Damilola S Oluwatoba, Happy Abena Safoah, Thanh D Do
{"title":"The rise and fall of adenine clusters in the gas phase: a glimpse into crystal growth and nucleation.","authors":"Damilola S Oluwatoba, Happy Abena Safoah, Thanh D Do","doi":"10.1007/s00216-024-05442-2","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The emergence of a crystal nucleus from disordered states is a critical and challenging aspect of the crystallization process, primarily due to the extremely short length and timescales involved. Methods such as liquid-cell or low-dose focal-series transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are often employed to probe these events. In this study, we demonstrate that ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) offers a complementary and insightful perspective on the nucleation process by examining the sizes and shapes of small clusters, specifically those ranging from n = 2 to 40. Our findings reveal the significant role of sulfate ions in the growth of adeninediium sulfate clusters, which are the precursors to the formation of single crystals. Specifically, sulfate ions stabilize adenine clusters at the 1:1 ratio. In contrast, guanine sulfate forms smaller clusters with varied ratios, which become stable as they approach the 1:2 ratio. The nucleation size is predicted to be between n = 8 and 14, correlating well with the unit cell dimensions of adenine crystals. This correlation suggests that IMS-MS can identify critical nucleation sizes and provide valuable structural information consistent with established crystallographic data. We also discuss the strengths and limitations of IMS-MS in this context. IMS-MS offers rapid and robust experimental protocols, making it a valuable tool for studying the effects of various additives on the assembly of small molecules. Additionally, it aids in elucidating nucleation processes and the growth of different crystal polymorphs.</p>","PeriodicalId":462,"journal":{"name":"Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry","FirstCategoryId":"92","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-024-05442-2","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/7/20 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BIOCHEMICAL RESEARCH METHODS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The emergence of a crystal nucleus from disordered states is a critical and challenging aspect of the crystallization process, primarily due to the extremely short length and timescales involved. Methods such as liquid-cell or low-dose focal-series transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are often employed to probe these events. In this study, we demonstrate that ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) offers a complementary and insightful perspective on the nucleation process by examining the sizes and shapes of small clusters, specifically those ranging from n = 2 to 40. Our findings reveal the significant role of sulfate ions in the growth of adeninediium sulfate clusters, which are the precursors to the formation of single crystals. Specifically, sulfate ions stabilize adenine clusters at the 1:1 ratio. In contrast, guanine sulfate forms smaller clusters with varied ratios, which become stable as they approach the 1:2 ratio. The nucleation size is predicted to be between n = 8 and 14, correlating well with the unit cell dimensions of adenine crystals. This correlation suggests that IMS-MS can identify critical nucleation sizes and provide valuable structural information consistent with established crystallographic data. We also discuss the strengths and limitations of IMS-MS in this context. IMS-MS offers rapid and robust experimental protocols, making it a valuable tool for studying the effects of various additives on the assembly of small molecules. Additionally, it aids in elucidating nucleation processes and the growth of different crystal polymorphs.
期刊介绍:
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry’s mission is the rapid publication of excellent and high-impact research articles on fundamental and applied topics of analytical and bioanalytical measurement science. Its scope is broad, and ranges from novel measurement platforms and their characterization to multidisciplinary approaches that effectively address important scientific problems. The Editors encourage submissions presenting innovative analytical research in concept, instrumentation, methods, and/or applications, including: mass spectrometry, spectroscopy, and electroanalysis; advanced separations; analytical strategies in “-omics” and imaging, bioanalysis, and sampling; miniaturized devices, medical diagnostics, sensors; analytical characterization of nano- and biomaterials; chemometrics and advanced data analysis.