Multidimensional Mass Spectrometry Coupled with Separation by Polarity or Shape for the Characterization of Sugar-Based Nonionic Surfactants.

Mass spectrometry (MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) were interfaced with ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) and ion mobility (IM) separation to characterize a complex nonionic surfactant, consisting of a methylated glucose core (glucam) conjugated with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO(n)) branches that were partially esterified with stearic acid to form ethoxylated glucam (PEO(n)-glucam) stearates. Reverse-phase LC-MS afforded fast separation according to polarity into five major fractions. Accurate mass measurements of the ions in the mass spectra extracted from these fractions enabled conclusive identification of six components in the surfactant, including PEO(n)-glucam mono-, di-, and tristearates as well as free and esterified PEO(n) as byproducts.

Structure and conformation of the medium-sized chlorophosphazene rings.

Medium-sized cyclic oligomeric phosphazenes [PCl2N]m (where m = 5-9) that were prepared from the reaction of PCl5 and NH4Cl in refluxing chlorobenzene have been isolated by a combination of sublimation/extraction and column chromatography from the predominant products [PCl2N]3 and [PCl2N]4. The medium-sized rings [PCl2N]m have been characterized by electrospray ionization-mass spectroscopy (ESI-MS), their (31)P chemical shifts have been reassigned, and their T1 relaxation times have been obtained. Crystallographic data has been recollected for [PCl2N]5, and the crystal structures of [PCl2N]6, and [PCl2N]8 are reported.

Sulfonation Distribution in Sulfonated Polystyrene Ionomers Measured by MALDI-ToF MS.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-ToF MS) was used to quantify the sulfonation level and sulfonation distribution of sulfonated polystyrene ionomers prepared by homogeneous solution sulfonation. The sulfonation levels obtained by MALDI-ToF MS and acid-base titration were compared, and the sulfonate distributions determined by MALDI-ToF MS were compared with theoretical random distributions. The results indicate that the sulfonation reaction used produces a sample with a random sulfonate distribution.

Interfacing multistage mass spectrometry with liquid chromatography or ion mobility separation for synthetic polymer analysis.

Synthetic polymers are naturally mixtures of homologs, even in pure form. More complexity is introduced by the presence of different comonomers, end groups and/or macromolecular architectures. The analysis of such systems is substantially facilitated by interfacing mass spectrometry (MS), which disperses based on mass, with an additional level of separation involving either interactive liquid chromatography (LC) or ion mobility (IM) spectrometry, both of which are readily coupled online with electrospray ionization and MS detection.

Fragmentation pathways of polymer ions.

Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) is increasingly applied to synthetic polymers to characterize chain-end or in-chain substituents, distinguish isobaric and isomeric species, and determine macromolecular connectivities and architectures. For confident structural assignments, the fragmentation mechanisms of polymer ions must be understood, as they provide guidelines on how to deduce the desired information from the fragments observed in MS/MS spectra. This article reviews the fragmentation pathways of synthetic polymer ions that have been energized to decompose via collisionally activated dissociation (CAD), the most widely used activation method in polymer analysis.