TANDEM MASS-SPECTROMETRY OF GLYCOLIPIDS

This chapter describes a systematic nomenclature for fragments observed in the mass spectra of glycolipids, the use of a high-performance tandem mass spectrometer (high mass range, with unit resolution or better available in both MS-1 and MS-2), and targeted derivatization procedures for glycolipid structural determinations. Investigation of the MS/MS spectra of underivatized glycolipids in the positive and negative ion modes has demonstrated the usefulness of the technique for structure elucidation at the microgram level. For smaller sample amounts and for compounds with poor fast atom bombardment (FAB) ionization or fragmentation characteristics, microscale derivatization procedures have been developed and the mass spectrometric properties of the derivatives investigated. The high-energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) (5-10 keV) MS/MS properties of both the native and derivatized glycolipids are discussed and summaries are provided as guides for the analyst. Low-energy collisions have been demonstrated to be informative about carbohydrate structure during investigations of the behavior of mono- and disaccharides. © 1990, Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.