Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry of metalloporphyrins

The magnesium, nickel, copper, zinc and vanadium metalloporphyrins from octaethylporphyrin, etioporphyrin I and tetraphenylporphyrin were characterized using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The ion abundance of each of the porphyrins present in binary mixtures was monitored as a function of the porphyrin concentration and is dependent on the metalloporphyrin oxidation potential. It was found that, for binary mixtures of metalloporphyrins whose oxidation potentials differ by less than 0.1 V, the resulting ion abundance of each species is directly proportional to the concentration of each analyte in the mixture. For binary mixtures whose oxidation potentials differ by more than 0.1 V, relative abundances of the radical cations of each metalloporphyrin are determined by the oxidation potential and concentration of each metalloporphyrin with the analyte of lowest oxidation potential being ionized preferentially. The ability to ionize selectively one porphyrin over another in a binary mixture offers the potential to use ESI-MS for the qualitative analysis of porphyrins present in complex mixtures.