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Title: Atmospheric-pressure ionization and fragmentation of peptides by solution-cathode glow discharge

Journal Article · · Chemical Science
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/c6sc02032a· OSTI ID:1421367
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [1]
  1. Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN (United States). Dept. of Chemistry
  2. Kent State Univ., Kent, OH (United States). Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Modern “-omics” (e.g., proteomics, glycomics, metabolomics, etc.) analyses rely heavily on electrospray ionization and tandem mass spectrometry to determine the structural identity of target species. Unfortunately, these methods are limited to specialized mass spectrometry instrumentation. Here in this paper, a novel approach is described that enables ionization and controlled, tunable fragmentation of peptides at atmospheric pressure. In the new source, a direct-current plasma is sustained between a tapered metal rod and a flowing sample-containing solution. As the liquid stream contacts the electrical discharge, peptides from the solution are volatilized, ionized, and fragmented. At high discharge currents (e.g., 70 mA), electrospray-like spectra are observed, dominated by singly and doubly protonated molecular ions. At lower currents (35 mA), many peptides exhibit extensive fragmentation, with a-, b-, c-, x-, and y-type ion series present as well as complex fragments, such as d-type ions, not previously observed with atmospheric-pressure dissociation. Though the mechanism of fragmentation is currently unclear, observations indicate it could result from the interaction of peptides with gas-phase radicals or ultraviolet radiation generated within the plasma.

Research Organization:
Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences Division
Grant/Contract Number:
FG02-98ER14890
OSTI ID:
1421367
Journal Information:
Chemical Science, Vol. 7, Issue 10; ISSN 2041-6520
Publisher:
Royal Society of ChemistryCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 24 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (3)

Influence of pH and low-molecular weight organic compounds in solution on selected spectroscopic and analytical parameters of flowing liquid anode atmospheric pressure glow discharge (FLA-APGD) for the optical emission spectrometric (OES) determination of Ag, Cd, and Pb journal January 2018
High-throughput, low-cost reaction screening using a modified 3D printer journal January 2019
The 2017 Plasma Roadmap: Low temperature plasma science and technology journal July 2017