zhu C, Chu C. Spontaneous Oxidation of Thiols and Thioether at the Air-Water Interface of a Sea Spray Microdroplet. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:10839-10846. [PMID: 37133970 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c02334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The transport of dissolved organic sulfur, including thiols and thioethers, from the ocean surface to the atmosphere through sea spray aerosol (SSA) is of great importance for the global sulfur cycle. Thiol/thioether in SSA undergoes rapid oxidation that is historically linked to photochemical processes. Here, we report the discovery of a non-photochemical, spontaneous path of thiol/thioether oxidation in SSA. Among 10 investigated naturally abundant thiol/thioether, seven species displayed rapid oxidation in SSA, with disulfide, sulfoxide, and sulfone comprising the major products. We suggest that such spontaneous oxidation of thiol/thioether was mainly fueled by thiol/thioether enrichment at the air-water interface and generation of highly reactive radicals by the loss of an electron from ions (e.g., glutathionyl radical produced from ionization of deprotonated glutathione) at or near the surface of the water microdroplet. Our work sheds light on a ubiquitous but previously overlooked pathway of thiol/thioether oxidation, which could contribute to an accelerated sulfur cycle as well as related metal transformation (e.g., mercury) at ocean-atmosphere interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zepeng Rao
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Xiaojiao Li
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Theoretical & Computational Photochemistry of Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Ye-Guang Fang
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Nanoscience, CAS Key Laboratory of Nanosystem and Hierarchical Fabrication, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Joseph S Francisco
- Department of Earth and Environmental Science and Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Chongqin Zhu
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Theoretical & Computational Photochemistry of Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Chiheng Chu
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
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27
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Meng Y, Gnanamani E, Zare RN. One-Step Formation of Pharmaceuticals Having a Phenylacetic Acid Core Using Water Microdroplets. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:7724-7728. [PMID: 37011129 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c00773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
The properties of water microdroplets strikingly differ from bulk water. Using room-temperature water microdroplets, we find that toluene can react with CO2 to form phenylacetic acid in one step without any catalyst with negative high voltage applied at the sprayer source. The chemical components of these microdroplets are identified by mass spectrometry, and product structures are confirmed by tandem mass spectrometry. In this manner, we generate three drug molecules in a single step: 4-aminophenylacetic acid (epithelial peptide transporter PepT1 inhibitor), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (dopamine metabolite neurotransmitter), and phenylacetic acid (sodium salt form; treatment of urea cycle disorder). Mechanistic studies show that benzyl radicals formed from hydroxyl radicals at the water microdroplet interface drive these carboxylation reactions. This water microdroplet chemistry is general, allowing activation and subsequent carboxylation of aryl α-C-H groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Meng
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Elumalai Gnanamani
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee 247667, India
| | - Richard N Zare
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
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28
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Song X, Zang Q, Li C, Zhou T, Zare RN. Immuno-Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry Imaging Identifies Functional Macromolecules by Using Microdroplet-Cleavable Mass Tags. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202216969. [PMID: 36622964 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202216969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
We present immunoassay-based desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging (immuno-DESI-MSI) to visualize functional macromolecules such as drug targets and cascade signaling factors. A set of boronic acid mass tags (BMTs) were synthesized to label antibodies as MSI probes. The boronic ester bond is employed to cross-link the BMT with the galactosamine-modified antibody. The BMT can be released from its tethered antibody by ultrafast cleavage of the boronic ester bond caused by the acidic condition of sprayed DESI microdroplets containing water. The fluorescent moiety enables the BMT to work in both optical and MS imaging modes. The positively charged quaternary ammonium group enhances the ionization efficiency. The introduction of the boron element also makes mass tags readily identified because of its unique isotope pattern. Immuno-DESI-MSI provides an appealing strategy to spatially map macromolecules beyond what can be observed by conventional DESI-MSI, provided antibodies are available to the targeted molecules of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaowei Song
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA-94305, USA.,Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200016, China
| | - Qingce Zang
- Institution of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Chao Li
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA-94304, USA
| | - Tianhao Zhou
- National Clinical Research Center of Cancer, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Richard N Zare
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA-94305, USA
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29
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Grooms A, Nordmann AN, Badu-Tawiah AK. Plasma-Droplet Reaction Systems: A Direct Mass Spectrometry Approach for Enhanced Characterization of Lipids at Multiple Isomer Levels. ACS MEASUREMENT SCIENCE AU 2023; 3:32-44. [PMID: 36817012 PMCID: PMC9936802 DOI: 10.1021/acsmeasuresciau.2c00051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Neutral triacylglyceride (TG) lipids are critical in cellular function, signaling, and energy storage. Multiple molecular pathways control TG structure via nonselective routes making them structurally complex and analytically challenging to characterize. The presence of C=C bond positional isomers exacerbates this challenge as complete structural elucidation is not possible by conventional tandem mass spectrometric methods such as collision-induced dissociation (CID), alone. Herein, we report a custom-made coaxial contained-electrospray ionization (ESI) emitter that allows the fusion of plasma discharge with charged microdroplets during electrospray (ES). Etched capillaries were incorporated into this contained-ES emitter, facilitating the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) at low (3 kV) ESI voltages and allowing stable ESI ion signal to be achieved at an unprecedented high (7 kV) spray voltage. The analytical utility of inducing plasma discharge during electrospray was investigated using online ionization of neutral TGs, in situ epoxidation of unsaturation sites, and C=C bond localization via conventional CID mass spectrometry. Collisional activation of the lipid epoxide generated during the online plasma-droplet fusion experiment resulted in a novel fragmentation pattern that showed a quadruplet of diagnostic ions for confident assignment of C=C bond positions and subsequent isomer differentiation. This phenomenon enabled the identification of a novel TG lipid, composed of conjugated linoleic acid, that is isomeric with two other TG lipids naturally found in extra virgin olive oil. To validate our findings, we analyzed various standards of TG lipids, including triolein, trilinolein, and trilinolenin, and isomeric mixtures in the positive-ion mode, each of which produced the expected quadruplet diagnostic fragment ions. Further validation was obtained by analyzing standards of free fatty acids expected from the hydrolysis of the TG lipids in the negative-ion mode, together with isomeric mixtures. The chemistry governing the gas-phase fragmentation of the lipid epoxides was carefully elucidated for each TG lipid analyzed. This comprehensive shotgun lipidomic approach has the potential to impact biomedical research since it can be accomplished on readily available mass spectrometers without the need for instrument modification.
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30
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Gunawardena HP, Ai Y, Gao J, Zare RN, Chen H. Rapid Characterization of Antibodies via Automated Flow Injection Coupled with Online Microdroplet Reactions and Native-pH Mass Spectrometry. Anal Chem 2023; 95:3340-3348. [PMID: 36656670 PMCID: PMC10492509 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c04535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Microdroplet reactions have aroused much interest due to significant reaction acceleration (e.g., ultrafast protein digestion in microdroplets could occur in less than 1 ms). This study integrated a microdroplet protein digestion technique with automated sample flow injection and online mass spectrometry (MS) analysis, to develop a rapid and robust method for structural characterization of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that is essential to assess the antibody drug's safety and quality. Automated sequential aspiration and mixing of an antibody and an enzyme (IdeS or IgdE) enabled rapid analysis with high reproducibility (total analysis time: 2 min per sample; reproducibility: ∼2% coefficient of variation). Spraying the sample in ammonium acetate buffer (pH 7) using a jet stream source allowed efficient digestion of antibodies and efficient ionization of resulting antibody subunits under native-pH conditions. Importantly, it also provided a platform to directly study specific binding of an antibody and an antigen (e.g., detecting the complexes mAb/RSFV antigen and F(ab')2/RSVF in this study). Furthermore, subsequent tandem MS analysis of a resulting subunit from microdroplet digestion enabled localizing post-translational modifications on particular domains of a mAb in a rapid fashion. In combination with IdeS digestion of an antibody, additional tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP) reduction and N-glycosidase F (PNGase F) deglycosylation reactions that facilitate antibody analysis could be realized in "one-pot" spraying. Interestingly, increased deglycosylation yield in microdroplets was found, simply by raising the sample temperature. We expect that our method would have a high impact for rapid characterization of monoclonal antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harsha P. Gunawardena
- Janssen Research & Development, The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, USA
| | - Yongling Ai
- Department of Chemistry & Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA
| | - Jinshan Gao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montclair State University, 1 Normal Ave, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA
| | - Richard N. Zare
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5080, USA
| | - Hao Chen
- Department of Chemistry & Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA
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31
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Burris BJ, Walsh LC, Badu-Tawiah AK. Online Cross-Linking of Peptides and Proteins during Contained-Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry. Anal Chem 2023; 95:1085-1094. [PMID: 36534015 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c03791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Recent advancements in mass spectrometry (MS) now enable all levels of protein structures to be characterized, including primary protein sequence, post-translational modifications, and three-dimensional protein conformations. However, protein conformational studies by MS require the use of many separate techniques that are performed independently of each other. Herein, we described a contained-electrospray (ES) experiment that has potential to integrate peptide/protein cross-linking with the general MS workflow. In our experiment, cross-linking of protein/peptide occurs simultaneously with ionization after analytes, and cross-linkers are sprayed from two separate ES emitters. The online cross-linking process occurring in the charged microdroplet environment was optimized using trilysine peptide and bis(sulfosuccinimidyl)suberate cross-linker. We detected the electrostatic complex between analyte and cross-linker, the mono-linked intermediate, and the fully cross-linked product, allowing us to correctly predict the sequence of reaction events in the cross-linking process. Importantly, we observed that the terminal fully cross-linked product is composed of two distinct conformations. In one form, the product involved cross-linking between two ε-NH2 amines in lysine residues, while the other conformer was formed by a reaction between one ε-NH2 amine and the N-terminus. The experimental conditions for selecting one cross-linked species over others during the online ES ionization-MS analysis have been detailed. Appropriate parameters enabled the reaction between α-lactalbumin proteins and cross-linkers using a non-denaturing spray condition. These results establish a framework for a future development in high-throughput structural MS method, where all levels of protein information can be gathered in a single experiment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J Burris
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio43210, United States
| | - Leah C Walsh
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio43210, United States
| | - Abraham K Badu-Tawiah
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio43210, United States
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32
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Meng Y, Gnanamani E, Zare RN. Catalyst-Free Decarboxylative Amination of Carboxylic Acids in Water Microdroplets. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:32-36. [PMID: 36566437 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c12236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that hydroxyl radicals can be formed at the water-gas surface of water microdroplets. We report the use of in situ generated hydroxyl radicals to carry out an organic transformation in one step, namely, the formation of anilines from aryl acids as well as both ammonia and primary/secondary amines via decarboxylation. Benzoic acids and amines are dissolved in water, and the solution is sprayed to form microdroplets whose chemical contents are analyzed mass spectrometrically. All intermediates and products are determined using mass spectrometry (MS) as well as in some cases tandem mass spectrometry (MS2). These results support the following reaction mechanism: NR2OH, formed via reaction of the amine with •OH, reacts with benzoic acid to form an isocyanate via a Lossen rearrangement. Hydrolysis followed by liberation of CO2 then delivers the aniline product. Notably, the scope of this transformation includes a variety of amines and aromatic acids and enables their conversion into aniline and N-substituted anilines, all in a single step. Additionally, this reaction occurs at room temperature and does not require metal catalysts or organic solvents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Meng
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Elumalai Gnanamani
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee 247667, India
| | - Richard N Zare
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
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33
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Peptide synthesis in aqueous microdroplets. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2216015119. [PMID: 36264818 PMCID: PMC9636960 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2216015119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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34
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Meng Y, Gnanamani E, Zare RN. Direct C(sp 3)–N Bond Formation between Toluene and Amine in Water Microdroplets. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:19709-19713. [DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c10032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Meng
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Elumalai Gnanamani
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee 247667, India
| | - Richard N. Zare
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
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35
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Aqueous microdroplets enable abiotic synthesis and chain extension of unique peptide isomers from free amino acids. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2212642119. [PMID: 36191178 PMCID: PMC9586328 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2212642119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Amide bond formation, the essential condensation reaction underlying peptide synthesis, is hindered in aqueous systems by the thermodynamic constraints associated with dehydration. This represents a key difficulty for the widely held view that prebiotic chemical evolution leading to the formation of the first biomolecules occurred in an oceanic environment. Recent evidence for the acceleration of chemical reactions at droplet interfaces led us to explore aqueous amino acid droplet chemistry. We report the formation of dipeptide isomer ions from free glycine or L-alanine at the air-water interface of aqueous microdroplets emanating from a single spray source (with or without applied potential) during their flight toward the inlet of a mass spectrometer. The proposed isomeric dipeptide ion is an oxazolidinone that takes fully covalent and ion-neutral complex forms. This structure is consistent with observed fragmentation patterns and its conversion to authentic dipeptide ions upon gentle collisions and for its formation from authentic dipeptides at ultra-low concentrations. It also rationalizes the results of droplet fusion experiments that show that the dipeptide isomer facilitates additional amide bond formation events, yielding authentic tri- through hexapeptides. We propose that the interface of aqueous microdroplets serves as a drying surface that shifts the equilibrium between free amino acids in favor of dehydration via stabilization of the dipeptide isomers. These findings offer a possible solution to the water paradox of biopolymer synthesis in prebiotic chemistry.
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36
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Lee K, Lee HR, Kim YH, Park J, Cho S, Li S, Seo M, Choi SQ. Microdroplet-Mediated Radical Polymerization. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2022; 8:1265-1271. [PMID: 36188353 PMCID: PMC9523774 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.2c00694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Micrometer-sized aqueous droplets serve as a unique reactor that drives various chemical reactions not seen in bulk solutions. However, their utilization has been limited to the synthesis of low molecular weight products at low reactant concentrations (nM to μM). Moreover, the nature of chemical reactions occurring outside the droplet remains unknown. This study demonstrated that oil-confined aqueous microdroplets continuously generated hydroxyl radicals near the interface and enabled the synthesis of polymers at high reactant concentrations (mM to M), thus successfully converting the interfacial energy into the synthesis of polymeric materials. The polymerized products maintained the properties of controlled radical polymerization, and a triblock copolymer with tapered interfaces was prepared by the sequential addition of different monomers into the aqueous microdroplets. Furthermore, a polymerization reaction in the continuous oil phase was effectively achieved by the transport of the hydroxyl radicals through the oil/water interface. This interfacial phenomenon is also successfully applied to the chain extension of a hydrophilic polymer with an oil-soluble monomer across the microdroplet interface. Our comprehensive study of radical polymerization using compartmentalization in microdroplets is expected to have important implications for the emerging field of microdroplet chemistry and polymerization in cellular biochemistry without any invasive chemical initiators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyoungmun Lee
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
(KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun-Ro Lee
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
(KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Hun Kim
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
(KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaemin Park
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
(KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Suchan Cho
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
(KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Sheng Li
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
(KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
- KAIST
Institute for the Nanocentury, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic
of Korea
| | - Myungeun Seo
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
(KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
- KAIST
Institute for the Nanocentury, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic
of Korea
| | - Siyoung Q. Choi
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
(KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
- KAIST
Institute for the Nanocentury, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic
of Korea
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37
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McCarthy LP, Knapp P, Walker JS, Archer J, Miles REH, Stettler MEJ, Reid JP. Dynamics and outcomes of binary collisions of equi-diameter picolitre droplets with identical viscosities. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:21242-21249. [PMID: 36040384 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp02613a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The dynamics of binary collisions of equi-diameter picolitre droplets with identical viscosities, varying impact speeds and impact angles have been investigated experimentally and compared to collision outcome prediction models. Collisions between pairs of pure water droplets with a viscosity of 0.89 mPa s and pairs of aqueous-sucrose (40% w/w) droplets with a viscosity of 5.17 mPa s were examined. The colliding droplets were ∼38 μm in diameter, which is around ten times smaller than those previously investigated when examining the effect of viscosity on the outcome of binary droplet collisions. Varying the impact speed and angle resulted in different collision outcomes, including coalescence, reflexive separation and stretching separation. The collision outcomes were plotted on two viscosity dependent regime maps. The regime boundaries are generally in agreement with earlier literature for both high and low viscosity cases. The agreement between experiment and theory, for both fluids, gives more confidence in the models tested here to predict collision outcomes for droplets of this size and these viscosities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Peter Knapp
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Jim S Walker
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK.
| | - Justice Archer
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK.
| | | | - Marc E J Stettler
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Jonathan P Reid
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK.
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38
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Gao XF, Cheng JC, Ye CL, Xiao S, Qiu ZM, Zhang X. Water promoted 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl detachment from amino acids in charged microdroplets. Org Biomol Chem 2022; 20:7001-7005. [PMID: 36000329 DOI: 10.1039/d2ob01438f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Aqueous microdroplets exhibit unique properties and can trigger reactions that do not occur in bulk solution. Herein, we have demonstrated that water, in microdroplets, can reduce the energy barrier for the lone H transfer of 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl and promote its detachment from the amino group. This strategy works on various amino acids and opens opportunities of aqueous microdroplets in triggering organic reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Fei Gao
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory for Mass Spectrometry and Instrumentation, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China.
| | - Jin-Cai Cheng
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory for Mass Spectrometry and Instrumentation, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China.
| | - Chun-Lian Ye
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory for Mass Spectrometry and Instrumentation, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China.
| | - Shan Xiao
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory for Mass Spectrometry and Instrumentation, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China.
| | - Zai-Ming Qiu
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory for Mass Spectrometry and Instrumentation, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China.
| | - Xinglei Zhang
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory for Mass Spectrometry and Instrumentation, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China.
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39
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Ai Y, Xu J, Gunawardena HP, Zare RN, Chen H. Investigation of Tryptic Protein Digestion in Microdroplets and in Bulk Solution. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY 2022; 33:1238-1249. [PMID: 35647885 PMCID: PMC10512443 DOI: 10.1021/jasms.2c00072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have shown that ultrafast enzymatic digestion of proteins can be achieved in microdroplet within 250 μs. Further investigation of peptides resulting from microdroplet digestion (MD) would be necessary to evaluate it as an alternative to the conventional bulk digestion for bottom-up and biotherapeutic protein characterization. Herein we examined and compared protein tryptic digestion in both MD and bulk solution. In the case of MD of β-lactoglobulin B, the preservation of long peptides was observed due to the short digestion time. In addition, MD is applicable to digest both high- and low-abundance proteins in mixture. In the case of digesting NIST 8671 mAb antibody containing a low level of commonly encountered host cell protein (HCP) PLBL2 (mAb:PLBL2 = 100:1 by weight), MD produced lower levels of digestion-induced chemical modifications of asparagine/glutamine deamidation, compared with overnight digestion. No significant difference between MD and bulk digestion was observed in terms of trypsin digestion specificity based on examination of semi- and unspecific-cleaved peptides. Our study suggests that MD, a fast digestion approach, could be adopted for bottom-up proteomics research and for peptide mapping of mAbs to characterize site-specific deamidation and glycosylation, for the purpose of development of biopharmaceuticals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongling Ai
- Department of Chemistry & Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102, USA
| | - Jeffrey Xu
- Department of Chemistry & Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102, USA
| | - Harsha P. Gunawardena
- Janssen Research & Development, The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, USA
| | - Richard N. Zare
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5080, USA
| | - Hao Chen
- Department of Chemistry & Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102, USA
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40
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Li Z, Zeng H, Zhang X. Growth Rates of Hydrogen Microbubbles in Reacting Femtoliter Droplets. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:6638-6646. [PMID: 35588476 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c00516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Chemical reactions in small droplets are extensively explored to accelerate the discovery of new materials and increase the efficiency and specificity in catalytic biphasic conversion and high-throughput analytics. In this work, we investigate the local rate of the gas-evolution reaction within femtoliter droplets immobilized on a solid surface. The growth rate of hydrogen microbubbles (≥500 nm in radius) produced from the reaction was measured online with high-resolution confocal microscopic images. The growth rate of bubbles was faster in smaller droplets and near the droplet rim in the same droplet. The results were consistent for both pure and binary reacting droplets and on substrates of different wettability. Our theoretical analysis based on diffusion, chemical reaction, and bubble growth predicted that the concentration of the reactant depended on the droplet size and the bubble location inside the droplet, in good agreement with experimental results. Our results reveal that the reaction rate may be spatially nonuniform in the reacting microdroplets. The findings may have implications for formulating the chemical properties and uses of these droplets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengxin Li
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1H9, Canada
| | - Hongbo Zeng
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1H9, Canada
| | - Xuehua Zhang
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1H9, Canada
- Physics of Fluids Group, Max Planck Center Twente for Complex Fluid Dynamics, JM Burgers Center for Fluid Dynamics, Mesa+, Department of Science and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede 7522 NB, The Netherlands
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41
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Li H, Allen N, Li M, Li A. Conducting and characterizing femto flow electrospray ionization. Analyst 2022; 147:1071-1075. [PMID: 35195636 DOI: 10.1039/d1an02190g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Femto flow electrospray ionization (ESI) with flow rates ranging from 240 fL min-1 to the low pico level (<10 pL min-1) was conducted and measured using a submicron emitter tip and relay ESI configuration. Signature analyte ion current intensities and profiles were observed. The obtained flow rate and ionization current enabled size calculation for initial charged nanodroplets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huishan Li
- Department of Chemistry, University of New Hampshire, 23 Academic Way, Durham, NH 03824, USA.
| | - Nicholas Allen
- Department of Chemistry, University of New Hampshire, 23 Academic Way, Durham, NH 03824, USA.
| | - Mengtian Li
- Department of Chemistry, University of New Hampshire, 23 Academic Way, Durham, NH 03824, USA.
| | - Anyin Li
- Department of Chemistry, University of New Hampshire, 23 Academic Way, Durham, NH 03824, USA.
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42
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Ju Y, Zhang H, Wang W, Liu Q, Yu K, Kan G, Liu L, Jiang J. Aqueous-Microdroplet-Driven Abiotic Synthesis of Ribonucleotides. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:567-573. [PMID: 35014840 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c03486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Phosphorylation for ribonucleotide formation is a critical step in the origin of life but has had limited success due to the thermodynamic and kinetic constraints in aqueous media. Here, we report that the production of ribonucleotides from ribonucleosides in the presence of monopotassium phosphate (KH2PO4) spontaneously proceeded in aqueous microdroplets under ambient conditions and without using a catalyst. A full set of ribonucleotides including adenosine monophosphate (AMP), guanosine monophosphate (GMP), uridine monophosphate (UMP), and cytidine monophosphate (CMP) were generated on the scale of a few milliseconds. The aqueous microdroplets could transfer the ribonucleotides to oligoribonucleotides and showed mutual compatibility for individual phosphorylation. Conditions established the dependence of the conversion ratio on the droplet size and suggested that the condensation reactions occurred at or near the microdroplets' surface. This aqueous microdroplet approach also provides a route for elucidating phosphorylation chemistry in the prebiotic era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Ju
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001, China
| | - Hong Zhang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
| | - Wenxin Wang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
| | - Qianhui Liu
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
| | - Kai Yu
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
| | - Guangfeng Kan
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
| | - Lijuan Liu
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
| | - Jie Jiang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001, China
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43
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Yu Q, Gao J, Yu X, Shi J, Lin L, Wang X. Implementing reactive secondary electrospray ionization based on gas–droplet reactions for VOC analysis. Analyst 2022; 147:4903-4909. [DOI: 10.1039/d2an01422j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
A reactive secondary electrospray ionization method is proposed based on accelerated gas–liquid reactions in microdroplets. It enables online derivatization of volatile organic compounds and can facilitate rapid analysis of these samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quan Yu
- Division of Advanced Manufacturing, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Jing Gao
- Division of Advanced Manufacturing, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Xiaohua Yu
- Open FIESTA, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Jianbo Shi
- Open FIESTA, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Lin Lin
- Sustech Core Research Facilities, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Xiaohao Wang
- Division of Advanced Manufacturing, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
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44
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Sun J, Yin Y, Li W, Jin O, Na N. CHEMICAL REACTION MONITORING BY AMBIENT MASS SPECTROMETRY. MASS SPECTROMETRY REVIEWS 2022; 41:70-99. [PMID: 33259644 DOI: 10.1002/mas.21668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Chemical reactions conducted in different media (liquid phase, gas phase, or surface) drive developments of versatile techniques for the detection of intermediates and prediction of reasonable reaction pathways. Without sample pretreatment, ambient mass spectrometry (AMS) has been applied to obtain structural information of reactive molecules that differ in polarity and molecular weight. Commercial ion sources (e.g., electrospray ionization, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization, and direct analysis in real-time) have been reported to monitor substrates and products by offline reaction examination. While the interception or characterization of reactive intermediates with short lifetime are still limited by the offline modes. Notably, online ionization technologies, with high tolerance to salt, buffer, and pH, can achieve direct sampling and ionization of on-going reactions conducted in different media (e.g., liquid phase, gas phase, or surface). Therefore, short-lived intermediates could be captured at unprecedented timescales, and the reaction dynamics could be studied for mechanism examinations without sample pretreatments. In this review, via various AMS methods, chemical reaction monitoring and mechanism elucidation for different classifications of reactions have been reviewed. The developments and advances of common ionization methods for offline reaction monitoring will also be highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianghui Sun
- Key Laboratory of Radiopharmaceuticals Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Yiyan Yin
- Key Laboratory of Radiopharmaceuticals Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Weixiang Li
- Key Laboratory of Radiopharmaceuticals Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Ouyang Jin
- Key Laboratory of Radiopharmaceuticals Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Na Na
- Key Laboratory of Radiopharmaceuticals Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
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45
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Feng L, Yin X, Tan S, Li C, Gong X, Fang X, Pan Y. Ammonium Bicarbonate Significantly Accelerates the Microdroplet Reactions of Amines with Carbon Dioxide. Anal Chem 2021; 93:15775-15784. [PMID: 34784192 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c03954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The reactions between amines and carbon dioxide (CO2) are among the most commonly used and important carbon fixation reactions at present. Microdroplets generated by electrospray ionization (ESI) have been proved to increase the conversion ratio (RC) of amines. In this work, we confirmed that the presence of ammonium bicarbonate (NH4HCO3) in ESI microdroplets significantly increased the RC of amines. The RC went up remarkably with the increase in the concentration of NH4HCO3 from 0.5 to 20 mM. The RC of N,N-dibutyl-1,3-propanediamine (DBPA) reached 93.7% under 20 mM NH4HCO3, which was significantly higher than previous reports. The rise in RC became insignificant when the concentration of NH4HCO3 was increased beyond 20 mM. Further investigations were made on the mechanism of the phenomenon. According to the results, it was suggested that NH4HCO3 decomposed into CO2 and formed microbubbles within the microdroplets of ESI. The microbubbles acted as direct internal CO2 sources. The conversion reactions occurred at the liquid-gas interface. The formation of CO2 microbubbles remarkably increased the total area of the interface, thus promoting the conversion reactions. 13C-labeled experiments confirmed that NH4HCO3 acted as an internal CO2 source. Factors that influenced the RC of the reaction were optimized. Pure water was proved to be the optimal solvent. Lower temperature of the mass spectrometer's entrance capillary was beneficial to the stabilization of the product carbamic acids. The sample flow rate of ESI was crucial to the RC. It determined the initial sizes of the microdroplet. Lower flow rates ensured higher RC of amines. The present work implied that NH4HCO3 could be a superior medium for CO2 capture and utilization. It might offer an alternative choice for future CO2 conversion research studies. In addition, our study also provided evidence that NH4HCO3 decomposed and generated microbubbles in the droplets during ESI. Attention should be paid to this when using NH4HCO3 as an additive in mass spectrometry-based analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lulu Feng
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xinchi Yin
- Technology Innovation Center of Mass Spectrometry for State Market Regulation, Center for Advanced Measurement Science, National Institute of Metrology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Siyuan Tan
- Technology Innovation Center of Mass Spectrometry for State Market Regulation, Center for Advanced Measurement Science, National Institute of Metrology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Chang Li
- College of Instrumentation & Electrical Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130061, China
| | - Xiaoyun Gong
- Technology Innovation Center of Mass Spectrometry for State Market Regulation, Center for Advanced Measurement Science, National Institute of Metrology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Xiang Fang
- Technology Innovation Center of Mass Spectrometry for State Market Regulation, Center for Advanced Measurement Science, National Institute of Metrology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Yuanjiang Pan
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, Zhejiang, China
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46
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Eremin DB, Fokin VV. On-Water Selectivity Switch in Microdroplets in the 1,2,3-Triazole Synthesis from Bromoethenesulfonyl Fluoride. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 143:18374-18379. [PMID: 34606269 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c08879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Water profoundly affects many organic reactions by accelerating them or changing their selectivity. Performing reactions "on-water" offers an intriguing opportunity to influence chemical reactivity. A nebulizer plume is an efficient way of generating microdroplets─the uniquely complex reaction environment which opens alternative possibilities that are not readily accessible in bulk emulsions. We describe the on-water switch of chemoselectivity in the formation of triazoles controlled by the on-water environment in dual spray. These conditions facilitate elimination of H-SO2F from the triazoline intermediate, whereas the reaction in organic solvents results in the exclusive HBr elimination. The influence of two-phase conditions was investigated to obtain the best reaction efficiency, and the crucial importance of the water/organic interface interactions was verified by pH variation and D2O use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitry B Eremin
- The Bridge@USC, University of Southern California, 1002 Childs Way, Los Angeles, California 90089-3502, United States
| | - Valery V Fokin
- The Bridge@USC, University of Southern California, 1002 Childs Way, Los Angeles, California 90089-3502, United States
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47
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Kafeenah H, Jen HH, Chen SH. Microdroplet mass spectrometry: Accelerating reaction and application. Electrophoresis 2021; 43:74-81. [PMID: 34591317 DOI: 10.1002/elps.202100208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Electrospray ionization (ESI) and desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) are common soft ionization method of mass spectrometry (MS). However, recent studies revealed that some chemical reactions can be induced or greatly accelerated in the sprayed microdroplets compared to the same reaction in the bulk. These open a new area in using microdroplet MS to explore new chemistry and develop new applications. This minireview will introduce microdroplet chemistries and explore various microdroplet techniques most of which are ESI- or DESI-based extensions by incorporating transfer tube, supersonic nebulizing gas, droplet fusion, spray extraction, laser irradiation, or laser ablation for online/offline MS analysis. Potential applications associated with new techniques, including real-time reaction monitoring, high-throughput reaction screening, protein identification, and protein characterization, are also described. Future outlook, such as coupling microdroplet MS with separation techniques, is proposed and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Husam Kafeenah
- Department of Chemistry, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Hsiang Jen
- Department of Chemistry, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Shu-Hui Chen
- Department of Chemistry, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
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48
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Burris BJ, Badu-Tawiah AK. Enzyme-Catalyzed Hydrolysis of Lipids in Immiscible Microdroplets Studied by Contained-Electrospray Ionization. Anal Chem 2021; 93:13001-13007. [PMID: 34524788 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c02785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of lipids was monitored directly in immiscible microdroplet environments using contained-electrospray mass spectrometry. Aqueous solution of the lipase enzyme from Pseudomonas cepacia and the chloroform solution of the lipids were sprayed from separate capillaries, and the resultant droplets were merged within a reaction cavity that is included at the outlet of the contained-electrospray ionization source. By varying the length of the reaction cavity, the interaction time between the enzyme and its substrate was altered, enabling the quantification of reaction product as a function of time. Consequently, enhancement factors were estimated by comparing rate constants derived from the droplet experiment to rate constants calculated from solution-phase conditions. These experiments showed enhancement factors greater than 100 in favor of the droplet experiment. By using various lipid types, two possible mechanisms were identified to account for lipase reactivity in aerosols: in-droplet reactions for relatively highly soluble lipids and a droplet coalescence mechanism that allows interfacial reactions for the two immiscible systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J Burris
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Abraham K Badu-Tawiah
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
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49
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Hu J, Wang T, Zhang WJ, Hao H, Yu Q, Gao H, Zhang N, Chen Y, Xia XH, Chen HY, Xu JJ. Dissecting the Flash Chemistry of Electrogenerated Reactive Intermediates by Microdroplet Fusion Mass Spectrometry. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021; 60:18494-18498. [PMID: 34129259 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202106945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
A novel mass spectrometric method for probing the flash chemistry of electrogenerated reactive intermediates was developed based on rapid collision mixing of electrosprayed microdroplets by using a theta-glass capillary. The two individual microchannels of the theta-glass capillary are asymmetrically or symmetrically fabricated with a carbon bipolar electrode to produce intermediates in situ. Microdroplets containing the newly formed intermediates collide with those of the invoked reactants at sub-10 microsecond level, making it a powerful tool for exploring their ultrafast initial transformations. As a proof-of-concept, we present the identification of the key radical cation intermediate in the oxidative dimerization of 8-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline and also the first disclosure of previously hidden nitrenium ion involved reaction pathway in the C-H/N-H cross-coupling between N,N'-dimethylaniline and phenothiazine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine and Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular & Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Ting Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Wen-Jun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine and Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular & Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Han Hao
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - Qiao Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Hang Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Nan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Yun Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine and Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular & Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Xing-Hua Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Hong-Yuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Jing-Juan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
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50
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Hu J, Wang T, Zhang W, Hao H, Yu Q, Gao H, Zhang N, Chen Y, Xia X, Chen H, Xu J. Dissecting the Flash Chemistry of Electrogenerated Reactive Intermediates by Microdroplet Fusion Mass Spectrometry. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202106945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jun Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine and Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular & Cerebrovascular Medicine School of Pharmacy Nanjing Medical University Nanjing 211166 China
| | - Ting Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Nanjing University Nanjing 210023 China
| | - Wen‐Jun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine and Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular & Cerebrovascular Medicine School of Pharmacy Nanjing Medical University Nanjing 211166 China
| | - Han Hao
- Department of Chemistry University of Toronto 80 St. George Street Toronto ON M5S 3H6 Canada
| | - Qiao Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Nanjing University Nanjing 210023 China
| | - Hang Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Nanjing University Nanjing 210023 China
| | - Nan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Nanjing University Nanjing 210023 China
| | - Yun Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine and Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular & Cerebrovascular Medicine School of Pharmacy Nanjing Medical University Nanjing 211166 China
| | - Xing‐Hua Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Nanjing University Nanjing 210023 China
| | - Hong‐Yuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Nanjing University Nanjing 210023 China
| | - Jing‐Juan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Nanjing University Nanjing 210023 China
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