By using negative-ion diethylamine (DEA)-enhanced electrospray mass spectrometry under mild dissociative conditions, (a low voltage applied across the sampling cone aperture) a number of DEA molecules were observed to associate with the doubly charged acid ion of polysulphonated salts to form a series of higher-mass peaks. As the cone voltage was increased, these peaks degenerated into a series of lower-mass peaks. Each of the peaks contained within these series was separated by the mass of one DEA molecule. By further increasing the cone voltage, it was possible to dissociate all the DEA adducts from the acid ion.The maximum number of DEA molecules associated with the doubly charged acid ion could be correlated with the number of sulphonate sites present. This technique correctly identified the number of sulphonate groups contained within the series of compounds tested. A mechanism for these processes, based on the ability of protonated DEA to form ion pairs with sulphonate sites, is advanced. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Received 11 September 1996; Revised 17 February 1997; Accepted 17 February 1997 Rapid. Commun. Mass Spectrom. 11, 630-637 (1997 Polysulphonated salts are notorious for producing mass spectrometry signals of low intensity. 1 We have already shown that the addition of a basic amine to a polysulphonate in solution will dramatically enhance the signal intensity of the acid ions and just those fragment ions which had retained the capability to associate with alkali metal ions prior to diethylamine (DEA) intervention. All the signals which were due to alkali-metal association were greatly reduced or eliminated by the addition of DEA. 2,3 This unusual behaviour was further investigated and it was discovered that, under very mild ionization conditions, a number of DEA molecules could be seen attached to the acid ions. The maximum number of attached DEA molecules observed in any particular charge state was directly related to the number of sulphonate sites present on the compound tested.This paper discusses the relationship between the maximum number of adducted DEA molecules and the number of sulphonate sites, and how this relationship can be applied to determine the number of sulphonate sites in a series of polysulphonated salts. We also propose a possible mechanism for this process together with some experimental data to support our assumptions.
EXPERIMENTAL Materials and methodsChemicals. All alkylamines and potassium indigo tetrasulphonate were purchased from Aldrich Chemical Co.Ltd. (Gillingham, Dorset, UK) and were used without further purification. Samples of Direct Blue 98, Direct Red 80, Direct Red 81, Direct Green 26, Acid Yellow 23, and Acid Orange 52 were all kindly donated by Dr. Peter Douglas and Richard Philips, Department of Chemistry, University of Wales, Swansea. Zeneca Colours S69177, S54412, and S69417 were all donated by Zeneca Ltd and used without further purification. Figure 1 shows the structures of the polysulphonates used in this investigation.Sample preparation. All an...