Mass spectrometric studies of the path of carbon in photosynthesis: positional isotopic analysis of (13)C-labelled C(4) to C(7) sugar phosphates.
The (EIMS) electron ionization mass spectrometric fragmentation patterns of the methoxime- and ethoxime-trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives of C(4) to C(7) sugars involved as phosphates in the Calvin pathway of photosynthesis in plants were analysed by gas chromatography/EIMS using specifically labelled (13)C analogs. In general, most but not all of the major ions in the mass spectra arise from single carbon-carbon bond cleavages of the straight-chain derivatives. The results confirm that GC/MS of the alkoxime-TMS derivatives is a viable method for measuring (13)C incorporations at individual carbon atoms in each of the sugar phosphates during photosynthetic experiments with (13)CO(2).
MacLeod
J K
JK
Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia. macleod@rsc.anu.edu.au
Flanigan
I L
IL
Williams
J F
JF
Collins
J G
JG
D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010788:Photosynthesis; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D013403:Sugar Phosphates / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D013403:Sugar Phosphates; D002244:Carbon