High-Throughput Screening of Reductive Amination Reactions Using Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

This study describes the latest generation of a high-throughput screening system that is capable of screening thousands of organic reactions in a single day. This system combines a liquid handling robot with desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) mass spectrometry (MS) for a rapid reaction mixture preparation, accelerated synthesis, and automated MS analysis. A total of 3840 unique reductive amination reactions were screened to demonstrate the throughputs that are capable with the system. Products, byproducts, and intermediates were all monitored in full-scan mass spectra, generating a complete view of the reaction progress. Tandem mass spectrometry experiments were conducted to verify the identity of the products formed. The amine and electrophile reactivity trends represented in the data match what is expected from theory, indicating that the system accurately models the reaction performance. The DESI results correlated well with those generated using more traditional mass spectrometry techniques like liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, validating the data generated by the system.