title: Mass spectrometry of partially methylated alditol acetates derived from hydroxyethyl starch.
abstract: The degradation and derivatization of hydroxyethyl starch to partially methylated alditol acetates (PMAAs) allows its detection by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The derivatization was performed by permethylation of the carbohydrate, hydrolysis of the permethylated polysaccharide, reduction of the resulting monosaccharides to alditoles and finally acetylation. A close similarity in the fragmentation of the PMAAs obtained was observed in both electron ionization (EI) and chemical ionization (CI) mass spectra owing to the comparable structures of the derivatives. CI measurements permitted the recognition of introduced hydroxyethyl groups in the glucose residues by detection of [M(+)+1]-60 signals. Investigations concerning the EI fragmentation schemes allowed secure determinations of monohydroxyethyl monosaccharides and differentiations between the possible positions (C-2, C-3 and C-6) of the substituted hydroxyethyl groups. Proposed generations of the main fragment ions are presented.
authors.affiliation: Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln, Institut für Biochemie, Carl-Diem-Weg 6, 50933 Cologne, Germany. mario@biochem.dshs-koeln.de
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thevis
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Opfermann
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schänzer
mesh_terms: D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D006895:Hydroxyethyl Starch Derivatives / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D008745:Methylation; D013402:Sugar Alcohols / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D006895:Hydroxyethyl Starch Derivatives; D013402:Sugar Alcohols