US 9,557,297 B2 · Alpha- and chi-diketone reactants for charge transfer reactions in mass spectrometers

Abstract

The invention relates to the use of substances for the production of anions suitable for charge transfer reactions in mass spectrometers, particularly for the fragmentation of multiply positively charged biopolymer ions by electron transfer or for charge reduction by proton transfer. Diketones, particularly α-diketones, are proposed as a newly found class of substances which can be used both for the production of radical anions for electron transfer dissociations (ETD) with a high yield of fragment ions and also for the production of non-radical anions for the charge reduction of multiply charged analyte ions by proton transfer reactions (PTR). These substances have favorable properties in terms of their handling and the associated analytical methods: they are largely nontoxic, cover a favorable range of molecular masses, and their volatility means that they can be stored in unheated containers outside of the vacuum system, which facilitates the refilling of the containers.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A method for reacting analyte ions with anions in a mass spectrometer, comprising:

producing multiply positively charged analyte ions from a substance that is a biopolymer using a first ion source, producing the anions from a substance that is one of an α-diketone and a χ-diketone having a molecular mass m greater than or equal to 100 Dalton using a second ion source,
guiding and introducing the multiply positively charged analyte ions and the anions into a reaction cell of the mass spectrometer where the multiply positively charged analyte ions and the anions are brought together in order to induce charge transfer reactions.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Alpha- and chi-diketone reactants for charge transfer reactions in mass spectrometers

Life of this patent

Alpha- and chi-diketone reactants for charge transfer reactions in mass spectrometers

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16