Mass spectrometry analysis of cholesteryl esters (CEs) faces several challenges, with one of them being the determination of the carbon–carbon double bond (C=C) locations within unsaturated fatty acyl chains. Paternὸ-Büchi (PB) reaction, a photochemical reaction based on the addition of acetone to C=C, is capable of C=C location determination when coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). In this study, the PB reaction conditions were tailored for CEs and subsequent nanoelectrospray ionization (nanoESI). A solvent system containing acetone/methanol/dichloromethane/water (40/30/20/10, volume ratios) and 100 μM LiOH was determined to be optimal, resulting in reasonable PB reaction yield (~30%) and good ionization efficiency (forming lithium adduct of CEs). Collision-induced dissociation (CID) of the PB reaction products produced characteristic fragment ions of CE together with those modified by the PB reactions, such as lithiated fatty acyl ([FA + Li]+) and its PB product ([FA – PB + Li]+). MS3 CID of [FA – PB + Li]+ led to abundant C=C diagnostic ion formation, which was used for C=C location determination and isomer quantitation. A PB-MS3 CID approach was developed and applied for CE analysis from human plasma. A series of unsaturated CEs was identified with specific C=C locations within fatty acyl chains. Absolute quantitation for each CE species was achieved including coexisting C=C location isomers, such as Δ9 and Δ11 isomers of CE 18:1 and ω-6 and ω-3 isomers of CE 18:3. These results show that PB-MS/MS is useful in uncovering structural diversity of CEs due to unsaturation in fatty acyls, which is often undetected from current lipid analysis approach.

Fatty acid (FA) profiling provides phenotypic information and is increasingly used in a broad range of biological and biomedical studies. Quantitation of unsaturated FAs with confident carbon–carbon double bond (C═C) location assignment is both sample and time consuming using traditional gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis. In this study, we developed a rapid, sensitive, and quantitative method for profiling unsaturated FAs without using chromatographic separations. This method was based on a combination of in-solution photochemical tagging of a C═C in FAs and a subsequent gas-phase detagging via tandem (neutral loss scan) mass spectrometry. It enabled quantitation of unsaturated FAs from various biological samples (blood, plasma, and cell lines). More importantly, quantitative information on FA C═C location isomers, which was traditionally overlooked, could now be obtained and applied to studying FA changes between normal and cancerous human prostate cells.

Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) coupled with soft ionization is established as an essential platform for lipid analysis; however, determining high order structural information, such as the carbon–carbon double bond (CC) location, remains challenging. Recently, our group demonstrated a method for sensitive and confident lipid CC location determination by coupling online the Paternò–Büchi (PB) reaction with nanoelectrospray ionization (nanoESI) and MS/MS. Herein, we aimed to expand the scope of the PB reaction for lipid analysis by enabling the reaction with infusion ESI-MS/MS at much higher flow rates than demonstrated in the nanoESI setup (∼20 nL min−1). In the new design, the PB reaction was effected in a fused silica capillary solution transfer line, which also served as a microflow UV reactor, prior to ESI. This setup allowed PB reaction optimization and kinetics studies. Under optimized conditions, a maximum of 50% PB reaction yield could be achieved for a standard glycerophosphocholine (PC) within 6 s of UV exposure over a wide flow rate range (0.1–10 μL min−1). A solvent composition of 7:3 acetone:H2O (with 1% acid or base modifier) allowed the highest PB yields and good lipid ionization, while lower yields were obtained with an addition of a variety of organic solvents. Radical induced lipid peroxidation was identified to induce undesirable side reactions, which could be effectively suppressed by eliminating trace oxygen in the solution via N2 purge. Finally, the utility of coupling the PB reaction with infusion ESI-MS/MS was demonstrated by analyzing a yeast polar lipid extract where CC bond locations were revealed for 35 glycerophospholipids (GPs).

Vinylidene carbenes (C3H2) are of high interest to interstellar, combustion, and organic chemistry. Due to their high instability, the direct experimental investigation of their chemical reactivity has rarely been achieved. Herein, we report a first study on the reactions of cyclopropenylidene (c-C3H2) with protonated alkyl amines in the gas phase using a home-built ion trap mass spectrometer. The high gas-phase basicity (GB) of (1A1) c-C3H2 (calculated as 920 kJ mol−1) facilitates the formation of a proton-bound dimer with protonated amines as the first step in the reaction. The dimer can stay as it is or rearrange to a covalent product. The formation of the covalent complex is highly exothermic and its yield is affected by the GB of alkyl amines. The highest yield (82%) was achieved when the GB of the amine was slightly lower but comparable to that of c-C3H2. Our results demonstrate a new reaction pathway of c-C3H2, which has long been considered as a “dead end” in interstellar carbon chemistry.

The field of lipidomics has been significantly advanced by mass spectrometric analysis. The distinction and quantitation of the unsaturated lipid isomers, however, remain a long-standing challenge. In this study, we have developed an analytical tool for both identification and quantitation of lipid C=C location isomers from complex mixtures using online Paternò–Büchi reaction coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The potential of this method has been demonstrated with an implementation into shotgun lipid analysis of animal tissues. Among 96 of the unsaturated fatty acids and glycerophospholipids identified from rat brain tissue, 50% of them were found as mixtures of C=C location isomers; for the first time, to our knowledge, the quantitative information of lipid C=C isomers from a broad range of classes was obtained. This method also enabled facile cross-tissue examinations, which revealed significant changes in C=C location isomer compositions of a series of fatty acids and glycerophospholipid (GP) species between the normal and cancerous tissues.

The field of lipidomics has been significantly advanced by mass spectrometric analysis. The distinction and quantitation of the unsaturated lipid isomers, however, remain a long-standing challenge. In this study, we have developed an analytical tool for both identification and quantitation of lipid C=C location isomers from complex mixtures using online Paternò–Büchi reaction coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The potential of this method has been demonstrated with an implementation into shotgun lipid analysis of animal tissues. Among 96 of the unsaturated fatty acids and glycerophospholipids identified from rat brain tissue, 50% of them were found as mixtures of C=C location isomers; for the first time, to our knowledge, the quantitative information of lipid C=C isomers from a broad range of classes was obtained. This method also enabled facile cross-tissue examinations, which revealed significant changes in C=C location isomer compositions of a series of fatty acids and glycerophospholipid (GP) species between the normal and cancerous tissues.

•Intra-molecular reactions assisted by collisional activation has proven to be an effective means to probe the reactivity of cysteine sulfinyl radical.•A new reaction channel, i.e., sulfinyl radical exchange with disulfide bond, was discovered for the first time, which was absent under traditional ion/molecule reaction conditions.•The reactivity of sulfinyl radical toward disulfide bond resulted in disulfide bond opening and scrambling within peptide systems.Cysteine sulfinyl radical (SO•Cys) is a reactive intermediate discovered in the inactivation of enzymes utilizing the glycyl/thiyl radical in their catalytic functions upon exposure to air. SO•Cys has been recently formed and investigated in the gas phase via mass spectrometry (MS), with the aim being to acquire direct experimental evidence of the radical’s intrinsic chemical reactivity. Ion/molecule reaction studies showed that SO•Cys was relatively chemically inert toward thiol (SH) and disulfide (SS) functional groups under the explored experimental conditions. Herein, we utilized intra-molecular reactions aided by collision-induced dissociation (CID) to overcome the limitations associated with the traditional bimolecular reactions and explore the reactivity of SO•Cys. Our results revealed a new reaction pathway in which the sulfinyl radical exchanged with an intrachain or interchain disulfide bond within a peptide ion, leading to the formation of a new disulfide bond and a sulfinyl radical. As a consequence, CID of peptide disulfide regio-isomers consisting of SO•Cys led to enhanced sequence information, however the disulfide bond linkage patterns could not be accurately assigned. This reaction pathway also has implications on disulfide bond scrambling in proteins initiated by a radical intermediate.

Herein, we demonstrated the use of gas-phase intra-molecular reactions facilitated by collisional activation to investigate bi-molecular reactions with inherent low reactivity. Reactions between sulfinyl radicals (–SO˙) toward free thiol (–SH) were employed as a model system. A new reaction channel, i.e. sulfinyl exchange with thiol, was observed under beam-type collision-induced dissociation (CID), which was not detectable from traditional ion/molecule reactions.

Heteroatom-centered radicals are known to play critical roles in atmospheric chemistry, organic synthesis, and biology. While most studies have focused on the radical reactivity such as hydrogen abstraction, the base properties of heteroatom-centered radicals have long been overlooked, despite the profound consequences, such as their ability to participate in hydrogen-bonding networks. In this study, we use the sulfinyl radical (−SO•) as a model to show that the dual properties of heteroatom-centered radicals, that is, their ability to function as a radical and a base, can coexist in peptides and be differentiated by examining the loss of hydrosulfinyl radical (SOH) upon unimolecular dissociation of the peptide sulfinyl radical ions in the gas phase. The loss of SOH can result from two channels; one involves hydrogen atom abstraction, which reflects the radical property; the other is initiated by proton transfer to the sulfinyl radical, manifesting its base property. Tuning of the two properties of peptide sulfinyl radicals can be achieved by varying the chemical properties of the neighboring functional groups, which demonstrates the influence of the local chemical environment on the behavior of the radical species. The experimental approach established in this study to probe the dual chemical property of the peptide sulfinyl radical can be potentially applied to studying other types of heteroatom-centered radical species of biological significance.

The discontinuous atmospheric pressure interface (DAPI) has been developed as a facile means for efficiently introducing ions generated at atmospheric pressure to an ion trap in vacuum [e.g., a rectilinear ion trap (RIT)] for mass analysis. Introduction of multiple beams of ions or neutral species through two DAPIs into a single RIT has been previously demonstrated. In this study, a home-built instrument with a DAPI-RIT-DAPI configuration has been characterized for the study of gas-phase ion/molecule and ion/ion reactions. The reaction species, including ions or neutrals, can be introduced from both ends of the RIT through the two DAPIs without complicated ion optics or differential pumping stages. The primary reactant ions were isolated prior to reaction and the product ions were mass analyzed after controlled reaction time period. Ion/molecule reactions involving peptide radical ions and proton-transfer ion/ion reactions have been carried out using this instrument. The gas dynamic effect due to the DAPI operation on internal energy deposition and the reactivity of peptide radical ions has been characterized. The DAPI-RIT-DAPI system also has a unique feature for allowing the ion reactions to be carried out at significantly elevated pressures (in 10–1 Torr range), which has been found to be helpful to speed up the reactions. The viability and flexibility of the DAPI-RIT-DAPI system for the study of gas-phase ion reactions have been demonstrated.

Obtaining unambiguous linkage information between sugars in oligosaccharides is an important step in their detailed structural analysis. An approach is described that provides greater confidence in linkage determination for linear oligosaccharides based on multiple-stage tandem mass spectrometry (MSn, n >2) and collision-induced dissociation (CID) of Z1 ions in the negative ion mode. Under low energy CID conditions, disaccharides 18O-labeled on the reducing carbonyl group gave rise to Z1 product ions (m/z 163) derived from the reducing sugar, which could be mass-discriminated from other possible structural isomers having m/z 161. MS3 CID of these m/z 163 ions showed distinct fragmentation fingerprints corresponding to the linkage types and largely unaffected by sugar unit identities or their anomeric configurations. This unique property allowed standard CID spectra of Z1 ions to be generated from a small set of disaccharide samples that were representative of many other possible isomeric structures. With the use of MSn CID (n = 3 – 5), model linear oligosaccharides were dissociated into overlapping disaccharide structures, which were subsequently fragmented to form their corresponding Z1 ions. CID data of these Z1 ions were collected and compared with the standard database of Z1 ion CID using spectra similarity scores for linkage determination. As the proof-of-principle tests demonstrated, we achieved correct determination of individual linkage types along with their locations within two trisaccharides and a pentasaccharide.

In biological systems, carbon-centered small molecule radicals are primarily formed via external radiation or internal radical reactions. These radical species can react with a variety of biomolecules, most notably nucleic acids, the consequence of which has possible links to gene mutation and cancer. Sulfur-containing peptides and proteins are reactive toward a variety of radical species and many of them behave as radical scavengers. In this study, the reactions between alkyl alcohol carbon-centered radicals (e.g., •CH2OH for methanol) and cysteinyl peptides within a nanoelectrospray ionization (nanoESI) plume were explored. The reaction system involved ultraviolet (UV) irradiation of a nanoESI plume using a low pressure mercury lamp consisting of 185 and 254 nm emission bands. The alkyl alcohol was added as solvent into the nanoESI solution and served as the precursor of hydroxyalkyl radicals upon UV irradiation. The hydroxyalkyl radicals subsequently reacted with cysteinyl peptides either containing a disulfide linkage or free thiol, which led to the formation of peptide-S-hydroxyalkyl product. This radical reaction coupled with subsequent MS/MS was shown to have analytical potential by cleaving intrachain disulfide linked peptides prior to CID to enhance sequence information. Tandem mass spectrometry via collision-induced dissociation (CID), stable isotope labeling, and accurate mass measurement were employed to verify the identities of the reaction products.

A systematic approach is described that can pinpoint the stereo-structures (sugar identity, anomeric configuration, and location) of individual sugar units within linear oligosaccharides. Using a highly modified mass spectrometer, dissociation of linear oligosaccharides in the gas phase was optimized along multiple-stage tandem dissociation pathways (MSn, n = 4 or 5). The instrument was a hybrid triple quadrupole/linear ion trap mass spectrometer capable of high-efficiency bidirectional ion transfer between quadrupole arrays. Different types of collision-induced dissociation (CID), either on-resonance ion trap or beam-type CID could be utilized at any given stage of dissociation, enabling either glycosidic bond cleavages or cross-ring cleavages to be maximized when wanted. The approach first involves optimizing the isolation of disaccharide units as an ordered set of overlapping substructures via glycosidic bond cleavages during early stages of MSn, with explicit intent to minimize cross-ring cleavages. Subsequently, cross-ring cleavages were optimized for individual disaccharides to yield key diagnostic product ions (m/z 221). Finally, fingerprint patterns that establish stereochemistry and anomeric configuration were obtained from the diagnostic ions via CID. Model linear oligosaccharides were derivatized at the reducing end, allowing overlapping ladders of disaccharides to be isolated from MSn. High confidence stereo-structural determination was achieved by matching MSn CID of the diagnostic ions to synthetic standards via a spectral matching algorithm. Using this MSn (n = 4 or 5) approach, the stereo-structures, anomeric configurations, and locations of three individual sugar units within two pentasaccharides were successfully determined.

The fragmentation behavior of various cysteine sulfinyl ions (intact, N-acetylated, and O-methylated), new members of the gas-phase amino acid radical ion family, was investigated by low-energy collision-induced dissociation (CID). The dominant fragmentation channel for the protonated cysteine sulfinyl radicals (SO•Cys) was the radical-directed Cα–Cβ homolytic cleavage, resulting in the formation of glycyl radical ions and loss of CH2SO. This channel, however, was not observed for protonated N-acetylated cysteine sulfinyl radicals (Ac-SO•Cys); instead, charge-directed H2O loss followed immediately by SH loss prevailed. Counterintuitively, the H2O loss did not derive from the carboxyl group but involved the sulfinyl oxygen, a proton, and a Cβ hydrogen atom. Theoretical calculations suggested that N-acetylation significantly increases the barrier (∼14 kcal mol–1) for the radical-directed fragmentation channel because of its reduced capability to stabilize the thus-formed glycyl radical ions via the captodative effect. N-Acetylation also assists in moving the proton to the sulfinyl site, which reduces the barrier for H2O loss. Our studies demonstrate that for cysteine sulfinyl radical ions, the stability of the product ions (glycyl radical ions) and the location of the charge (proton) can significantly modulate the competition between radical- and charge-directed fragmentation.

Radical induced disulfide bond cleavage in peptides was demonstrated by ultraviolet (UV) radiation of the electrospray ionization (ESI) plume using a low pressure mercury (LP-Hg) lamp. Tandem mass spectrometry and accurate mass measurements confirmed that the primary reaction products were due to disulfide bond cleavage to form thiol (–SH) and sulfinyl radical (–SO˙). Mechanistic studies showed that the 185 nm emission from a LP-Hg lamp was responsible for UV photolysis of atmospheric O2, which further initiated secondary radical formation and subsequent disulfide bond cleavage by radical attack. The radical induced disulfide bond cleavage was found to be analytically useful in providing rich sequence information for naturally occurring peptides containing intrachain disulfide bonds. The utility of this method was also demonstrated for facile disulfide peptide identification and characterization from protein digests.

Direct characterization of peptides with multiple disulfide bonds by mass spectrometry is highly desirable. In this study, electron transfer dissociation (ETD) of peptide disulfide regio-isomers was studied using model peptides containing two intrachain disulfide bonds. ETD provided rich sequence information (c/z ions) even for the backbone region under the coverage of two disulfide bonds. This behavior presented an analytical advantage over low energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) of protonated intact peptide ions, which produced very limited sequence (b/y) ions. Mechanistic studies suggested that the formation of c/z ions under the two disulfide bond covered region resulted from an initial N–Cα bond cleavage, followed by radical cascades to cleave multiple disulfide bonds. The ETD spectra of the disulfide regio-isomers produced similar product ions due to radical cascades; while the relative intensities of the product ions varied, to a certain degree, which could be helpful in distinguishing isomers with overlapping disulfide bonds.

•Peptide disulfide regio-isomers containing two intrachain disulfide bonds were synthesized and characterized via tandem mass spectrometry.•The disulfide bond connecting patterns can be determined based on MS3 CID of the internal ion losses derived from each isomer.•Consecutive disulfide bond opening during MS3 CID of the internal loss ions can produce isomeric fragment ions, making independent disulfide assignment difficult.Mass spectrometric characterization of the disulfide connecting patterns directly from intact peptides and proteins is highly desirable but remains a challenging task. In this work, the regio-isomers of peptides containing two intrachain disulfide bonds were synthesized from P1 and P2 peptides (single letter sequence: C(1)ARIC(5)AKLC(9)LEVC(13)K and C(1)AEKC(5)IEKC(9)LVRC(13), respectively). They were further used as model systems to understand the fragmentation chemistry of each isomer under low energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) conditions. MS2 CID could easily identify the regio-isomer having a side-by-side disulfide linkage pattern (C1–C5 and C9–C13). However, the other two isomers with either loop-within-a-loop (C1–C13 and C5–C9) or overlapped disulfide configuration (C1–C9 and C5–C13) showed almost identical spectra and very limited sequence information could be obtained. Internal fragments which resulted from cleavages of two amide bonds from a sequence covered only by one disulfide loop were chosen for further dissociation. The MS3 CID data showed that certain internal fragment ions produced distinct fragmentation patterns which were useful in assigning the correct connecting pattern of the disulfide bonds for all three isomers. On the other hand, some internal fragment ions could undergo consecutive disulfide bond opening during collisional activation, which led to the observation of isomeric peaks from different disulfide regio-isomers. The latter situation made it difficult to independently assign the regio-isomers.

In this study, we demonstrated the formation of gas-phase peptide perthiyl (RSS•) and thiyl (RS•) radical ions besides sulfinyl radical (RSO•) ions from atmospheric pressure (AP) ion/radical reactions of peptides containing inter-chain disulfide bonds. The identity of perthiyl radical was verified from characteristic 65 Da (•SSH) loss in collision-induced dissociation (CID). This signature loss was further used to assess the purity of peptide perthiyl radical ions formed from AP ion/radical reactions. Ion/molecule reactions combined with CID were carried out to confirm the formation of thiyl radical. Transmission mode ion/molecule reactions in collision cell (q2) were developed as a fast means to estimate the population of peptide thiyl radical ions. The reactivity of peptide thiyl, perthiyl, and sulfinyl radical ions was evaluated based on ion/molecule reactions toward organic disulfides, allyl iodide, organic thiol, and oxygen, which followed in order of thiyl (RS•) > perthiyl (RSS•) > sulfinyl (RSO•). The gas-phase reactivity of these three types of sulfur-based radicals is consistent with literature reports from solution studies.

The fragmentation chemistry of peptides containing intrachain disulfide bonds was investigated under electron transfer dissociation (ETD) conditions. Fragments within the cyclic region of the peptide backbone due to intrachain disulfide bond formation were observed, including: c (odd electron), z (even electron), c-33 Da, z + 33 Da, c + 32 Da, and z–32 Da types of ions. The presence of these ions indicated cleavages both at the disulfide bond and the N–Cα backbone from a single electron transfer event. Mechanistic studies supported a mechanism whereby the N–Cα bond was cleaved first, and radical-driven reactions caused cleavage at either an S–S bond or an S–C bond within cysteinyl residues. Direct ETD at the disulfide linkage was also observed, correlating with signature loss of 33 Da (SH) from the charge-reduced peptide ions. Initial ETD cleavage at the disulfide bond was found to be promoted amongst peptides ions of lower charge states, while backbone fragmentation was more abundant for higher charge states. The capability of inducing both backbone and disulfide bond cleavages from ETD could be particularly useful for sequencing peptides containing intact intrachain disulfide bonds. ETD of the 13 peptides studied herein all showed substantial sequence coverage, accounting for 75%–100% of possible backbone fragmentation.

Collision-induced dissociation (CID) of deprotonated hexose-containing disaccharides (m/z 341) with 1–2, 1–4, and 1–6 linkages yields product ions at m/z 221, which have been identified as glycosyl-glycolaldehyde anions. From disaccharides with these linkages, CID of m/z 221 ions produces distinct fragmentation patterns that enable the stereochemistries and anomeric configurations of the non-reducing sugar units to be determined. However, only trace quantities of m/z 221 ions can be generated for 1–3 linkages in Paul or linear ion traps, preventing further CID analysis. Here we demonstrate that high intensities of m/z 221 ions can be built up in the linear ion trap (Q3) from beam-type CID of a series of 1–3 linked disaccharides conducted on a triple quadrupole/linear ion trap mass spectrometer. 18O-labeling at the carbonyl position of the reducing sugar allowed mass-discrimination of the “sidedness” of dissociation events to either side of the glycosidic linkage. Under relatively low energy beam-type CID and ion trap CID, an m/z 223 product ion containing 18O predominated. It was a structural isomer that fragmented quite differently than the glycosyl-glycolaldehydes and did not provide structural information about the non-reducing sugar. Under higher collision energy beam-type CID conditions, the formation of m/z 221 ions, which have the glycosyl-glycolaldehyde structures, were favored. Characteristic fragmentation patterns were observed for each m/z 221 ion from higher energy beam-type CID of 1–3 linked disaccharides and the stereochemistry of the non-reducing sugar, together with the anomeric configuration, were successfully identified both with and without 18O-labeling of the reducing sugar carbonyl group.

A variety of peptide sulfinyl radical (RSO•) ions with a well-defined radical site at the cysteine side chain were formed at atmospheric pressure (AP), sampled into a mass spectrometer, and investigated via collision-induced dissociation (CID). The radical ion formation was based on AP reactions between oxidative radicals and peptide ions containing single inter-chain disulfide bond or free thiol group generated from nanoelectrospray ionization (nanoESI). The radical induced reactions allowed large flexibility in forming peptide radical ions independent of ion polarity (protonated or deprotonated) or charge state (singly or multiply charged). More than 20 peptide sulfinyl radical ions in either positive or negative ion mode were subjected to low energy collisional activation on a triple-quadrupole/linear ion trap mass spectrometer. The competition between radical- and charge-directed fragmentation pathways was largely affected by the presence of mobile protons. For peptide sulfinyl radical ions with reduced proton mobility (i.e., singly protonated, containing basic amino acid residues), loss of 62 Da (CH2SO), a radical-initiated dissociation channel, was dominant. For systems with mobile protons, this channel was suppressed, while charge-directed amide bond cleavages were preferred. The polarity of charge was found to significantly alter the radical-initiated dissociation channels, which might be related to the difference in stability of the product ions in different ion charge polarities.

In this study, we systematically investigated gas-phase fragmentation behavior of [M + nH + OH]n•+ ions formed from peptides containing intra-molecular disulfide bond. Backbone fragmentation and radical initiated neutral losses were observed as the two competing processes upon low energy collision-induced dissociation (CID). Their relative contribution was found to be affected by the charge state (n) of [M + nH + OH]n•+ ions and the means for activation, i.e., beam-type CID or ion trap CID. Radical initiated neutral losses were promoted in ion-trap CID and for lower charge states where mobile protons were limited. Beam-type CID and dissociation of higher charge states of [M + nH + OH]n•+ ions generally gave abundant backbone fragmentation, which was highly desirable for characterizing peptides containing disulfide bonds. The amount of sequence information obtained from CID of [M + nH + OH]n•+ ions was compared with that from CID of disulfide bond reduced peptides. For the 11 peptides studied herein, similar extent of sequence information was obtained from these two methods.

Electrospray ionization (ESI) is considered a soft ionization method, and typically no peptide ion fragmentation is observed. Recently, it has been observed that intensive fragmentation of peptide ions can occur during nanoelectrospray (nanoESI) at special conditions, such as solutions containing high concentrations of salt and relatively low voltage for the spray. In this study, peptide fragmentation during nanoESI has been systematically characterized. The fragmentation phenomenon was observed for a variety of peptides with molecular weights lower than 3000 Da and the types of fragments include a, b, and y ions. For phosphorylated peptides, very little loss of the labile phosphate groups was observed. Solution electrical conductivity (K) and flow rate were identified as the key parameters affecting the degree of peptide fragmentation. Mechanistic studies suggested that very fine first generation charged droplets (∼30 nm in diameter) with high surface electric field (∼1 V/nm) could be formed from nanoESI of highly conductive solutions (K = 0.4 S/m) and at a low flow rate (2 nL/min). It is proposed that solvated peptide ions are ejected with high kinetic energies from the early generations of charged droplets, and the subsequent collisional activation in air induces the peptide fragmentation. The relatively high degree of solvation around the phosphate groups may contribute to the preservation of the phosphorylation during the activation process.