Tandem Mass Spectrometry of Bilin Tetrapyrroles by Electrospray Ionization and Collision Induced Dissociation

摘要

RationaleBilins are metabolic products of hosts and bacteria on porphyrins, and are markers of health state and human waste contamination. Although bilin tandem mass spectrometry reports exist, their fragmentation behavior as a function of structure has not been compared, nor has fragmentation been examined as a function of collision energy. >Methods: The fragmentation of bilins generated by positive ion mode electrospray ionization is examined by collision induced dissociation (CID). CID on a quadrupole ion trap and on a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometer as a function of collision energy is compared. Methyl esterification was used to deduce which product ions contain the inner pyrrole rings. FT-ICR high mass accuracy measurements were used to determine the formulas of the resultant product ions.