title: Atmospheric pressure gas-phase H/D exchange of serine octamers.
abstract: The recently discovered homochiral serine octamer has been a focus of interest because of its possible implications for the origin of homochirality in living systems. Electrospray ionization (ESI) and sonic spray ionization (SSI) tandem mass spectrometry have been used to generate this unusually stable magic number cluster. Several structures have been suggested for the serine octamer, based on tandem mass spectrometry, ion mobility measurements, and quantum mechanical calculations. We now report experimental hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange data, which demonstrate the existence of two different structures for the serine octamer. These forms undergo exchange at significantly different rates. One form may correspond to solution-phase assembled clusters and the other to octamers formed during the ionization process. Experiments done at higher resolution confirm that the experimental observations made here apply to the serine octamer without interference from metaclusters, namely, higher order clusters (Ser(16) + 2H)(+2), etc., the (12)C isotopes of which have mass-to-charge ratios identical to the protonated octamers. H/D exchange of racemic serine shows predominantly the extensively exchanged ion population, as well as providing evidence that racemic serine generates abundant metaclusters. The evidence presented here shows that one type of serine octamer is responsible for the strong chiral effects associated with the formation of these magic number clusters. These slowly exchanging more fragile clusters are the octamers that might have played a role in homochirogenesis.
authors: Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA.
authors: Zoltan
authors: Z
authors: Takats
authors: Sergio C
authors: SC
authors: Nanita
authors: Gitta
authors: G
authors: Schlosser
authors: Karoly
authors: K
authors: Vekey
authors: R Graham
authors: RG
authors: Cooks
mesh_terms: D001274:Atmospheric Pressure; D003903:Deuterium / Q000737:chemistry; D041961:Deuterium Exchange Measurement; D005740:Gases / Q000737:chemistry*; D007536:Isomerism; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D012694:Serine / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005740:Gases; D012694:Serine; D003903:Deuterium