Electrospray ionization mass and tandem mass spectra of a series of N-pyrazolylmethyl and N-triazolylmethyl N-phenylpiperazines: new dopaminergic ligands with potential antipsychotic properties

• Published in: Journal of mass spectrometry. 2005-06, Vol.40 (6), p.815-820
• Main Authors: Santos, Leonardo S., Padilha, Monica Costa, de Aquino Neto, Francisco Radler, Santos Pereira, Alberto dos, Menegatti, Ricardo, Manssour Fraga, Carlos Alberto, Barreiro, Eliezer J., Eberlin, Marcos N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antipsychotic Agents - chemistry; antipsychotic drugs; Biological and medical sciences; Catecholaminergic system; Dopamine Antagonists - chemistry; dopamine receptor ligands; ion chemistry; Ligands; Medical sciences; Neuropharmacology; Neurotransmitters. Neurotransmission. Receptors; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Piperazines - chemistry; Psycholeptics: tranquillizer, neuroleptic; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopharmacology; Receptors, Dopamine - chemistry; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization - methods; tandem mass spectrometry
• ISSN: 1076-5174; 1096-9888
• DOI: 10.1002/jms.857

Recently, two analogous series of N‐pyrazolylmethyl and N‐triazolylmethyl N‐phenylpiperazines have been prepared and found to be potential antipsychotic drugs acting as new selective ligands of the dopamine D2 receptor. Herein we report a systematic study of their high‐resolution electrospray ionization mass and tandem mass spectra in which the main dissociation routes of their protonated molecules are determined and rationalized. The ESI‐MS/MS data is very characteristic for both series allowing straightforward isomeric differentiation. A single and dominant fragment ion for the pyrazole series and four major fragment ions for the triazole series are useful for selective reaction MS monitoring of these potential drugs in biological fluids. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.