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Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Time-resolved ElectroSpray Ionization Hydrogen-deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry for Studying Protein Structure and Dynamics
Published on: April 17, 2017
Hydrogen/deuterium exchange on aromatic rings during atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry
Noel W Davies1, Jason A Smith, Peter P Molesworth
1Central Science Laboratory, Bag 74, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia 7001. noel.davies@utas.edu.au
Abstract:
It has been demonstrated that substituted indoles fully labelled with deuterium on the aromatic ring can undergo substantial exchange back to partial and even fully protonated forms during atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI) liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). The degree of this exchange was strongly dependent on the absolute quantity of analyte, the APCI desolvation temperature, the nature of the mobile phase, the mobile phase flow rate and the instrument used. Hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange on several other aromatic ring systems during APCI LC/MS was either undetectable (nitrobenzene, aniline) or extremely small (acetanilide) compared to the effect observed for substituted indoles. This observation has major implications for quantitative assays using deuterium-labelled internal standards and for the detection of deuterium-labelled products from isotopically labelled feeding experiments where there is a risk of back exchange to the protonated form during the analysis.
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