Mass spectrometry of pertrimethysilyl neuraminic acid derivatives

Abstract

The mass spectra of the trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives of the methyl and trideuteriomethyl esters of N-acetylneuraminic acid, the methyl ester of N-glycolylneuraminic acid, the methyl ester methyl beta-glycoside of N-acetylneuraminic acid, the trideuteriomethyl ester trideuteriomethyl beta-glycoside of N-acetylneuraminic acid, and the methyl esters of the (2¡ú3)- and (2¡ú6)-linked isomers of N-acetylneuraminic acid¡ªlactose are discussed. The characteristic fragmentation patterns of the sialic acid derivatives can be used for the identification of this type of carbohydrate. The (2¡ú3)- and (2¡ú6)-linked isomers of N-acetylneuraminic acid¡ªlactose can be differentiated.