Many methods, often depending on tandem mass spectrometry,
have
been developed for analysis of complex mixtures of triacylglycerols
(TAGs), especially in clinical diagnostics and food authentication.
Understanding the fragmentation mechanisms of cationized TAGs has
proved problematic. To obtain a better understanding of viable mechanisms,
detailed studies including double- and triple-stage tandem mass spectrometry
were made using electrospray ionization on lithiated and sodiated
tripropanoyl- and trihexanoylglycerols. Density functional theory
computations, including a functional parameterized for van der Waals
interactions, were used to correlate computed energies with mass spectra.
Losses of both a neutral salt and a neutral acid corresponding to
a glycerol side chain were observed as major product ions in MS2 experiments. Signal intensities at low collision energies
correlated well with computed energies. However, an important difference
between the lithiated and sodiated ions was the appearance of the
sodium cation as a major fragmentation product. Computations on the
product ions resulting from the loss of a neutral acid indicated multiple
structures for the lithiated ions but mainly a single structure for
the sodiated ions. The lithiated product ions could be fragmented
further (pseudo-MS3) to give additional structural information,
whereas the sodiated ions gave only m/z 23. The longer
chain TAG, while giving a much less intense mass spectrum than the
shorter chain TAG, gave comparable MS2 and MS3 product ion spectra. Taken together, the spectral and computational
work described herein offer a new and detailed pathway for collision-induced
fragmentation of lithiated and sodiated saturated TAGs.