A simple and easy approach to the derivatization of alcohols for study by soft ionization mass spectrometry methods

A simple and convenient method for the derivatization of alcohols for their subsequent analysis by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry has been proposed. The method includes the acylation of alcohols by bromoacetyl chloride followed by treatment with a base (triethylamine in this work). If amine is used as a base, an excessive amount of it in the reaction mixture immediately reacts with bromoacetate and the process in fact consists of one stage. MALDI mass spectra of the formed quaternary salts recorded in the presence of non-acid matrices or using a target with a nanostructured surface demonstrated only peaks for cationic parts of the derivatives. Using a mixture of aliphatic primary alcohols from C2 to C18, it has been shown that the derivatization reaction proceeds completely and MALDI mass spectra can be used not only for the determination of their molecular masses, but also for their quantitative analysis and profiling.