Selective Covalent Bond Formation in Poiypeptide Ions via Gas-Phase Ion/Ion Reaction Chemistry

摘要

The structural characterization of polypeptides via tandem mass spectrometry has become a central activity in protein identification and quantification. Peptides and proteins are frequently modified in solution using selective derivatization reactions, inter alia, to facilitate ionization, quantification, or structural characterization. We demonstrate here the formation of Schiff base derivatives of primary amine groups present in gaseous poiypeptide ions via gas-phase ion/ion reactions. This work demonstrates that poiypeptide ions can be modified in a functional-group-selective fashion in the gas phase and within the context of an MS~n experiment.