Comparing the fragmentation reactions of protonated cyclic indolyl α-amino esters in quadrupole/orbitrap and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometers.

RATIONALE

The comparative study of higher-energy collisional dissociation (HCD) and collision-induced dissociation (CID) mechanisms for protonated cyclic indolyl α-amino esters in quadrupole/orbitrap (Q/Orbitrap) and quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometers, respectively, is helpful to study the structures and properties of biologically active indole derivatives using tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) technology.

METHODS

HCD and CID experiments were carried out using electrospray ionization Q/Orbitrap MS and QTOFMS in positive ion mode, respectively. Only the labile hydrogens were exchanged with deuterium in hydrogen/deuterium exchange (HDX) experiments and only the aromatic indole C-H hydrogens were substituted with deuterium in regiospecific hydrogen-deuterium labeling experiments. Theoretical calculations were carried out using the density functional theory (DFT) method at the B3LYP level with the 6-311G(d,p) basis set in the Gaussian 03 package of programs.

RESULTS

In Q/Orbitrap MS/MS, when the added proton on the N position of protonated cyclic indolyl α-amino esters migrated in a stepwise fashion to the C position via two sequential 1,4-H shifts, an ion-neutral complex INC of [protonated cyclic N-sulfonyl ketimino esters/indoles] was formed by a charge-directed heterolytic cleavage of the C -C bond, while an ion-neutral complex INC of [cyclic N-sulfonyl ketimino esters/protonated indoles] was formed when another labile hydrogen on the N position successively migrated to the C position. Direct decomposition of INC and INC resulted in protonated cyclic N-sulfonyl ketimino esters and protonated indoles, respectively, while proton transfer led to protonated indoles and protonated cyclic N-sulfonyl ketimino esters. The HDX reaction with residual water in the HCD cell was also observed. In QTOF-MS/MS, protonated cyclic N-sulfonyl ketimino esters and protonated indoles resulted from direct decomposition of INC and INC , respectively, rather than proton transfer.

CONCLUSIONS

Due to the specific construction of the Q/Orbitrap and QTOF mass spectrometers, different fragmentation mechanisms medicated by ion-neutral complexes of protonated cyclic indolyl α-amino esters were proposed. This study is desirable for qualitative and quantitive investigation of indole derivatives using MS/MS technology.