Activation energies of fragmentations of disaccharides by tandem mass spectrometry.

A simple multiple collision model for collision induced dissociation (CID) in quadrupole was applied for the estimation of the activation energy (E(o)) of the fragmentation processes for lithiated and trifluoroacetated disaccharides, such as maltose, cellobiose, isomaltose, gentiobiose, and trehalose. The internal energy-dependent rate constants k(E(int)) were calculated using the Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus (RRKM) or the Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel (RRK) theory. The E(o) values were estimated by fitting the calculated survival yield (SY) curves to the experimental ones. The calculated E(o) values of the fragmentation processes for lithiated disaccharides were in the range of 1.4-1.7 eV, and were found to increase in the order trehalose < maltose < isomaltose < cellobiose < gentiobiose.