Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 8, 2026
08:40
Using a Cyclic Ion Mobility Spectrometer for Tandem Ion Mobility Experiments
Published on: January 20, 2022
5.0K
Cationic Xylene Tag for Increasing Sensitivity in Mass Spectrometry
Poguang Wang1, Qi Zhang1, Yuanyuan Yao1
1Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry
|June 28, 2015
Summary
A new reagent, CAX-B (cationic xylyl-bromide), enhances mass spectrometry sensitivity by labeling active hydrogen compounds. This derivatization allows for highly sensitive detection of analytes, even at the attomole level.
Area of Science:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Mass Spectrometry
- Organic Chemistry
Background:
- Derivatization reagents are crucial for enhancing analyte detectability in mass spectrometry.
- Existing methods may lack sensitivity for trace-level analysis.
- Novel reagents are needed to improve sensitivity and simplify analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and evaluate N-(2-(Bromomethyl)benzyl)-N,N-diethylethanaminium bromide (CAX-B) as a derivatization reagent.
- To demonstrate the enhanced sensitivity of CAX-tagged analytes in tandem mass spectrometry.
- To explore the derivatization mechanism and potential applications of CAX-B.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis and characterization of CAX-B.
- Derivatization of active hydrogen-containing compounds with CAX-B.
- Analysis of derivatized analytes using liquid chromatography-matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS).
- Investigation of fragmentation pathways and neutral loss mechanisms.
Main Results:
- CAX-B effectively labels compounds with active hydrogens.
- CAX-tagged analytes exhibit high sensitivity in tandem mass spectrometry due to facile formation of characteristic product ions.
- Attomole levels of thymidine, estradiol, and nucleobases were detected using CAX-tagging.
- Selective labeling was observed for analytes with multiple active hydrogens, such as bisphenol A.
Conclusions:
- CAX-B is a potent derivatization reagent for significantly enhancing mass spectrometry sensitivity.
- The reagent's mechanism, involving resonance stabilization and anchimeric assistance, facilitates sensitive detection.
- CAX-B and its analogs hold promise for sensitive analysis of various compounds at trace levels.
More Related Videos
07:16Resin-Assisted Capture Coupled with Isobaric Tandem Mass Tag Labeling for Multiplexed Quantification of Protein Thiol Oxidation
Published on: June 21, 2021
2.3K
10:59Enrichment of Bacterial Lipoproteins and Preparation of N-terminal Lipopeptides for Structural Determination by Mass Spectrometry
Published on: May 21, 2018
9.4K
Related Concept Videos
01:16Mass Spectrometers
11.0K
This lesson details the instrumentation of a mass spectrometer—a physical instrument to perform mass spectrometry on analyte molecules and record the characteristic mass spectra. This is achieved via three chief functions:
11.0K
01:21Mass Spectrometry: Complex Analysis
2.1K
Mass spectrometry is an important technique for the identification of pure compounds. However, it has some limitations for the analysis of complex mixtures, often due to excessive fragmentation making the spectrum too complicated to decipher. Mass spectrometry can be combined with suitable separation methods in sequence, forming hyphenated methods, which are useful in the analysis of complex mixtures.
GC–MS is a powerful hyphenated method commonly used in forensics and environmental...
GC–MS is a powerful hyphenated method commonly used in forensics and environmental...
2.1K
01:21Tandem Mass Spectrometry
3.0K
Tandem mass spectrometry is a technique that uses multiple mass analyzers in series to obtain a higher selectivity and reduce chemical noise during analyte detection. Instruments with multiple analyzers separated by an interaction cell enable secondary fragmentation and selected study of the fragment ions.Secondary fragmentations occur in the interaction cell and can be induced by various factors. Fragmentation induced by collision with inert gases, such as N2, Ar, He, etc., is called...
3.0K
01:13Mass Analyzers: Overview
2.1K
The mass analyzer is a crucial component of the mass spectrometer. In the ionization chamber, the vaporized sample is bombarded with a high-energy electron beam to generate a radical cation and further fragment into neutral molecules, radicals, and cations. A series of negatively charged accelerator plates accelerate the cations into the mass analyzer. The mass analyzer separates ions according to their mass-to-charge (m/z) ratios and then directs them to the detector. The common types of mass...
2.1K
01:19MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry
7.7K
Mass spectrometry is a powerful characterization technique that can identify and separate a wide variety of compounds ranging from chemical to biological entities, based on their mass-to-charge ratio (m/z). The instruments that allow this detection, known as mass spectrometers, have three components: an ion source, a mass analyzer, and a detector. These spectrometers differ based on the nature of their ion source and analyzers.Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) is a commonly...
7.7K
01:21Chemical Ionization (CI) Mass Spectrometry
1.7K
The molecular ion peak of a molecule in the mass spectrum provides vital information for molecular identification. However, conventional electron impact ionization can lead to the rapid dissociation of some molecular ions before they reach the detector. A milder ionization method is required to increase the lifetime of such ionized analyte molecules. Chemical ionization (CI) is a gas-phase protonation reaction useful for mass-analyzing analyte molecules that are easily protonated to yield the...
1.7K