Ion
mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) is a powerful technique
for structural characterization, e.g., sizing and conformation, particularly
when combined with quantitative modeling and comparison to theoretical
values. Traveling wave IM-MS (TW-IM-MS) has recently become commercially
available to nonspecialist groups and has been exploited in the structural
study of large biomolecules, however reliable calibrants for large
anions have not been available. Polyoxometalate (POM) species—nanoscale
inorganic anions—share many of the facets of large biomolecules,
however, the full potential of IM-MS in their study has yet to be
realized due to a lack of suitable calibration data or validated theoretical
models. Herein we address these limitations by reporting DT-IM (drift
tube) data for a set of POM clusters {M12} Keggin 1, {M18} Dawson 2, and two {M7} Anderson derivatives 3 and 4 which
demonstrate their use as a TW-IM-MS calibrant set to facilitate characterization
of very large (ca. 1–4 nm) anionic species. The data was also
used to assess the validity of standard techniques to model the collision
cross sections of large inorganic anions using the nanoscale family
of compounds based upon the {Se2W29} unit including
the trimer, {Se8W86O299} A, tetramer, {Se8W116O408} B, and hexamer {Se12W174O612} C, including their relative sizing in solution. Furthermore,
using this data set, we demonstrated how IM-MS can be used to conveniently
characterize and identify the synthesis of two new, i.e., previously
unreported POM species, {P8W116}, unknown D, and {Te8W116}, unknown E, which are not amenable to analysis by other means with the approximate
formulation of [H34W118X8M2O416]44–, where X = P and M = Co for D and X = Te and M = Mn for E. This work establishes
a new type of inorganic calibrant for IM-MS allowing sizing, structural
analysis, and discovery of molecular nanostructures directly from
solution.