Abstract
A mass spectral study of a series of new Boc‐C‐linked carbo‐β^3^‐peptides prepared from C‐linked carbo‐β^3^‐amino acids (Caa) was carried out using liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry (LSIMS), electrospray ionization (ESI) and tandem mass spectrometry. Using the nomenclature of Roepstorff and Fohlman, the positive ion high‐ and low energy collision‐induced dissociation (CID) of [M + H − Boc + H]^+^ ions of the peptides produce both N‐ and C‐terminus ions, y~n~^+^ and b~n~^+^ ions, with high abundance and other ions of low abundance. Further, characteristic fragment ions of carbohydrate moiety are observed. In contrast to the CID of protonated peptide acids, the CID of [M − H]^−^ ions of the β^3^‐peptide acids do not give $\hbox{b}_{{n}}^{-}$ ions and show abundant $\hbox{z}_{{n}}^{-}$ and c~n~^−^ ions which are insignificant in the former. Two pairs of positionally isomeric Boc‐carbo‐β^3^‐dipeptides were differentiated by the CID of [M + H]^+^ ions in LSIMS and ESIMS. The fragment ion [M + H − C(CH~3~)~3~ + H]^+^ formed from [M + H]^+^ by the loss of 2‐methylprop‐2‐ene is relatively more abundant in the dipeptide Boc‐NH‐β‐hGly‐Caa(S)‐OCH~3~ (14) containing the sugar moiety at the C‐terminus whereas it is insignificant in Boc‐NH‐Caa(S)‐β‐hGly‐OCH~3~ (13), which has the sugar moiety at the N‐terminus. Similarly, two pairs of diastereomeric dipeptides were distinguished by the high‐ and low‐energy CID of [M + H]^+^ ions. The loss of 2‐methylprop‐2‐ene is more pronounced for Boc‐NH‐Caa(R)‐β‐hGly‐OCH~3~ (17) and Boc‐NH‐Caa(R)‐Caa(S)‐OCH~3~ (18) isomers whereas it is insignificant for Boc‐NH‐Caa(S)‐β‐hGly‐OCH~3~ (13) and Boc‐NH‐Caa(S)‐Caa(S)‐OCH~3~ (2) isomers. This was attributed to a favorable configuration of the carbohydrate moiety favoring the ‘H’ migration involved in the loss of 2‐methylprop‐2‐ene from the [M + H]^+^ ions of isomers 17 and 18 compared with the unfavorable configuration of the carbohydrate moiety in isomers 13 and 2. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.