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This paper presents size exclusion chromatography data with on-line coupling to UV and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) of water soluble metal-binding compounds present in zinc, copper, chromium and iodine enriched yeast nutritional supplements. Molecular weight estimates of the extracted metal-containing compounds are given and are shown to vary substantially from 1.2 kDa to larger than 668 kDa. Seven proteins suspected of containing chromium were identified from one of the chromium-containing fractions. Four of these identified proteins are known to form complexes with other metal ions. The metal chromatographic profiles of zinc, copper and chromium-enriched yeasts were compared to their respective native metal profiles in non-enriched yeast samples. The chromium profiles are shown to be markedly different while those of zinc and copper are qualitatively similar. Only iodide ions or weakly bound, non-aromatic, low molecular weight (∼ 1.2 kDa) iodine species were observed in the iodine-enriched yeast samples.

PFASs concentrations in dust samples collected from three microenvironments in Cairo ranged from 1.3 to 69 ng g(-1) with FTOHs being dominant. The 8:2 FTOH was detected in all samples. Among the FOSAs and FOSEs the MeFOSE was dominant while among ionic PFASs, PFOS and PFOA were most prominent. The concentrations of PFASs were among the lowest worldwide. Correlations between worldwide concentrations of PFOS + PFOA and country development indexes highlight higher usage and human exposure in more developed countries. Food packaging was analyzed for PFSAs, PFCAs and PAPs. The 6:2 and 8:2 monoPAPs were found to be above the MDL in 18% of the samples. PFOA was detected in 79% of the samples with median concentration of 2.40 ng g(-1). PFOS was detected in 58% of the samples with median concentration of 0.29 ng g(-1) while PFHxS and PFDS were below detection limit. Different human exposure scenarios were estimated.

Collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiments on the protonated carnosine-oxaliplatin complex, [Carnosine + OxPt + H](+) using several collision energies were shown to yield nine different fragment ions. Energy-resolved CID experiments on [Carnosine + OxPt + H](+) showed that the generation of the product ion [Carnosine - H + Pt(dach)](+) (where dach is 1,2-diaminocyclohexane) is the lowest energy process. At slightly higher collision energies, the loss of neutral carnosine from [Carnosine + OxPt + H](+) to produce [OxPt + H](+) was observed, followed by the loss of oxaliplatin from the same precursor ion to produce [Carnosine + H](+). At significantly higher energies, the ion [OxPt - CO2 + H](+) was shown to be formed, while the last two investigated ions [Carnosine + OxPt - CO2 + H](+) and [Carnosine - NH3 - H + Pt(dach)](+) did not attain any significant relative abundance. Density functional calculations at the B3LYP/LANL2DZ level were employed to probe the fragmentation mechanisms that account for all experimental data. The lowest free energy barriers for the generation of each of the ions [Carnosine - H + Pt(dach)](+), [OxPt + H](+), [Carnosine + H](+), [Carnosine + OxPt - CO2 + H](+) and [Carnosine - NH3 - H + Pt(dach)](+) from [Carnosine + OxPt + H](+) according to the fragmentation mechanisms offered here were calculated to be 31.9, 38.8, 49.3, 75.2, and 85.6 kcal mol(-1), respectively.

Platinum(II)-based anticancer drugs are square-planar d(8) complexes that, activated by hydrolysis, cause cancer cell death by binding to nuclear DNA and distorting its structure. For that reason, interactions of platinum anticancer drugs with DNA have been extensively investigated, aiming at disentangling the mechanism of action and toxicity. Less attention, however, has been devoted to the formation of adducts between platinum drugs with biological ligands other than DNA. These adducts can cause the loss and deactivation of the drug before it arrives at the ultimate target and are also thought to contribute to the drug's toxicity. Here are reported the outcomes of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry experiments and density functional theory (DFT) computations carried out to investigate the fragmentation pathways of the protonated carnosine-carboplatin complex, [Carnosine + CarbPt + H](+). DFT calculations at the B3LYP/LANL2DZ level employed to probe fragmentation mechanisms account for all experimental data. Because of the relative rigidity of the structure of the most stable 1A conformer, stabilized by three strong hydrogen bonds, the first step of all of the examined fragmentation pathways is the interconversion of the 1A conformer into the less stable structure 1B. Formation of the [Carnosine + H](+) fragment from the precursor ion, [Carnosine + CarbPt + H](+), is calculated to be the lowest-energy process. At slightly higher energies, the loss of two amino groups is observed to produce the [Carnosine + (CarbPt - NH3) + H](+) and [Carnosine + (CarbPt - 2NH3) + H](+) ions. At significantly higher energies, the loss of CO2 occurs, yielding the final [Carnosine + (CarbPt - NH3) - CO2 + H](+) and [Carnosine + (CarbPt - 2NH3) - CO2 + H](+) products. Formation of the [CarbPt + H](+) fragment from [Carnosine + CarbPt + H](+), even if not hampered by a high activation barrier, is calculated to be very unfavorable from a thermodynamic point of view.

Collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiments on protonated carnosine, [carnosine + H](+), with several collision energies were shown to yield eleven different fragment ions with the generation of product ions [carnosine-H2O + H](+) and [carnosine-NH3 + H](+) being the lowest energy processes. Energy-resolved CID showed that at slightly higher collision energies the ions [histidine + H](+) and [histidine-H2O-CO + H](+) are formed. At even higher energies four other product ions were observed, however, attained relatively lower abundances. Quantum chemistry calculations, carried out at different levels of theory, were employed to probe fragmentation mechanisms that account for all the experimental data. All the adopted computational protocols give similar energetic trends, and the range of the calculated free energy barrier values for the generation of all the observed product ions is in agreement with the fragmentation mechanisms offered here.

The gas-phase dissociation chemistries of protonated 3-iodo- l -tyrosine, 3,5-diiodo- l -tyrosine and 3,3′,5,5′-tetraiodo-thyronine (thyroxine) have been examined using a combination of tandem mass spectrometry and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. It was found that, at low collision energy, all protonated tyrosines exhibit common fragmentation pathways, including the competitive eliminations of NH3 and the concomitant loss of H2O and CO, but there are significant differences in relative abundances, depending on the combined electron-donating abilities of the substituents in the phenyl ring. The ions initially formed by loss of NH3 are phenonium ions, but subsequent fragmentation is most easily understood in terms of the isomeric benzyl cation structures. These [M + H − NH3]+ ions fragment at relatively low collision energies, mainly by loss of ketene; by contrast, the [M + H − H2O − CO]+ ions are more stable towards dissociation. At higher collision energies, losses of one, two and even three iodine atoms were observed. DFT calculations (at the B3LYP/DZVP level of theory) were performed on protonated 3-iodotyrosine to compare the reaction profiles for the fragmentation mechanisms. The iodo-substituent in the 3-position is weakly electron-withdrawing and this results in a barrier (27.5 kcal/mol at 0 K) that is slightly higher than that for protonated tyrosine (26.8 kcal/mol). The phenoxy group PhO– is a weaker electron-donor than HO– and protonated 3,5-diiodo-4-phenoxytyrosine has an even higher barrier (31.1 kcal/mol) to NH3 loss than protonated 3,5-diiodotyrosine (28.8 kcal/mol). Linear free energy plots for Δ H 0 ° ‡ and Δ G 298 ° ‡ against σ+ for the four protonated tyrosine derivatives show good correlations. More importantly, as the products of the dissociation are higher in energy than the transition states to their formation, the plots of Δ H 0 ° and Δ G 298 ° for the overall reaction for NH3 loss also correlate very well with σ+ (correlation coefficients of 0.99 and 0.98, respectively). The positive slopes of these Hammett plots show that the barriers to the loss of NH3 by the neighboring-group mechanism are increased by the presence of electron-withdrawing groups in the phenyl rings.

Collision-induced dissociation of complexes, Ag+/NH2CH2(CH2) nCH2NH2, where n has values of 0, 1, 2 and 3, show loss of one H2 molecule at low energies. For the largest complex ( n = 3), a second H2 molecule is also lost. For complexes with n = 0 and 1, loss of AgH (the only pathway observed in the fragmentation of Ag+/monoamine complexes) also occurs at low collision energies and this becomes the dominant fragmentation pathway at centre-of-mass energies above 2 eV. For complexes with n = 2 and 3, negligible amounts of product ions resulting from loss of only AgH were formed. However, for these complexes, the major products at higher collision energies result from loss of either AgH plus NH3 or, more likely, H2 plus AgNH2; the product ions are postulated to be cyclic iminium ions. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations (B3LYP with a DZVP basis set) on Ag+/NH2CH2(CH2)2CH2NH2 showed the loss of H2 followed by AgNH2 to have a slightly lower barrier than loss of AgH plus NH3. For complexes with n = 2 and 3, there are minor losses of various combinations of AgH, H2, 2H2 and NH3. Reaction profiles for the losses of H2 and AgH from all four Ag+/α,ω-diamine complexes have been examined computationally using DFT calculations. The second step on the reaction profile, loss of either H2 or AgH from the complex between Ag+ and α-amino-γ-imino-propane, Ag+/NH2CH2CH2CHNH, has also been calculated. The highest energy transition state on the profiles to loss of both H2 and AgH from the smallest complex ( n = 0) are identical; on all the other profiles, the barrier for H2 loss is lower than that for AgH loss (by 2.5 kJ mol−1 when n = 1, by 13.4 kJ mol−1 when n = 2 and by 33.0 kJ mol−1 when n = 3). Fragmentation of the ligand backbone occurs most extensively for ions derived from the Ag+/NH2CH2CH2CH2NH2. After loss of H2, the product ion, Ag+/NH2CH2CH2CH = NH fragments via a transition state in which the CH2–CH2 bond is breaking, while a 1,5-hydrogen shift from one nitrogen to the other is occurring. Cleavage of the carbon chain of NH2CH2CH2CH = NH2+ occurs at relatively low energy; DFT calculations provide a mechanism by which H2C = NH plus CH3CH = NH2+ are produced.

The room-temperature reactivities of complexes of Cu + and Ag + with glycine have been investigated using an inductively coupled plasma-selected ion flow tube (ICP-SIFT)/multicollision-induced dissociation (CID) tandem mass spectrometer. These complexes were produced in a flow tube, collisionally thermalized and then allowed to react with CO, D 2 O or NH 3 . The measured reactivities of the CuGly + and AgGly + complexes have been compared with those of the bare metal cations towards the same neutral reagents. All observed reactions resulted in adduct formation, with helium buffer gas presumably acting as a stabilizing agent. Reaction rate enhancements of up to three orders of magnitude and lower extents of ligation were the main characteristics of the reactions initiated by the metal cation–glycine adducts as compared with those initiated by the bare metal cations. The kinetic information combined with equilibrium analyses and CID results suggest that, irrespective of the reagent, ligation to CuGly + is stronger than to AgGly + and, in both instances, ligation of carbon monoxide and water has comparable strengths, while much stronger coordination is achieved with ammonia. The structures of the complexes have been investigated computationally using density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP level employing the DZVP basis set. Optimized structures and the free energy changes associated with ligation have been computed. A good correlation was obtained between the experimental reaction efficiencies and the calculated free energies of bonding. Also, results are presented for the potential energy surfaces for the conversion of the “charge solvated” forms into the “metal salt” forms of CuGly + and AgGly + and of their adducts with CO or NH 3 . The computations indicate a modest catalytic effect of the CO and NH 3 on this conversion.

The binding energies at 0 K of sodium and silver ions to ammonia, methylamine, ethylamine, acetonitrile, and benzonitrile were determined using threshold collision-induced dissociation (CID) and molecular orbital calculations at the ab initio and density functional theory levels. There is good agreement between experimental and calculated binding energies. For the five ligands, threshold CID/CCSD(t)(fu)/6-311++G(2df,p)//MP2(fu)/6-311++G(d,p) Na+ binding energies are the following: ammonia, 25.6 ± 2.8/24.8; methylamine, 27.0 ± 1.4/25.9; ethylamine, 27.7 ± 2.3/27.1; acetonitrile, 30.0 ± 2.3/30.3; and benzonitrile, 32.7 ± 1.4/35.0 (B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)//B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)) kcal/mol. Threshold CID and B3LYP/DZVP Ag+ binding energies are the following: ammonia, 40.6 ± 3.0/38.9; methylamine, 41.5 ± 2.3/41.1; ethylamine, 42.9 ± 1.4/43.2; acetonitrile, 40.8 ± 2.0/39.3; and benzonitrile, 41.5 ± 2.8/43.1 kcal/mol. Wherever comparisons with literature data are possible, the Na+ binding energies determined in this ...

A hybrid quantum mechanical molecular mechanical (QMMM) approach is used to study H3O+, H2O, NH4+, NH3, Cl−, HCl, F−, HF, CH3COO−, CH3COOH, Ag+ and glycine in both zwitterionic and nonzwitterionic forms in water. The free energies of hydration of these species are presented and are shown to compare favorably with experimental values. The difference in water–glycine interaction energy between the zwitterionic and nonzwitterionic forms is calculated as a lower limit and is in line with previous findings. The first theoretical examination of the Ag+–glycine complex in solution is presented.

The complexes of silver ion, Ag+, with the twenty naturally occurring amino acids have been calculated using hybrid density functional theory at the B3LYP/DZVP level. For all of these silver complexes, several possible structures were examined, but as there are remarkable similarities between all the structures at the global minima, only summarized data are reported. All of the complexes, except that with proline, are solvated ions. Amino acids containing only hydrocarbon side chains are bidentate, coordinating through the amino and carbonyl groups and the remaining amino acids (with the exception of proline) are tricoordinate with the same two interactions as in the simpler amino acids and an additional interaction through the side chain. The proline complex contains zwitterionic proline with the Ag+ ion attached to the carboxylate anion. Enthalpies (at 298 K) for dissociation of Ag+ from the complexes range from 49.3 kcal mol-1 for glycine to 80.4 kcal mol-1 for arginine. Free energies for these reactio...

The binding enthalpies at 0 K of the silver ion to water, methanol, ethanol, diethyl ether, and acetone were calculated using density functional theory (DFT) using the hybrid B3LYP level of theory with the DZVP basis set; they were also measured using the threshold collision-induced dissociation (CID) method. There is good agreement between the two sets of data. For the five ligands, the DFT/threshold CID values are: water, 28.1/31.6 ± 2.5; methanol, 30.1/33.0 ± 3.7; ethanol, 32.0/33.9 ± 3.5; diethyl ether, 33.3/33.2 ± 1.5; and acetone, 36.2/38.0 ± 1.4 kcal/mol. The average of the absolute differences between the DFT and threshold CID results is 2.0 kcal/mol, a value smaller than the average experimental uncertainty of 2.5 kcal/mol. For identical ligands, the silver ion binding energies are lower than the lithium ion binding energies, but higher than the sodium ion binding energies.

Gas-phase collision-induced dissociation of the Ag+-proline complex shows six major product ions. Tandem mass spectrometry reveals that at least three of the fragment ions are formed directly from the complex. These are a cyclic immonium ion, formed after elimination of AgH from the Ag+-proline complex, another cyclic immonium ion formed after the elimination of both AgH and CO2, and finally an ion formed as the product of a reductive-elimination reaction in which H2 is lost as a neutral. Selective and nonselective deuterium labeling experiments and hybrid density functional calculations have been employed to probe fragmentation mechanisms that account for all experimental results. The mechanisms for the competitive losses of AgH and H2 from the Ag+-proline complex have been calculated at B3LYP/DZVP.

We have studied the silver ion affinities of several RCN ligands using density functional theory. It was found that they correlate linearly with experimental proton affinities, a contradiction to the HSAB principle as H + is a ‘hard’ acid, and Ag + is a ‘soft’ acid. This linear correlation between the Ag + and proton affinities diminishes as the number of RCN ligands attached to the Ag + ion increases from one to three. In the third addition step, the silver ion affinities nearly level off in agreement with the expectation that the electron donating or withdrawing properties of the R group become much less important than in the previous two steps, where the positive charge on the metal ion is not well delocalized. Delocalization of the charge of a metal ion occurs only when a sufficiently large number of ligands are attached to the metal ion. When this condition is satisfied, our data suggests that the HSAB principle may be applicable.

Proton migration in protonated glycylglycylglycine (GGG) has been investigated by using density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) level of theory. On the protonated GGG energy hypersurface 19 critical points have been characterized, 11 as minima and 8 as first-order saddle points. Transition state structures for interconversion between eight of these minima are reported, starting from a structure in which there is protonation at the amino nitrogen of the N-terminal glycyl residue following the migration of the proton until there is fragmentation into protonated 2-aminomethyl-5-oxazolone (the b(2) ion) and glycine. Individual free energy barriers are small, ranging from 4.3 to 18.1 kcal mol(-)(1). The most favorable site of protonation on GGG is the carbonyl oxygen of the N-terminal residue. This isomer is stabilized by a hydrogen bond of the type O-H.N with the N-terminal nitrogen atom, resulting in a compact five-membered ring. Another oxygen-protonated isomer with hydrogen bonding of the type O-H.O, resulting in a seven-membered ring, is only 0.1 kcal mol(-)(1) higher in free energy. Protonation on the N-terminal nitrogen atom produces an isomer that is about 1 kcal mol(-)(1) higher in free energy than isomers resulting from protonation on the carbonyl oxygen of the N-terminal residue. The calculated energy barrier to generate the b(2) ion from protonated GGG is 32.5 kcal mol(-)(1) via TS(6--7). The calculated basicity and proton affinity of GGG from our results are 216.3 and 223.8 kcal mol(-)(1), respectively. These values are 3-4 kcal mol(-)(1) lower than those from previous calculations and are in excellent agreement with recently revised experimental values.

Tandem mass spectrometry performed on a pool of 18 oligopeptides shows that the product ion spectra of argentinated peptides, the [b n + OH + Ag]+ ions and the [y n − H + Ag]+ ions bearing identical sequences are virtually identical. These observations suggest strongly that these ions have identical structures in the gas phase. The structures of argentinated glycine, glycylglycine, and glycylglycylglycine were calculated using density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/DZVP level of theory; they were independently confirmed using HF/ LANL2DZ. For argentinated glycylglycylglycine, the most stable structure is one in which Ag+ is tetracoordinate and attached to the amino nitrogen and the three carbonyl oxygen atoms. Mechanisms are proposed for the fragmentation of this structure to the [b2 + OH + Ag]+ and the [y2 − H + Ag]+ ions that are consistent with all experimental observations and known calculated structures and energetics. The structures of the [b2 − H + Ag]+ and the [a2 − H + Ag]+ ions of glycylglycylglycine were also calculated using DFT. These results confirm earlier suggestions that the [b2 − H + Ag]+ ion is an argentinated oxazolone and the [a2 − H + Ag]+ an argentinated immonium ion.

Density functional calculations at B3LYP/DZVP were used to obtain structural information, relative free energies of different isomers and binding energies for the following reaction in the gas phase: M+ + (glycyl)nglycine → M–(glycyl)nglycine+, where M = Ag or Cu and n = 0–2. For the complexes with Cu+, optimizations were also performed at B3LYP/6–31++G(d,p) and single-point calculations at MP2(fc)/6–311++G(2df,2p)//B3LYP/DZVP. The calculated binding energies for the Cu+ complexes are all higher than those of the structurally similar Ag+ ions. These calculated binding energy differences become larger as the size of the ligand increases. For all the Cu+ complexes examined, the coordination number of the copper ion does not exceed two, whereas for the silver complexes tri- and tetracoordinate Ag+ structures are calculated to be at low energy minima. Significant structural and relative free energy differences occur between the lowest energy ‘zwitterionic ’ forms of the M–(glycyl)nglycine+ complexes.

The [M − nH + mNa](m−n)+ and [M − nH + mK](m−n)+ ions are common in the electrospray mass spectra of proteins and peptides. The feasibility of forming these ions in the gas phase via collision activation and/or ion-molecule reaction is investigated. Sodium and potassium affinities of the N-methylacetamide anion, the acetate anion, and the 1-propanamide anion have been calculated using density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-311+ +G(d,p) level of theory. These anions were chosen as models for the functional groups on a protein or peptide. These affinity values are then used to calculate reaction enthalpies of alkali hydroxides, chlorides, and hydrates with N-methylacetamide, acetic acid, the acetate anion, and 1-propanamine, model reactions that may lead to formation of the [M − nH + mNa](m−n)+ and [M − nH + mK](m−n)+ ions. It is found that a number of these reactions are exothermic or slightly endothermic (ΔH 0 < + 20 kcal/mol) and are accessible after collision activation in the lens region. The potential energy hypersurfaces of model reactions between NaOH and formamide as well as NaCl and formamide show relatively flat surfaces devoid of significant barriers.

Density functional calculations at B3LYP/6-31+G(d) and B3LYP/DZVP are reported for Mg(NH 3 ) n +· , where n = 1–6 and for some solvated ions Mg(NH 3 ) n +· … NH 3 ( n = 1–3, 6). After correction for basis set superposition errors, the enthalpies for sequential addition of NH 3 to Mg +· resulting from direct coordination to the metal are 38.1, 26.6, 21.2, 13.7, 12.1, and 11.3 kcal mol −1 . The free energies for these same addition reactions are all negative, although for complexes with n ≥ 4 the values are very small. Attempts at optimising structures with higher coordination numbers all resulted in the formation of solvated octahedral complexes. Enthalpies for solvation through hydrogen bonding to one of the ligated NH 3 molecules are all less than 16 kcal mol −1 and decrease rapidly as the number of ligated NH 3 molecules increases. Molecular orbital calculations at B3LYP/DZVP have been used to optimise structures for ions Ag(NH 3 ) n + , where n = 1–6. The five-coordinate and six-coordinate structures have very small binding enthalpies (4.3 and 2.6 kcal mol −1 ) and the free energies for formation of these ions are positive. The binding energies for the addition of the first and second NH 3 molecules added to Ag + are 40.1 and 36.1 kcal mol −1 , while those for the third and fourth additions are much smaller (15.1 and 11.0 kcal mol −1 ). Adducts up to n = 3 have been detected in electrospray experiments. The first three adducts of Ag + with NH 3 have been formed in the selected ion flow tube apparatus and multicollision induced dissociation experiments show Ag(NH 3 ) 3 + to have a lower binding enthalpy than both Ag(NH 3 ) 2 + and Ag(NH 3 ) + .

Molecular orbital calculations at B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) are reported for bases 2-(aminomethyl)-5-oxazolone, 2-(aminomethyl)-4-methyl-5-oxazolone, 2-phenyl-5-oxazolone, and 2-phenyl-4 methyl-5-oxazolone and for the cations formed by protonation of these bases on their imino nitrogens. Structures and relative energies for isomers generated by protonation at each of the four heteroatoms of 2-(aminomethyl)-5-oxazolone are reported. Lithium and silver cations both add to 2-(aminomethyl)-5-oxazolone, but unlike the proton, they bind with two heteroatoms simultaneously. For both the lithiated and argentinated 2-(aminomethyl)-5-oxazolone cations the lowest energy isomers have the metal coordinated with the two nitrogen atoms. Proton affinities of these bases are in the range 217.0-221 kcal mol -1 , with the methyl group at C4 increasing the proton affinity by 3 kcal mol -1 . Single-point calculations were performed at MP4(fc)/6-311++G(2df,p)//B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) for 2-(aminomethyl)-5-oxazolone, diketopiperazine, glycine, and alanine and their conjugate acids. The proton affinities from this level of theory are lower by as much as 2.7 kcal mol -1 than those calculated at B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p). Enthalpies of formation calculated at B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) from isodesmic reactions for glycine, alanine, and their conjugate acids are all within 1 kcal mol -1 of the experimental values, but those calculated at MP4 deviate by as much as 4.8 kcal mol -1 . Enthalpies of formation from atomization reactions at the MP4 level are in larger disagreement with experimental values.

The presence of an interacting water or methanol molecule has been shown to catalyze the 1,3-proton shift in a peptide linkage between the tautomers of protonated formamide and glycylglycylglycine. Density functional theory calculations at the B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) level of theory show that, for glycylglycylglycine, the forward barrier of this shift decreases from a free energy at 298 K of 39.6 kcal/mol in the absence of solvent to 26.7 kcal/mol in the presence of water and to 22.0 kcal/mol in the presence of methanol. Protonation at the amide nitrogen of the second residue results in a large increase in the C -N bond distance from 1.336 to 1.519 A, whereas protonation at the carbonyl oxygen leads to a decrease in the C-N bond distance from 1.336 to 1.321 A. Solvent-catalyzed tautomerism may play an important role in the fragmentation of electrosprayed, protonated peptides in the gas phase.

The complexation of the Pt-based anti-cancer drug oxaliplatin (OxPt) with biological ligands other than DNA is believed to be a major cellular sink for the drug reducing its therapeutic effect and acting as a potential cause of toxicity. In this paper, linear ion trap electrospray ionization mass spectrometry was employed to study the interaction of oxaliplatin with the cytoplasmic thiol containing tripeptide ligand γ-l-glutamyl-l-cysteinyl-glycine (GSH) this being the most abundant low-molecular-weight thiol containing molecule in human cells. Evidence of protonated dimers and multimers of oxaliplatin, protonated multimers of glutathione as well as several different combinations of these protonated species is presented. Most species observed were unambiguously assigned and compared to their theoretical isotopic patterns. Fragmentation of the collisionally-activated protonated complex of glutathione with oxaliplatin [GSH + OxPt + H](+) resulted in the formation of several species. No experimental evidence for [GSH + H](+) formation from the [OxPt + GSH + H](+) precursor was observed. Density functional calculations at B3LYP/LANL2DZ were used to obtain structural information and relative free energies of different isomers of the observed precursor [OxPt + GSH + H](+) both in the gas phase and in solution as well as to probe its fragmentation, highlighting mechanisms that account for all the experimental results. Data are presented to show several binding modes between electron rich sites such as S, N, O centers of GSH and the Pt metal of oxaliplatin. Calculations were also employed to obtain proton affinities and free energies of key reactions. The proton affinities of GSH and OxPt at 298 K were calculated to be 255.3 and 233.5 kcal mol(-1) respectively. The enthalpy and free energy, based on the most thermodynamically favored conformers of the reactants and products, for the addition reaction [Pt(dach)](2+) + [GSH - H](-) → [GSH - H + Pt(dach)](+) (where dach represents diaminocyclohexane) in the gas phase at 298 K were determined to be -311.3 and -290.2 kcal mol(-1) respectively. Similarly, the enthalpy of the gas phase reaction [Pt(dach)](2+) + GSH → [GSH + Pt(dach)](2+) at 298 K was determined to be -169.2 kcal mol(-1).

This paper describes a set of fast and selective high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods coupled to electro-spray ionisation linear ion trap mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), sector-field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SF-ICP-MS) and UV detection for in vitro studies of the bifunctional adducts of oxaliplatin with mono-nucleotides, di-nucleotides and cellular DNA. The stationary phases and the optimised conditions used for each separation are discussed. Interaction of oxaliplatin with A and G mono-nucleotides resulted in the formation of five bifunctional platinum diaminocyclohexane (DACHPt) adducts. These were two isomers of the A-DACHPt-A and A-DACHPt-G adducts, and one G-DACHPt-G adduct, as confirmed by MS/MS spectra obtained by collision induced dissociation. These adducts were also characterised by UV absorption data and SF-ICP-MS elemental (195)Pt and (31)P signals. Further, interaction of oxaliplatin with AG and GG di-nucleotides resulted in the formation of three adducts: DACHPt-GG and two isomers of the DACHPt-AG adduct, as confirmed by ESI-MS and the complementary data obtained by UV and SF-ICP-MS. Finally, a very sensitive LC-ICP-MS method for the quantification of oxaliplatin GG intra-strand adducts (DACHPt-GG) was developed and used for monitoring the in vitro formation and repair of these adducts in human colorectal cancer cells. The method detection limit was 0.14 ppb Pt which was equivalent to 0.22 Pt adduct per 10(6) nucleotides based on a 10 μg DNA sample. This detection limit makes this method suitable for in vivo assessment of DACHPt-GG adducts in patients undergoing oxaliplatin chemotherapy.

The complexation of the Pt-based anti-cancer drug oxaliplatin (OxPt) with biological ligands other than DNA is believed to be a major cellular sink for the drug reducing its therapeutic potential and acting as a potential cause of toxicity. In this paper, the very first hypothesis driven investigation of the role of the naturally abundant cytoplasmic dipeptide ligand β-alanyl-l-histidine dipeptide (carnosine) in OxPt detoxification is presented. In vitro studies on hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells suggest that carnosine may inhibit the cytotoxic action of OxPt most likely through the formation of complexes that are less cytotoxic than OxPt alone. Evidence is provided to suggest that pre-exposure of HepG2 cells to elevated levels of carnosine appears to have a lasting effect on reducing the cytotoxicity of OxPt even after the removal of the externally added carnosine. This effect, however, is likely under kinetic control as its magnitude was shown not to vary significantly with the level of carnosine exposure within the concentration range used in this study. Various mass spectrometry techniques employing electrospray ionization and chip nanospray were employed to study the interaction of oxaliplatin with carnosine as well as two of its derivatives β-alanyl-N-methylhistidine (anserine) and N-acetylcarnosine (NAC). Evidence of complexation between OxPt and each of the three ligands examined is presented. Most species observed were unambiguously assigned and compared to their theoretical isotopic patterns. Common fragmentation products due to the collisionally-activated protonated complexes of each of the ligands examined with OxPt, [M + OxPt + H](+), where M = carnosine, anserine or NAC, were reported. Density functional calculations at the B3LYP/LANL2DZ level were used to obtain structural information and relative free energies of different isomers of the observed precursor [Carnosine + OxPt + H](+) both in the gas phase and in solution as well as to probe its fragmentation, highlighting plausible fragmentation mechanisms that account for all the experimental results. Data are presented to show several binding modes between electron rich sites such as N and O centers of carnosine and the Pt metal of OxPt. Calculations were also employed to obtain proton affinities and free energies of key reactions. The proton affinities of carnosine, anserine and NAC at 298 K were calculated to be 254.4, 255.9 and 250.2 kcal mol(-1) respectively. To the best of our knowledge the proton affinities of anserine and N-acetyl-carnosine are the first reported values in the literature.

Collision-induced dissociation experiments on the Ag+–phenylalanine complex using several collision energies were shown to yield ten different fragment ions. Unambiguous assignment of these fragment ions were made by careful analysis of deuterium labeling experiments. The losses of H2O, CO, CO2, and AgH were commonly observed; also encountered were the losses of H2, Ag, and H. Deuterium labeling experiments and density functional calculations have been employed to probe fragmentation mechanisms that account for all experimental results.