Abstract. In this study, we report on the use of differential mobility spectrometry (DMS) as a tool for studying tautomeric species, allowing a more in-depth interrogation of these elusive isomers using ion/molecule reactions and tandem mass spectrometry. As an example, we revisit a case study in which gas-phase hydrogendeuterium exchange (HDX)-a probe of ion structure in mass spectrometry-actually altered analyte ion structure by tautomerization. For the N-and O-protonated tautomers of 4-aminobenzoic acid, when separated using DMS and subjected to subsequent HDX with trace levels of D 2 O, the anticipated difference between the exchange rates of the two tautomers is observed. However, when using higher levels of D 2 O or a more basic reagent, equivalent and almost complete exchange of all labile protons is observed. This second observation is a result of the interconversion of the N-protonated tautomer to the Oprotonated form during HDX. We can monitor this transformation experimentally, with support from detailed molecular dynamics and electronic structure calculations. In fact, calculations suggest the onset of bulk solution phase properties for 4-aminobenzoic acid upon solvation with eight CH 3 OH molecules. These findings also underscore the need for choosing HDX reagents and conditions judiciously when separating interconvertible isomers using DMS.

The microsolvated state of a molecule, represented by its interactions with only a small number of solvent molecules, can play a key role in determining the observable bulk properties of the molecule. This is especially true in cases where strong local hydrogen bonding exists between the molecule and the solvent. One method that can probe the microsolvated states of charged molecules is differential mobility spectrometry (DMS), which rapidly interrogates an ion’s transitions between a solvated and desolvated state in the gas phase (i.e., few solvent molecules present). However, can the results of DMS analyses of a class of molecules reveal information about the bulk physicochemical properties of those species? Our findings presented here show that DMS behaviors correlate strongly with the measured solution phase pKa and pKb values, and cell permeabilities of a set of structurally related drug molecules, even yielding high-resolution discrimination between isomeric forms of these drugs. This is due to DMS’s ability to separate species based upon only subtle (yet predictable) changes in structure: the same subtle changes that can influence isomers’ different bulk properties. Using 2-methylquinolin-8-ol as the core structure, we demonstrate how DMS shows promise for rapidly and sensitively probing the physicochemical properties of molecules, with particular attention paid to drug candidates at the early stage of drug development. This study serves as a foundation upon which future drug molecules of different structural classes could be examined.