Comparison of fragmentation modes for the structural determination of complex oligosaccharides ionized by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

Fragment ions from underivatized N-linked oligosaccharides ionized by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry were obtained by spontaneous fragmentation on a magnetic sector mass spectrometer, by post-source decay (PSD) on a reflectron time-of-flight (TOF) instrument and by collision-induced dissociation on a magnetic sector instrument fitted with an orthagonal-TOF analyser. Spontaneous fragmentation on the magnetic sector instrument produced ions mainly by glycosidic cleavage together with two abundant ions formed by cross-ring cleavage of the reducing-terminal residue. The PSD spectra were similar, the majority of ions being formed by glycosidic cleavage. Internal fragment ions were abundant. High-energy collision-induced dissociation spectra recorded with the orthagonal-TOF analyser, differed considerably from the other types of spectra, particularly in the appearance of major fragment ions produced by cross-ring cleavages of most of the constituent monosaccharide residues. These ions allowed much sequence and branching information to be obtained from the oligosaccharide.