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Updated: Aug 26, 2026

Standardized Identification of Compound Structure in Tibetan Medicine Using Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry and Multiple-Stage Fragmentation Analysis
Published on: March 17, 2023
Key fragmentation patterns of aporphine alkaloids by electrospray ionization with multistage mass spectrometry
Caroline Stévigny1, Jean-Louis Habib Jiwan, Raoul Rozenberg
1Laboratoire de pharmacognosie, Université Catholique de Louvain, Ecole de Pharmacie, Unité CHAM, avenue Mounier 72, UCL 7230, B-1200 Bruxelles, Belgium. caroline.stevigny@cham.ucl.ac.be
Abstract:
This work reports a detailed study of the fragmentations of aporphine alkaloids by electrospray ionization with multistage mass spectrometry (ESI-MS(n)) in positive mode. In a first step the loss of the amino group and its substituent is observed. Further steps display the loss of the peripheral groups. Losses of methanol and CO are observed if an OH is vicinal to an OCH(3) on the aromatic ring. Otherwise the spectra show radical losses of CH(3)* or CH(3)O* as the main fragmentations. If a methylenedioxy group is present losses of formaldehyde followed by CO are observed. These fragmentations yield important information on the structures of aporphines.
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