Using matrix-assisted ionization method for mass spectral identification of fullerene-dye conjugates

Traditional soft ionization methods are not always suitable for mass spectral analysis of complex compounds. Factors such as laser radiation and heating resulting in fragmentations of sample molecules in the case of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization and difficulties in preparing suitable sample solutions in the case of electrospray ionization make it impossible to use these methods in some cases. Matrix-assisted ionization was used to analyze products of chemical synthesis involving pyropheophorbide and fullerene. Mass spectra were acquired using a simple effective modification of the Exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometer electrospray interface. Reliable identification of pyropheophorbide-fullerene dyad ions and its derivatives was carried out. An experimental comparison of a matrix-assisted ionization and an electrospray ionization technique demonstrated the significant advantage in sensitivity to the ions under study (approximately 20 times higher) of the matrix-assisted ionization method in this particular study.

Inhibition of bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis in the purple phototrophic bacteria Rhodospirillumrubrum and Rhodobacter capsulatus grown in the presence of a toxic concentration of selenite

Background In many works, the chemical composition of bacterially-produced elemental selenium nanoparticles (Se0-nanoparticles) was investigated using electron dispersive X-ray analysis. The results suggest that these particles should be associated with organic compounds. However, a complete analysis of their chemical composition is still missing. Aiming at identifying organic compounds associated with the Se0-nanoparticles produced by the purple phototrophic bacteria Rhodospirillum rubrum and Rhodobacter capsulatus (α group of the proteobacteria), we used MALDI-TOF spectrometry.Results This technic revealed that numerous signals obtained from particles produced by both species of bacteria were from metabolites of the photosynthetic system. Furthermore, not only bacteriochlorophyll a, bacteriopheophytin a, and bacteriopheophorbide a, which are known to accumulate in stationary phase cultures of these bacteria grown phototrophically in the absence of selenite, were identified. The particles were also associated with intermediary metabolites of the bacteriochlorophyll a biosynthesis pathway such as protoporphyrin IX, protoporphyrin IX monomethyl ester, bacteriochlorophyllide a and, most likely, Mg-protoporphyrin IX-monomethyl ester, as well as with oxidation products of the substrates of protochlorophyllide reductase and chlorin reductase.Conclusion Accumulation of intermediary metabolites of the bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis pathway in these purple phototrophic bacteria was attributed to inhibition of oxygen-sensitive enzymes involved in this pathway. Consistent with this interpretation it has been reported that these bacteria reduce selenite intracellularly, that they contain high levels of glutathione and that the reduction of selenite with glutathione is a very fast reaction accompanied by the production of reactive oxygen species. As many enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of bacteriochlorophyll contain [Fe-S] clusters in their active site, which are known to be degraded in the presence of reactive oxygen species as well as in the presence of molecular oxygen, we concluded that the substrates of these enzymes accumulate in cells during selenite reduction.Association of metabolites of bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis and degradation with the Se0-nanoparticles produced by Rhodospirillum rubrum and Rhodobacter capsulatus is proposed to result from coating of the nanoparticles with the intracytoplasmic membrane of these bacteria, where the photochemical apparatus is concentrated.

Protonation-deprotonation equilibria in tetrapyrroles Part 4: Mono- and diprotonations of deutero-, hemato-, meso-, and protoporphyrin IX dimethyl esters in methanolic hydrochloric acid

The N-protonations in the deutero, hemato, meso and protoporphyrin IX dimethyl esters (DME) were investigated by spectrophotometric titrations using HCl as the acid and methanol as the solvent. Two spectroscopically different protonated species were observed for each porphyrin DME in addition to the neutral form. These were assigned to the N-protonated monocation and dication. There were no difficulties encountered in observing the monocation formation in the HCl – MeOH system. Very sharp isosbestic points were characteristic of each protonation stage. The p K3 values for the porphyrins in the above order were 3.23, 4.70, 2.93 and 3.37; the p K4 values were 2.48, 2.62, 2.41 and 2.64, respectively. For all porphyrins studied, no further spectral changes were observed after the dication was completely formed. This was interpreted as indicating that the formation of more highly protonated species is not possible in fullydelocalized porphyrins possessing the 18 π-electron [18]diazaannulene delocalization pathway. When the titration was performed on the free dicarboxylic acid porphyrins, aggregation obscured the first protonation step and no clear monocation spectrum could be distinguished. However, also in that case the titration ended up to a UVvis spectrum typical of the dication and the effect of aggregation on the p K4 values was negligible. The UVvis spectrometric parameters are given for the neutral forms and for the protonated species of the porphyrin DMEs. The results are discussed in terms of the NH tautomerization connected to the π-electron delocalization pathway (aromaticity), which tends to hinder outofplane distortions in the porphyrin plane, and in terms of solvation and counterion stabilization of the protonated forms.

Protonation-deprotonation equilibria in tetrapyrroles Part 3: Mono- and diprotonations of the trimethyl esters of chlorin e6 and the 71-acetal of rhodin g7 in methanolic hydrochloric acid

Spectrophotometric protonation titrations were performed for the trimethyl esters (TME) of chlorin e6 (31,32-didehydrorhodochlorin-15-acetic acid) and the 71-acetal of rhodin g7 (31,32-didehydrorhodochlorin-71-oxo-15-acetic acid) using HCl as the acid and methanol as the solvent. For rhodin g7 TME, the 71-acetal formation could be clearly detected as the first step in the titration. Only two spectroscopically different protonated species were observed for each chlorin derivative in addition to the neutral forms. The two protonated species were assigned to the monocation and dication of each chlorin derivative. The following p K a values were obtained: p K3 = 4.63 and p K4 = 0.62 for chlorin e6 TME and p K3 = 4.40 and p K4 = 0.60 for the acetal of rhodin g7 TME. The protonation titration for chlorin e6 TME with HCl in acetic acid afforded UV-vis spectra similar to those obtained with HCl in methanol. The UV-vis spectrometric parameters are given for the neutral forms of chlorin e6 TME, rhodin g7 TME and its 71-acetal, as well as for the mono- and diprotonated species of chlorin e6 TME and rhodin g7 TME acetal. The protonation titration results of the chlorin e6 derivatives are compared with those previously obtained for phytyl/methyl pyropheophorbide a.