Oxide Acidity Modulates Structural Transformations in Hydrogen Titanates during Electrochemical Li-Ion Insertion
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The Interplay of Al and Mg Speciation in Advanced Mg Battery Electrolyte Solutions
Mg batteries are an attractive alternative to Li-based energy storage due to the possibility of higher volumetric capacities with the added advantage of using sustainable materials. A promising emerging electrolyte for Mg batteries is the magnesium aluminum chloride complex (MACC) which shows high Mg electrodeposition and stripping efficiencies and relatively high anodic stabilities. As prepared, MACC is inactive with respect to Mg deposition; however, efficient Mg electrodeposition can be achieved following an electrolytic conditioning process. Through the use of Raman spectroscopy, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy, 27Al and 35Cl nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and pair distribution function analysis, we explore the active vs inactive complexes in the MACC electrolyte and demonstrate the codependence of Al and Mg speciation. These techniques report on significant changes occurring in the bulk speciation of the conditioned electrolyte relative to the as-prepared solution. Analysis shows that the active Mg complex in conditioned MACC is very likely the [Mg2(μ–Cl)3·6THF]+ complex that is observed in the solid state structure. Additionally, conditioning creates free Cl– in the electrolyte solution, and we suggest the free Cl– adsorbs at the electrode surface to enhance Mg electrodeposition.
25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
Photocatalytic Conversion of Nitrobenzene to Aniline through Sequential Proton-Coupled One-Electron Transfers from a Cadmium Sulfide Quantum Dot
This paper describes the use of cadmium sulfide quantum dots (CdS QDs) as visible-light photocatalysts for the reduction of nitrobenzene to aniline through six sequential photoinduced, proton-coupled electron transfers. At pH 3.6–4.3, the internal quantum yield of photons-to-reducing electrons is 37.1% over 54 h of illumination, with no apparent decrease in catalyst activity. Monitoring of the QD exciton by transient absorption reveals that, for each step in the catalytic cycle, the sacrificial reductant, 3-mercaptopropionic acid, scavenges the excitonic hole in ~5 ps to form QD •– ; electron transfer to nitrobenzene or the intermediates nitrosobenzene and phenylhydroxylamine then occurs on the nanosecond time scale. The rate constants for the single-electron transfer reactions are correlated with the driving forces for the corresponding proton-coupled electron transfers. This result suggests, but does not prove, that electron transfer, not proton transfer, is rate-limiting for these reactions. Furthermore, nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of the QD–molecule systems shows that the photoproduct aniline, left unprotonated, serves as a poison for the QD catalyst by adsorbing to its surface. Performing the reaction at an acidic pH not only encourages aniline to desorb but also increases the probability of protonated intermediates; the latter effect probably ensures that recruitment of protons is not rate-limiting.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Tracking Sodium-Antimonide Phase Transformations in Sodium-Ion Anodes: Insights from Operando Pair Distribution Function Analysis and Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy
Operando pair distribution function (PDF) analysis and ex situ Na-23 magic-angle spinning solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS ssNMR) spectroscopy are used to gain insight into the alloying mechanism of high-capacity antimony anodes for sodium-ion batteries. Subtraction of the PDF of crystalline NaxSb phases from the total PDF, an approach constrained by chemical phase information gained from Na-23 ssNMR in reference to relevant model compounds, identifies two previously uncharacterized intermediate species formed electro-chemically; a-Na3-xSb (x approximate to 0.4-0.5), a structure locally similar to crystalline Na3Sb (c-Na3Sb) but with significant numbers of sodium vacancies and a limited correlation length, and a-Na1.7Sb, a highly amorphous structure featuring some Sb-Sb bonding. The first sodiation breaks down the crystalline antimony to form first a-Na3-xSb and, finally, crystalline Na3Sb. Desodiation results in the formation of an electrode formed of a composite of crystalline and amorphous antimony networks. We link the different reactivity of these networks to a series of sequential sodiation reactions manifesting as a cascade of processes observed in the electrochemical profile of subsequent cycles. The amorphofis network reacts at higher voltages reforming a-Na1.7Sb, then a-Na3-xSb, whereas lower potentials are required for the sodiation of crystalline antimony, which reacts to form a-Na3-xSb without the formation of a-Na3-xSb. a-Na3-xSb is converted to crystalline Na3Sb at the end of the second discharge. We find no evidence of formation of NaSb. Variable temperature Na-23 NMR experiments reveal significant sodium mobility within c-Na3Sb; this is a possible contributing factor to the excellent rate performance of Sb anodes.
Allan, Phoebe K.↗
Mg-Ion Conduction in Antiperovskite Solid Electrolytes Revealed by 25 Mg Ultrahigh Field NMR and First-Principles Calculations
Magnesium-ion batteries hold the potential to outperform the energy density of lithium-ion batteries, given the divalent charge carried by each Mg 2+ cation, but remain in an early stage of development. Here, in this study, 25 Mg solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) is used to gain insight into the local structure and Mg-ion dynamics of candidate Mg-ion solid electrolytes, the antiperovskites Mg 3 SbN and Mg 3 AsN. Using the highest available magnetic field (35.2 T) for high-resolution solid-state NMR, the largest 25 Mg quadrupole coupling constants (C Q ) yet measured of up to 22 MHz are reported and corroborated by first-principles calculations. Predicted C Q values are shown to correlate with the antiperovskite’s tolerance factor; thus, 25 Mg NMR linewidths can report on lattice distortions and phase stability of these antiperovskites. Variable-temperature 25 Mg NMR spectra demonstrate changes at elevated temperatures, ascribed to Mg-ion motional effects. 25 Mg T 1 relaxometry measurements at ultrahigh field reveal a lower activation energy for the more distorted Mg 3 AsN phase, matching computational predictions of a lower energy barrier for Mg 2+ ion migration and suggesting that additional scrutiny of antiperovskites as Mg-ion conductors is warranted. Given the inherent challenges of 25 Mg NMR, this work demonstrates the benefits of combining ultrahigh field NMR spectroscopy, advanced pulse sequences, modern signal processing, and first-principles calculations to facilitate NMR of quadrupolar nuclei as a tool to probe the local structure and ion dynamics in beyond-Li battery materials.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
A Post-translational Histidine–Histidine Cross-Link Enhances Enzymatic Oxygen Reduction Activity with Greater pH Adaptability
Cross-linked protein residues exist as enzyme cofactors to enable or enhance catalytic activities. Despite their importance in nature, the chemical identity of the cross-links is limited to certain amino acid combinations, whose function and the formation mechanism remain insufficiently understood due to the difficulty in isolating native enzymes without the cross-links. Herein, we report the formation and characterization of both His-Tyr and His-His cross-links under oxidative enzymatic turnover conditions in L29H/F33Y/F43H Mb, a structural and functional model of heme-copper oxidase (HCO). The connectivity of the cross-link was characterized as Ne ε2 (His29)-Cd δ2 (His43) by mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Interestingly, formation of the cross-link significantly enhances the oxygen reduction activity of the enzyme at neutral or basic pH with higher product specificity. X-ray crystallography has identified a novel Tyr-His cross-link through a Tyr-O-His linkage. Our mechanistic studies indicate the involvement of high-valent heme-iron and the neighboring tyrosine in an oxidative self-processing pathway to generate the cross-link. In conclusion, this work serves as a new example while providing insights into the enzyme cross-link formation, allowing the design of artificial biocatalysts containing these novel cross-links with higher activity and pH adaptability.
Liu, Yiwei [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United Sta↗
Unexpected Diffusion Anisotropy of Carbon Dioxide in the Metal–Organic Framework Zn 2 (dobpdc)
Metal–organic frameworks are promising materials for energy-efficient gas separations, but little is known about the diffusion of adsorbates in materials featuring one-dimensional porosity at the nanoscale. An understanding of the interplay between framework structure and gas diffusion is crucial for the practical application of these materials as adsorbents or in mixed-matrix membranes, since the rate of gas diffusion within the adsorbent pores impacts the required size (and therefore cost) of the adsorbent column or membrane. In this paper, we investigate the diffusion of CO 2 within the pores of Zn 2 (dobpdc) (dobpdc 4– = 4,4'-dioxidobiphenyl-3,3'-dicarboxylate) using pulsed field gradient (PFG) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The residual chemical shift anisotropy for pore-confined CO 2 allows PFG NMR measurements of self-diffusion in different crystallographic directions, and our analysis of the entire NMR line shape as a function of the applied field gradient provides a precise determination of the self-diffusion coefficients. In addition to observing CO 2 diffusion through the channels parallel to the crystallographic c axis (self-diffusion coefficient D ∥ = (5.8 ± 0.1) × 10 –9 m 2 s –1 at a pressure of 625 mbar CO 2 ), we unexpectedly find that CO 2 is also able to diffuse between the hexagonal channels in the crystallographic ab plane (D ⊥ = (1.9 ± 0.2) × 10 –10 m 2 s –1 ), despite the walls of these channels appearing impermeable by single-crystal X-ray crystallography and flexible lattice MD simulations. Finally, observation of such unexpected diffusion in the ab plane suggests the presence of defects that enable effective multidimensional CO 2 transport in a metal–organic framework with nominally one-dimensional porosity.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Universal Dynamics of Molecular Reorientation in Hybrid Lead Iodide Perovskites
The role of organic molecular cations in the high-performance perovskite photovoltaic absorbers, methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI 3 ) and formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI 3 ), has been an enigmatic subject of great interest. Beyond aiding in the ease of processing of thin films for photovoltaic devices, there have been suggestions that many of the remarkable properties of the halide perovskites can be attributed to the dipolar nature and the dynamic behavior of these cations. Herein, we determine the dynamics of the molecular cations in FAPbI 3 between 4 K and 340 K and the nature of their interaction with the surrounding inorganic cage using a combination of solid state nuclear magnetic resonance and dielectric spectroscopies, neutron scattering, calorimetry, and ab initio calculations. Detailed comparisons with the reported temperature dependence of the dynamics of MAPbI 3 are then carried out which reveal the molecular ions in the two different compounds to exhibit very similar rotation rates (≈8 ps) at room temperature, despite differences in other temperature regimes. For FA, rotation about the N···N axis, which reorients the molecular dipole, is the dominant motion in all phases, with an activation barrier of ≈21 meV in the ambient phase, compared to ≈110 meV for the analogous dipole reorientation of MA. Geometrical frustration of the molecule–cage interaction in FAPbI 3 produces a disordered γ-phase and subsequent glassy freezing at yet lower temperatures. Hydrogen bonds suggested by atom–atom distances from neutron total scattering experiments imply a substantial role for the molecules in directing structure and dictating properties. The temperature dependence of reorientation of the dipolar molecular cations systematically described here can clarify various hypotheses including those of large-polaron charge transport and fugitive electron spin polarization that have been invoked in the context of these unusual materials.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Enantioselective Recognition of Ammonium Carbamates in a Chiral Metal–Organic Framework
Abstract not provided
Martell, Jeffrey D.↗
Elucidating CO 2 Chemisorption in Diamine-Appended Metal–Organic Frameworks
The widespread deployment of carbon capture and sequestration as a climate change mitigation strategy could be facilitated by the development of more energy-efficient adsorbents. Diamine-appended metal-organic frameworks of the type diamine-M 2 (dobpdc) (M = Mg, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn; dobpdc 4- = 4,4'-dioxidobiphenyl-3,3'-dicarboxylate) have shown promise for carbon-capture applications, although questions remain regarding the molecular mechanisms of CO 2 uptake in these materials. Here we leverage the crystallinity and tunability of this class of frameworks to perform a comprehensive study of CO 2 chemisorption. Using multinuclear nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy experiments and van-der-Waals-corrected density functional theory (DFT) calculations for 13 diamine-M 2 (dobpdc) variants, we demonstrate that the canonical CO 2 chemisorption products, ammonium carbamate chains and carbamic acid pairs, can be readily distinguished and that ammonium carbamate chain formation dominates for diamine-Mg 2 (dobpdc) materials. In addition, we elucidate a new chemisorption mechanism in the material dmpn-Mg 2 (dobpdc) (dmpn = 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-diaminopropane), which involves the formation of a 1:1 mixture of ammonium carbamate and carbamic acid and accounts for the unusual adsorption properties of this material. Finally, we show that the presence of water plays an important role in directing the mechanisms for CO 2 uptake in diamine-M 2 (dobpdc) materials. Overall, our combined NMR and DFT approach enables a thorough depiction and understanding of CO 2 adsorption within diamine-M 2 (dobpdc) compounds, which may aid similar studies in other amine-functionalized adsorbents in the future.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Electrophilic Organoiridium(III) Pincer Complexes on Sulfated Zirconia for Hydrocarbon Activation and Functionalization
Single-site supported organometallic catalysts bring together the favorable aspects of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis while offering opportunities to investigate the impact of metal-support interactions on reactivity. We report a ( dm Phebox)Ir(III) ( dm Phebox = 2,6-bis(4,4-dimethyloxazolinyl)-3,5-dimethylphenyl) complex chemisorbed on sulfated zirconia, the molecular precursor for which was previously applied to hydrocarbon functionalization. Spectroscopic methods such as diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transformation spectroscopy (DRIFTS), dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP)-enhanced solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) were used to characterize the supported species. Tetrabutylammonium acetate was found to remove the organometallic species from the surface, enabling solution-phase analytical techniques in conjunction with traditional surface methods. Cationic character was imparted to the iridium center by its grafting onto sulfated zirconia, imbuing high levels of activity in electrophilic C–H bond functionalization reactions such as the stoichiometric dehydrogenation of alkanes, with density functional theory (DFT) calculations showing a lower barrier for β–H elimination. Catalytic hydrogenation of olefins was also facilitated by the sulfated zirconia-supported ( dm Phebox)Ir(III) complex, while the homologous complex on silica was inactive under comparable conditions.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Lithium-Doping Stabilized High-Performance P2–Na 0.66 Li 0.18 Fe 0.12 Mn 0.7 O 2 Cathode for Sodium Ion Batteries
While sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) hold great promise for large-scale electric energy storage and low speed electric vehicles, the poor capacity retention of the cathode is one of the bottlenecks in the development of SIBs. Following a strategy of using lithium doping in the transition-metal layer to stabilize the desodiated structure, we have designed and successfully synthesized a novel layered oxide cathode P2–Na 0.66 Li 0.18 Fe 0.12 Mn 0.7 O 2 , which demonstrated a high capacity of 190 mAh g –1 and a remarkably high capacity retention of ~87% after 80 cycles within a wide voltage range of 1.5–4.5 V. Furthermore, the outstanding stability is attributed to the reversible migration of lithium during cycling and the elimination of the detrimental P2–O2 phase transition, revealed by ex situ and in situ X-ray diffraction and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
Synthesis and Characterization of Single Phase Metal Dodecaboride Solid Solutions: Zr 1-x Y x B 12 and Zr 1-x U x B 12
Single-phase metal dodecaboride solid solutions, Zr 0.5 Y 0.5 B 12 and Zr 0.5 U 0.5 B 12 , were arranged by arc melting from pure elements. The phase purity and composition were established by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and 10 B and 11 B solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The effects of carbon addition to Zr 1-x Y x B 12 were studied and it was found that carbon causes fast cooling and as a result rapid nucleation of grains, as well as “templating” and patterning effects of the surface morphology. The hardness of the Zr 0.5 Y 0.5 B 12 phase is 47.6 ± 1.7 GPa at 0.49 N load, which is ~17% higher than that of its parent compounds, ZrB 12 and YB 12 , with hardness values of 41.6 ± 2.6 and 37.5 ± 4.3 GPa, respectively. The hardness of Zr 0.5 U 0.5 B 12 is ~54% higher than that of its UB 12 parent. The dodecaborides were confirmed to be metallic by band structure calculations, diffuse reflectance UV–vis, and solid-state NMR spectroscopies. The nature of the dodecaboride colors—violet for ZrB 12 and blue for YB 12 —can be applied to charge-transfer. XPS indicates that the metals are in the following oxidation states: Y 3+ , Zr 4+ , and U$^{{5+}/^{6+}}$. The superconducting transition temperatures (T c ) of the dodecaborides were determined to be 4.5 and 6.0 K for YB 12 and ZrB 12 , respectively, as shown by resistivity and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) measurements. The T c of the Zr 0.5 Y 0.5 B 12 solid solution was suppressed to 2.5 K.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Diuranium(IV) Carbide Cluster U 2 C 2 Stabilized Inside Fullerene Cages
>Novel actinide cluster fullerenes, U 2 C 2 @ I h (7)-C 80 and U 2 C 2 @ D 3 h (5)-C 78 , were synthesized and fully characterized by mass spectrometry, single-crystal X-ray crystallography, UV–vis–NIR, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), Raman spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, as well as density functional and multireference wave function calculations. The encapsulated U 2 C 2 is a novel example of a uranium carbide cluster featuring two U centers bridged by a C≡C unit. The U–C bond distances in these U 2 C 2 clusters are in the range between 2.130 and 2.421 Å. While the U 2 C 2 cluster in U 2 C 2 @C 80 adopts a butterfly-shaped geometry with a U–C 2 –U dihedral angle of 112.7° and a U–U distance of 3.855 Å, the U–U distance in U 2 C 2 @C 78 is 4.164 Å and the resulting U–C 2 –U dihedral angle is increased to 149.1°. The combined experimental and quantum-chemical results suggest that the formal U oxidation state is +4 in the U 2 C 2 cluster, and each U center transfers three electrons to the C 2 n cage and one electron to C 2 . Different from the strong U ＝ C covalent bonding reported for U 2 C 2 @ C 80 , the U–C bonds in U 2 C 2 are less covalent and predominantly ionic. The C–C triple bond is somewhat weaker than in HCCH, and the C–C π bonds undergo donation bonding with the U centers. This work shows that the combination of the unique encapsulation effect of fullerene cages and the variable oxidation states of actinide elements can lead to the stabilization of novel actinide clusters, which are not accessible by conventional synthetic methods.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
A New Class of Ionically Conducting Fluorinated Ether Electrolytes with High Electrochemical Stability
Increasing battery energy density is greatly desired for applications such as portable electronics and transportation. However, many next-generation batteries are limited by electrolyte selection because high ionic conductivity and poor electrochemical stability are typically observed in most electrolytes. For example, ether-based electrolytes have high ionic conductivity but are oxidatively unstable above 4 V, which prevents the use of high-voltage cathodes that promise higher energy densities. In contrast, hydrofluoroethers (HFEs) have high oxidative stability but do not dissolve lithium salt. Here, we synthesize a new class of fluorinated ether electrolytes that combine the oxidative stability of HFEs with the ionic conductivity of ethers in a single compound. We show that conductivities of up to 2.7 × 10 –4 S/cm (at 30 °C) can be obtained with oxidative stability up to 5.6 V. The compounds also show higher lithium transference numbers compared to typical ethers. Furthermore, we use nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and molecular dynamics (MD) to study their ionic transport behavior and ion solvation environment, respectively. Finally, we demonstrate that this new class of electrolytes can be used with a Ni-rich layered cathode (NMC 811) to obtain over 100 cycles at a C/5 rate. The design of new molecules with high ionic conductivity and high electrochemical stability is a novel approach for the rational design of next-generation batteries.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Intrinsic Kinetic Limitations in Substituted Lithium-Layered Transition-Metal Oxide Electrodes
Substituted Li-layered transition-metal oxide (LTMO) electrodes such as Li x Ni y Mn z Co 1-y-z O 2 (NMC) and Li x Ni y Co 1-y-z Al z O 2 (NCA) show reduced first cycle Coulombic efficiency (90-87% under standard cycling conditions) in comparison with the archetypal Li x CoO 2 (LCO; similar to 98% efficiency). Focusing on Li x Ni 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.0.5 O 2 as a model compound, we use operando synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to demonstrate that the apparent first-cycle capacity loss is a kinetic effect linked to limited Li mobility at x > 0.88, with near full capacity recovered during a potentiostatic hold following the galvanostatic charge- discharge cycle. This kinetic capacity loss, unlike many capacity losses in LTMOs, is independent of the cutoff voltage during delithiation and it is a reversible process. The kinetic limitation manifests not only as the kinetic capacity loss during discharge but as a subtle bimodal compositional distribution early in charge and, also, a dramatic increase of the charge-discharge voltage hysteresis at x > 0.88. 7 Li NMR measurements indicate that the kinetic limitation reflects limited Li transport at x > 0.86. Electrochemical measurements on a wider range of LTMOs including Li x (Ni,Fe) y Co 1-y O 2 suggest that 5% substitution is sufficient to induce the kinetic limitation and that the effect is not limited to Ni substitution. In this paper, we outline how, in addition to a reduction in the number of Li vacancies and shrinkage of the Li-layer size, the intrinsic charge storage mechanism (two-phase vs solid-solution) and localization of charge give rise to additional kinetic barriers in NCA and nonmetallic LTMOs in general.
25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
Design and Validation of a High-Throughput Reductive Catalytic Fractionation Method
Reductive catalytic fractionation (RCF) is a promising method to extract and depolymerize lignin from biomass, and bench-scale studies have enabled considerable progress in the past decade. RCF experiments are typically conducted in pressurized batch reactors with volumes ranging between 50 and 1000 mL, limiting the throughput of these experiments to one to six reactions per day for an individual researcher. Here, we report a high-throughput RCF (HTP-RCF) method in which batch RCF reactions are conducted in 1 mL wells machined directly into Hastelloy reactor plates. The plate reactors can seal high pressures produced by organic solvents by vertically stacking multiple reactor plates, leading to a compact and modular system capable of performing 240 reactions per experiment. Using this setup, we screened solvent mixtures and catalyst loadings for hydrogen-free RCF using 50 mg poplar and 0.5 mL reaction solvent. The system of 1:1 isopropanol/methanol showed optimal monomer yields and selectivity to 4-propyl substituted monomers, and validation reactions using 75 mL batch reactors produced identical monomer yields. To accommodate the low material loadings, we then developed a workup procedure for parallel filtration, washing, and drying of samples and a 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy method to measure the RCF oil yield without performing liquid-liquid extraction. As a demonstration of this experimental pipeline, 50 unique switchgrass samples were screened in RCF reactions in the HTP-RCF system, revealing a wide range of monomer yields (21-36%), S/G ratios (0.41-0.93), and oil yields (40-75%). These results were successfully validated by repeating RCF reactions in 75 mL batch reactors for a subset of samples. We anticipate that this approach can be used to rapidly screen substrates, catalysts, and reaction conditions in high-pressure batch reactions with higher throughput than standard batch reactors.
BIOMASS FUELS,INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND AN↗
Mass Spectrometric Determination of Site-Specific O -Acetylation in Rhamnogalacturonan I Oligomers
O-acetylation, a common modification in rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I), is critical for various biological processes, including plant growth, stress responses, and pathogen defense. Precise determination of the degree and specific positions of acetylation is therefore essential. To date, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and tandem mass spectrometry have been employed to identify O-acetyl positions in pectin oligosaccharides. Although NMR is effective, it requires pure, high-concentration samples. Tandem mass spectrometry (MS), which uses smaller sample amounts, faces challenges due to O-acetyl migration between monosaccharide positions. The multiple steps in pectin sample analysis can further promote O-acetyl migration, especially near free hydroxyl groups. Moreover, during tandem MS, O-acetyl groups may detach, complicating the accurate tracking. This study presents an approach to lock O-acetyl groups by introducing trideuteroacetyl and propionyl substituents onto free hydroxyls of RG-I or partially acetylated RG-I. By combining matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) MS and electrospray ionization (ESI) MS with MS/MS or tandem mass spectrometry (MSn), we devised a way to determine the monosaccharide sequence in the oligomer and the precise positions of O-acetyl groups in partially acetylated RG-I. This method enables the study of the regiospecificity of recombinant pectin O-acetyltransferases and can be applied to other oligosaccharides to determine acyl positions.
O-acetylation↗