A fragmentation study on four C₁₉-diterpenoid alkaloids by electrospray ionization ion-trap time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry

Abstract

High-resolution electrospray ionization ion-trap time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-IT-TOF-MSⁿ) in positive-ion mode was used to determine the accurate masses and fragmentation pathways of four C₁₉-diterpenoid alkaloids, aconitine (1), yunnaconitine (2), crassicauline A (3), and benzoylmesaconine (4). The [M+H]⁺ ions of compounds 1–4 were readily observed in conventional single-stage mass spectrometry. Based on the MS^1–6 analyses, detailed fragmentation rules of the four compounds were proposed. The neutral losses of AcOH, MeOH, H₂O, CO, C₂H₄, PhCOOH and p-OMePhCOOH segments were the characteristic eliminations from the precursor ions due to the presence of acetyl, methoxyl, hydroxyl, N-ethyl, benzoyl and p-methoxyl-benzoyl units in the structures. Benefited from the high resolution of the mass analyzer, the loss of 28 Da corresponding to CO or CH₄ segment in product ions was unambiguously distinguished. The losing sequence of the main substituent groups was summarized as: C(8)-acetyl>C(16)-methotyl>C(15)-hydroxyl>C(6)-methoxyl>C(1)-methoxyl/C(3)-hydroxyl>C(18)-methoxyl>>C(13)-hydroxyl. The sequential loss of (16)-methoxyl moiety and CO (generating from enol–ketone tautomerism) groups could be recognized as the characteristic eliminations for the compounds with C(16)-methoxyl and C(15)-hydroxyl groups simultaneously. The application of HR-ESI-IT-TOF-MSⁿ technique to investigate the fragmentation of C₁₉-diterpenoid alkaloids provided useful information to understand their fragmentation behaviors.

Keywords::

• Ranunculaceae
• Aconitum
• HR-ESI-IT-TOF-MSⁿ
• Fragmentation rules
• C₁₉-diterpenoid alkaloids

Acknowledgments

This study was financed by the National Science Foundation of China for Distinguished Young Scholars (81025023), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81202436), and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association, CAS.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.