Fundamental Processes in Electron Capture Dissociation: Peptides, Polymers and Fullerenes

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

A molecule's structure defines its reactivity and, in the case of biomolecules, its function. It is therefore important to be able to elucidate molecular structure. Mass spectrometry is a technique which enables measurement of the mass of a molecule. Structural information may be gleaned by fragmenting the molecule and measuring the masses of its constituent parts. Dissociation of a molecule followed by mass measurement of the fragments is known as tandem mass spectrometry. Several established techniques exist for inducing fragmentation however each has limitations, such as the inability to cleave certain chemical bonds.Electron capture dissociation (ECD) is a recently developed tandem mass spectrometry technique which shows a number of advantages for the structural analysis of peptides and proteins. However, the mechanism by which ECD occurs is not clearly defined and we cannot be certain that we are realising the potential of this analytical technique. Furthermore, the ECD of other molecular structures has not been comprehensively addressed.The proposed work will address ECD as an analytical technique in a broader context than previous investigations. We will define the ECD behaviour of particular peptides, polymers and fullerenes. The main outcome will be a better understanding of the mechanisms of ECD. As a result, it will be possible to optimise ECD performance and gain maximum structural information for a variety of molecular structures.