Letter: Radical ion and protonated molecule formation with retinal in electrospray and nanospray

Eur. J. Mass Spectrom. 12, 71–74 (2006)
DOI: 10.1255/ejms.784

Letter: Radical ion and protonated molecule formation with retinal in electrospray and nanospray

Thais Guaratini^a,b,c, Paul J. Gates^b, Karina H. M. Cardozo^b,c,, Patrícia M. B. G. M.Campos^a, Pio Colepicolo^c, and Norberto P. Lopes^a,b,*
^a Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Via do Café S/N, CEP 14040-903, Ribeirão Preto-SP, Brazil. E-mail: npelopes@fcfrp.usp.br
^bSchool of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock’s Close, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK
^cDepartamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, Av Professor Lineu Prestes, 748 CP 20780, CEP 05508900, São Paulo-SP, Brazil

ABSTRACT:

This paper reports a preliminary study of the nanospray ionisation mass spectrometry analyses of retinoic acid and retinal. The results are compared and contrasted to the results normally observed with electrospray ionisation. A significant difference in behaviour was observed for the balance between radical ion formation and protonated molecule formation for retinal. The results suggest that the influence of the very different ionisation conditions present in nanospray is very important in determining how ionisation is achieved and has potentially wide ranging applications in the fields of mass spectral analysis of biological and medical extracts.

Keywords: retinoids, retinal, retinoic acid, nanospray ionisation, electrospray ionisation molecular ion

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