Pushing the mass limit for intact launch and photoionization of large neutral biopolymers

Autor(en)

Jonas Schätti, Philipp Rieser, Ugur Sezer, Georg Richter, Philipp Geyer, Gustavo G. Rondina, Daniel Häussinger, Marcel Mayor, Armin Shayeghi, Valentin Köhler, Markus Arndt

Abstrakt

Since their first discovery by Louis Dunoyer and Otto Stern, molecular beams have conquered research and technology. However, it has remained an outstanding challenge to isolate and photoionize beams of massive neutral polypeptides. Here we show that femtosecond desorption from a matrix-free sample in high vacuum can produce biomolecular beams at least 25 times more efficiently than nanosecond techniques. While it has also been difficult to photoionize large biomolecules, we find that tailored structures with an abundant exposure of tryptophan residues at their surface can be ionized by vacuum ultraviolet light. The combination of these desorption and ionization techniques allows us to observe molecular beams of neutral polypeptides with a mass exceeding 20,000 amu. They are composed of 50 amino acids – 25 tryptophan and 25 lysine residues – and 26 fluorinated alkyl chains. The tools presented here offer a basis for the preparation, control and detection of polypeptide beams.

Organisation(en)

Quantenoptik, Quantennanophysik und Quanteninformation

Externe Organisation(en)

Technische Universität Darmstadt, Universität Basel, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, Sun Yat-sen University

Journal

Communications Chemistry

Band

1

Anzahl der Seiten

8

ISSN

2399-3669

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-018-0095-y

Publikationsdatum

12-2018

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ÖFOS 2012

104017 Physikalische Chemie, 104002 Analytische Chemie

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Materials Chemistry, Allgemeine Chemie, Biochemistry, Environmental Chemistry

Link zum Portal

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/f85c4f12-be4c-42aa-a55e-5b8c22b79add