Characterisation of polysaccharides by in-source pyrolysis positive- and negative-ion direct chemical ionisation-mass spectrometry

• Published in: Carbohydrate research 1991-12, Vol.221 (1), p.219-233
• Main Authors: Lomax, James A., Boon, Jaap J., Hoffmann, Reiner A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analytical, structural and metabolic biochemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Carbohydrate Sequence; carbohydrate structure; cellulose; chemical analysis; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Galactans - chemistry; Glucans - chemistry; glycosidic linkages; Hot Temperature; Mass Spectrometry - methods; Molecular Sequence Data; oligosaccharides; Other biological molecules; polysaccharides; Polysaccharides - chemistry; pyrolysis; spectral analysis; Xylans - chemistry
• ISSN: 0008-6215; 1873-426X
• DOI: 10.1016/0008-6215(91)80058-U

Series of oligosaccharide ions have been generated from a range of polysaccharides by the application of in-source pyrolysis mass spectrometry, using both ammonia positive-ion chemical ionisation and negative-ion chlorine-nucleophilic-addition ionisatioin. Glucans with α-(1 → 6),β-(1 → 6),α-(1 → 4), β-(1 → 4), β-(1 → 3), and β-(1 → 2) linkages were studied, together with pentosans, xyloglucans, and an arabinogalactan. The series of ions correspond to intact, desorbed oligosaccharides with a terminal anhydro-sugar unit, and to similar oligosaccharides with attached sugar ring-cleavage fragments. The ions generated are dependent on the position of the linkage and ring size, and retain significant information on the structure of the original polysaccharide.