Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Glycosphingolipid Antigens
13:09

Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Glycosphingolipid Antigens

Published on: April 16, 2013

Free-radical fragmentation of galactocerebrosides: a MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry study

Irina Yurkova1, Mikhail Kisel, Juergen Arnhold

  • 1Department of Chemistry, Belarusian State University, Minsk, Belarus.

Chemistry and Physics of Lipids
|March 9, 2005
PubMed

More Related Videos

Free Radicals in Chemical Biology: from Chemical Behavior to Biomarker Development14:22

Free Radicals in Chemical Biology: from Chemical Behavior to Biomarker Development

Published on: April 15, 2013

Improved In-gel Reductive β-Elimination for Comprehensive O-linked and Sulfo-glycomics by Mass Spectrometry13:06

Improved In-gel Reductive β-Elimination for Comprehensive O-linked and Sulfo-glycomics by Mass Spectrometry

Published on: November 20, 2014

Related Concept Videos

Mass Spectrometry: Molecular Fragmentation Overview01:20

Mass Spectrometry: Molecular Fragmentation Overview

The ionization of a molecule into a molecular ion inside the mass spectrometer causes instability in the molecule's structure due to the loss of an electron. This eventually leads to the fragmentation or breaking of some bonds in the molecule. The fragmentation occurs predominantly at specific bonds to yield relatively stable fragments.
One type of fragmentation pattern is the cleavage of a single bond in the molecular ion. The cleavage leads to a radical and a cation. The cleavage can occur at...
Mass Spectrometry: Alcohol Fragmentation01:03

Mass Spectrometry: Alcohol Fragmentation

Alcohols (R-OH) ionize to lose one non-bonded electron from the oxygen atom, forming molecular ions. Due to their tendency to fragment rapidly, the intensity of the molecular ion peak in the mass spectrum is weak or sometimes absent. The fragmentation patterns for alcohols occur in two ways, i.e. ⍺-cleavage and dehydration. During ⍺-cleavage, the bond at the ⍺-position adjacent to the hydroxyl group cleaves to give a resonance-stabilized cation and a radical. However, intramolecular dehydration...
Mass Spectrometry: Branched Alkane Fragmentation01:29

Mass Spectrometry: Branched Alkane Fragmentation

This lesson delves into the mass spectrometry of branched alkane fragmentation. Branched alkanes possess secondary or tertiary carbon atoms, which generate relatively stable carbocations if the cleavage occurs at the branching point. The high stability of carbocations drives the instant fragmentation of branched alkanes. Accordingly, the branched alkane's molecular ion peak is very weak or invisible in the mass spectra, especially in comparison to a linear alkane.
Mass Spectrometry: Aldehyde and Ketone Fragmentation01:09

Mass Spectrometry: Aldehyde and Ketone Fragmentation

In mass spectrometry, the fragmentation of aliphatic aldehydes and ketones generally occurs through three key mechanisms: α-cleavage, inductive cleavage, and the McLafferty rearrangement.
Mass Spectrometry: Carboxylic Acid, Ester, and Amide Fragmentation01:01

Mass Spectrometry: Carboxylic Acid, Ester, and Amide Fragmentation

The fragmentation patterns observed for compounds such as carboxylic acids, esters, and amides in the mass spectra include ⍺-cleavage and McLafferty rearrangement. Fragmentation by ⍺-cleavage preferentially occurs at the carbon-carbon bond at the ⍺-position next to the carboxylic group to generate a neutral radical and a cation. Long chain compounds with hydrogen at their γ-carbon undergo McLafferty rearrangement to give a radical cation and a neutral alkene.
For example, the fragmentation of...
Mass Spectrometry: Cycloalkane Fragmentation01:05

Mass Spectrometry: Cycloalkane Fragmentation

In mass spectrometry, cycloalkanes exhibit distinct fragmentation patterns due to the inherent stability of their molecular ions compared to linear or branched alkanes. The ring structure of cycloalkanes provides additional stability to the molecular ions, often resulting in prominent ion peaks in the mass spectrum.
For example, cyclohexane molecular ions have a mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) of 84, which tends to produce a stronger signal than linear alkanes like hexane. This stability comes from...