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Exploring chemical complexity with ion mobility mass spectrometry

Abstract

Full synthetic implementation of many types of chemical complexity is hampered by an inability to efficiently characterise complex mixtures. In this talk, I will discuss our explorations of chemical space in complex systems using ion mobility mass spectrometry¹ with examples of metallo-supramolecular self-assembly,² host-guest interactions, metal-mediated chemistry,³ and structurally labile complexes of zwitterionic molecules. The structural information gained from ion mobility is highly useful, although the structural analysis of metal containing species is as yet somewhat nascent. I will discuss some of the pros and cons of ion mobility mass spectrometry and things to be mindful of with both experimental and theoretical “collisional cross sections”, together with mechanistic findings.

1. Front. Chem., 2021, 9:682743.

2. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2024, 63, e202313892.

3. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2016, 138, 3125–3135