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Rationale: Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) dissociation pathways can vary markedly between compound classes and can result in challenging and time-consuming interpretation of the data. Compound, class and substructure specific fragmentation rules for protonated molecules require refinement to aid the structural elucidation process., Methods: The application of a predictive science approach using density functional theory (DFT) calculations has been investigated to estimate the abundances of first-generation product ions observed using an ion trap mass spectrometer. This has been achieved by application of Boltzmann population theory to electrospray ionisation (ESI)-MS and MS/MS data., Results: Tandem ESI-MS data for this preliminary study were used to investigate the internal stabilities of protonated species and their product ions. The calculated relative abundances of 11.3%, 96.5%, and 1.1% for the product ion (m/z 192) of three quinazoline structural isomers are compared with the experimental values of 16%, 90% and 0% observed in the first-generation product ion mass spectra., Conclusions: Close correlation between calculated and experimental data has been demonstrated for these initial data. Applying this approach and establishing fragmentation rules, based on structure specific and common fragmentation behaviour, would improve and expedite the structural elucidation process., (Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Capillary electrophoresis/mass spectrometry (CE/MS) is predominantly carried out using electrospray ionization (ESI). Recently, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) have become available for CE/MS. With the VUV lamp turned off, the APPI source may also be used for CE/MS by thermospray ionization (TSI). In the present study the suitability of ESI, APCI, APPI and TSI for drug impurity profiling by CE/MS in the positive ion mode is evaluated. The drugs carbachol, lidocaine and proguanil and their potential impurities were used as test compounds, representing different molecular polarities. A background electrolyte of 100 mM acetic acid (pH 4.5) provided baseline separation of nearly all impurities from the respective drugs. APPI yielded both even- and odd-electron ions, whereas the other ionization techniques produced even-electron ions only. In-source fragmentation was more pronounced with APCI and APPI than with ESI and TSI, which was most obvious for proguanil and its impurities. In general, ESI and TSI appeared the most efficient ionization techniques for impurities that are charged in solution achieving detection limits of 100 ng/mL (full-scan mode). APPI and APCI showed a lower efficiency, but allowed ionization of low and high polarity analytes, although quaternary ammonium compounds (e.g. carbachol) could not be detected. Largely neutral compounds, such as the lidocaine impurity 2,6-dimethylaniline, could not be detected by TSI, and yielded similar detection limits (500 ng/mL) for ESI, APPI and APCI. In many cases, impurity detection at the 0.1% (w/w) level was possible when 1 mg/mL of parent drug was injected with at least one of the CE/MS systems. Overall, the tested CE/MS systems provide complementary information as illustrated by the detection and identification of an unknown impurity in carbachol., (Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)