(15)N-Labeled ionic probes for bioanalytical mass spectrometry.

An effective La-complex-based probe ionization method is reported. Novel stable isotopically labeled probes containing the (15)N-labeled 2,6-bis(oxazolin-2-yl)pyridine (pybox) ligand, succinimide-tetramethylpybox (NHS-TMpybox), maleimide-tetramethylpybox (Mal-TMpybox), and 4-(tetramethylpybox)-butyl bromoacetate (BrAc-TMpybox), have been synthesized and their value in analyzing large complex molecules has been studied. The value of the (15)N-labeled pybox-La complex in ionizing various compounds, including bioactive peptides by cold-spray ionization mass spectrometry is emphasized.