Dual-spray Synthesis and Reactions

Abstract

By using two electrospray emitters containing different solutions (“dual-spray”) we have recently conducted in-source hydrogen/deuterium exchange (HDX) reactions and synthesized organometallic species. For dual-spray HDX reactions, peptide and protein solutions were electrosprayed through one emitter and the deuterating agent D2O through the secondary electrospray emitter. Clear shifts in isotope distributions indicated hydrogen-deuterium exchange occurring within the ion source. By ion mobility, simultaneous deuterium exchange for two isobaric species, the oxytocin monomer and dimer, was observed. Lysozyme has a linear relation between the charge state and the average number of exchanges, indicating that lysozyme becomes increasingly unfolded as the charge state increases. Based on deuterium uptake data and the lack of a temperature dependence, the dual-spray HDX reaction is thought to occur mostly in the gas phase. Tris(2,2’-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) and similar complexes containing the 1,10-phenanthroline ligand were formed by spraying a ligand solution and the ruthenium trichloride solution through two independent ESI emitters. This was confirmed by comparing ion mobility drift time, mass spectra, and CID fragmentation with the reference standard compounds. Tris(2,2’-bipyridine)iron(II), tris(1,10-phenantroline)iron(II) and mixed ligand complexes of iron(II) formed by dual-spray showed two additional hydrogens bonded to the complex. By CID, these unique gas phase complexes showed similar initial ligand loss to the reference standards however the secondary ligand loss showed dissimilar dissociation channels and energetics. Using DFT calculations, geometry optimizations for the [Fe(phen)3 + 2H]2+ complex and its fragment ions were done. After the initial ligand loss, the additional hydrogens are believed to transfer to the central iron atom. The relative energy of the dissociation channels showed good agreement with experimental breakdown curves.