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To detect and characterise compounds in complex matrices, it is often necessary to separate the compound of interest from the matrix before analysis. In our previous work, we have developed the coupling of supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for the analysis of nonpolar samples [Van Zelst et al., Anal. Chem., 2018, 90, 10457]. In this work, the SFC–NMR setup was successfully adapted to analyse polar samples in complex matrices. In-line SFC–NMR analysis of two N-acetylhexosamine stereoisomers was demonstrated, namely N-acetyl-mannosamine (ManNAc) and N-acetyl-glucosamine (GlcNAc). ManNAc is a metabolite that is present at elevated concentrations in patients suffering from NANS-mediated disease. With our SFC–NMR setup it was possible to distinguish between the polar stereoisomers. Until now, this was not possible with the standard mass-based analysis techniques. The concentrations that are needed in the SFC–NMR setup are currently too high to be able to detect ManNAc in patient samples (1.7 mM vs. 0.7 mM). However, several adaptations to the current setup will make this possible in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The molecular structures of six open-shell z3-ions resulting from electron transfer dissociation mass spectrometry (ETD MS) were investigated using infrared ion spectroscopy in the 800–1850 and 3200–3700 cm−1 spectral ranges in combination with density functional theory and molecular mechanics/molecular dynamics calculations. We assess in particular the question of whether the radical remains at the Cα-site of the backbone cleavage, or whether it migrates by H-atom transfer to another, energetically more favorable position. Calculations performed herein as well as by others show that radical migration to an amino acid side chain or to an α-carbon along the peptide backbone can lead to structures that are more stable, by up to 33 kJ mol−1 for the systems investigated here, by virtue of resonance stabilization of the radical in these alternative positions. Nonetheless, for four out of the six z3-ions considered here, our results quite clearly indicate that radical migration does not occur, suggesting that the radical is kinetically trapped at the site of ETD cleavage. For the two remaining systems, a structural assignment is less secure and we suggest that a mixture of migrated and unmigrated structures may be formed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]