title: Ion trap mass spectrometry of trimethylsilylamides following gas chromatography.
abstract: Fatty acid amides are a class of compounds with newly discovered biological activity. The ion trap mass spectrometric characteristics of silylated fatty acid amides were examined. Silylation of primary fatty acid amides is required prior to gas chromatography owing to thermal instability of the underivatized compound. The trimethylsilylated amides do not yield a molecular ion under normal electron ionization conditions (70 eV). With methane as a chemical ionization gas, the [M+H]+ ion appears. The [M+H]+ ion also appears when the helium buffer gas pressure is increased in the ion trap. There are three fragments other than the [M+H]+ peak that are predominant in the ion trap mass spectra of these compounds. Two of the fragments have been reported previously, namely the m/z 59 and the [M-71]+ fragments. The fragment of m/z 72 was identified and is the result of a rearrangement. Isotopic labeling was used to confirm fragment identity and the composition of the rearrangement products. Fragmentation patterns were affected by the amide chain length and concentration.
authors.affiliation: Duquesne University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15282-1530, USA.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Gee
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Groen
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000577:Amides / Q000737:chemistry*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D014297:Trimethylsilyl Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000577:Amides; D005227:Fatty Acids; D014297:Trimethylsilyl Compounds