TY - JOUR
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Holländer, A.
A1 - Kühn, Gerhard
T1 - Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry of C36- Alkane degradated by Vacuum Ultraviolet Radiation
PY - 1997
SN - 0951-4198
SN - 1097-0231
VL - 11
SP - 447
EP - 450
PB - Wiley
CY - Chichester
AN - OPUS4-11095
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Gabriel, Stefan
A1 - Steinhoff, R.F.
A1 - Pabst, M.
A1 - Schwarzinger, C.
A1 - Zenobi, R.
A1 - Panne, Ulrich
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
T1 - Improved analysis of ultra-high molecular mass polystyrenes in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry using DCTB matrix and caesium salts
N2 - Rationale
The ionization of polystyrenes in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) is typically achieved by the use of silver salts. Since silver salts can cause severe problems, such as cluster formation, fragmentation of polymer chains and end group cleavage, their substitution by alkali salts is highly desirable.
Methods
The influence of various cations (Ag+, Cs+ and Rb+) on the MALDI process of polystyrene (PS) mixtures and high mass polystyrenes was examined. The sample preparation was kept as straightforward as possible. Consequently, no recrystallization or other cleaning procedures were applied.
Results
The investigation of a polystyrene mixture showed that higher molecular polystyrenes could be more easily ionized using caesium, rather than rubidium or silver salts. In combination with the use of DCTB as matrix a high-mass polymer analysis could be achieved, which was demonstrated by the detection of a 1.1 MDa PS.
Conclusions
A fast, simple and robust MALDI sample preparation method for the analysis of ultra-high molecular weight polystyrenes based on the use of DCTB and caesium salts has been presented. The suitability of the presented method has been validated by using different mass spectrometers and detectors.
KW - MALDI
KW - Mega-dalton
KW - Ionization
KW - Caesium
KW - Polystyrene
KW - DCTB
PY - 2015
UR - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/rcm.7197/full
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.7197
SN - 0951-4198
SN - 1097-0231
VL - 29
IS - 11
SP - 1039
EP - 1046
PB - Wiley
CY - Chichester
AN - OPUS4-33191
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Trimpin, Sarah
A1 - Yenchick, Frank S.
A1 - Lee, Chuping
A1 - Hoang, Khoa
A1 - Pophristic, Milan
A1 - Karki, Santosh
A1 - Marshall, Darrell D.
A1 - Lu, I-Chung
A1 - Lutomski, Corinne A.
A1 - El-Baba, Tarick J.
A1 - Wang, Beixi
A1 - Pagnotti, Vincent S.
A1 - Meher, Anil K.
A1 - Chakrabarty, Shubhashis
A1 - Imperial, Lorelei F.
A1 - Madarshahian, Sara
A1 - Richards, Alicia L.
A1 - Lietz, Christopher B.
A1 - Moreno-Pedraza, Abigail
A1 - Leach, Samantha M.
A1 - Gibson, Stephen C.
A1 - Elia, Efstathios A.
A1 - Thawoos, Shameemah M.
A1 - Woodall, Daniel W.
A1 - Jarois, Dean R.
A1 - Davis, Eric T.J.
A1 - Liao, Guochao
A1 - Muthunayake, Nisansala S.
A1 - Redding, McKenna J.
A1 - Reynolds, Christian A.
A1 - Anthony, Thilani M.
A1 - Vithanarachchi, Sashiprabha M.
A1 - DeMent, Paul
A1 - Adewale, Adeleye O.
A1 - Yan, Lu
A1 - Wager-Miller, James
A1 - Ahn, Young-Hoon
A1 - Sanderson, Thomas H.
A1 - Przyklenk, Karin
A1 - Greenberg, Miriam L.
A1 - Suits, Arthur G.
A1 - Allen, Matthew J.
A1 - Narayan, Srinivas B.
A1 - Caruso, Joseph A.
A1 - Stemmer, Paul M.
A1 - Nguyen, Hien M.
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Rackers, Kevin J.
A1 - Djuric, Ana
A1 - Shulaev, Vladimir
A1 - Hendrickson, Tamara L.
A1 - Chow, Christine S.
A1 - Pflum, Mary Kay H.
A1 - Grayson, Scott M.
A1 - Lobodin, Vladislav V.
A1 - Guo, Zhongwu
A1 - Ni, Chi-Kung
A1 - Walker, J. Michael
A1 - Mackie, Ken
A1 - Inutan, Ellen D.
A1 - McEwen, Charles N.
T1 - New Processes for Ionizing Nonvolatile Compounds in Mass Spectrometry: The Road of Discovery to Current State-of-the-Art
N2 - This Perspective covers discovery and mechanistic aspects aswell as initial applications of novel ionization processes for use in massspectrometry that guided us in a series of subsequent discoveries, instrumentdevelopments, and commercialization. Vacuum matrix-assisted ionization onan intermediate pressure matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization sourcewithout the use of a laser, high voltages, or any other added energy wassimply unbelievable, at first. Individually and as a whole, the variousdiscoveries and inventions started to paint, inter alia, an exciting new pictureand outlook in mass spectrometry from which key developments grew thatwere at the time unimaginable, and continue to surprise us in its simplisticpreeminence. We, and others, have demonstrated exceptional analyticalutility. Our current research is focused on how best to understand, improve, and use these novel ionization processes throughdedicated platforms and source developments. These ionization processes convert volatile and nonvolatile compounds from solid orliquid matrixes into gas-phase ions for analysis by mass spectrometry using, e.g., mass-selected fragmentation and ion mobilityspectrometry to provide accurate, and sometimes improved, mass and drift time resolution. The combination of research anddiscoveries demonstrated multiple advantages of the new ionization processes and established the basis of the successes that lead tothe Biemann Medal and this Perspective. How the new ionization processes relate to traditional ionization is also presented, as wellas how these technologies can be utilized in tandem through instrument modification and implementation to increase coverage ofcomplex materials through complementary strengths.
KW - Mass spectrometry
PY - 2024
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/jasms.3c00122
SN - 1879-1123
VL - 35
IS - 12
SP - 2753
EP - 2784
PB - American Chemical Society (ACS)
AN - OPUS4-61417
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R.
T1 - The Role of Transesterification in SnOct 2 - Catalyzed Polymerizations of Lactides
N2 - l-lactide or meso-lactide are polymerized either at 120 °C where the polymerization process of l-lactide is accompanied by crystallization, or at 180 °C where poly(l-lactide) remains in the molten state. Polymerizations at 120 °C initially yield even-numbered chains (with respect to lactic acid units) having relatively low dispersity, but the fraction of odd-numbered chains increases with time and the entire molecular weight distribution changes. Traces of cyclics are only formed after 7 d. Polymerizations at 180 °C yield equilibrium of even and odd-numbered chains from the beginning, but at low monomer/initiator ratios and short reaction times (<4 h) cyclics are again not formed. They appear at longer reaction times and entail higher dispersities. The results are discussed in terms of five different transesterification mechanisms.
KW - Polylactides
KW - MALDI
KW - Transesterification
KW - Sn catalysts
PY - 2017
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.201600331
SN - 1022-1352
VL - 218
IS - 3
SP - 1600331
PB - Wiley
AN - OPUS4-39753
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Rösler, Alexander
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Klamroth, Tillmann
A1 - Müller, Axel H. E.
A1 - Schlaad, Helmut
T1 - Kinetics of anionic polymerization of β‐myrcene in hydrocarbon solvents
N2 - The kinetics of anionic polymerization of β‐myrcene initiated by sec‐butyllithium were examined in saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbon solvents, i.e. cyclohexane, cyclohexene, 4‐vinylcyclohexene and dl‐limonene. Polymerizations usually proceeded in a living manner, i.e. in the absence of termination and chain transfer reactions, in all solvents, to produce well‐defined polymyrcenes with high content (85%) of cis‐1,4 units. However, polymyrcenyllithium chains exhibited limited long‐term stability in 4‐vinylcyclohexene solution, most probably due to chain transfer to solvent. Reaction orders with respect to the concentration of active chains were found to be one‐quarter in cyclohexane increasing to one‐half in unsaturated solvents, indicating that the polymyrcenyllithium chains are present as tetrameric or dimeric associates, respectively. Apparent activation energies were found to be 81 kJ mol−1 in cyclohexane and 77 kJ mol−1 in dl‐limonene solution, which are close to the values obtained by quantum chemical calculations.
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
KW - Anionic polymerization
KW - β‐myrcene
KW - Kinetics
KW - Reaction order
KW - Activation energy
KW - Microstructure
KW - Quantum chemical calculations
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-630900
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pi.6772
SN - 1097-0126
SP - 1
EP - 8
PB - Wiley
CY - New York, NY
AN - OPUS4-63090
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Kricheldorf, Hans R.
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
T1 - Zwitterionic polymerization of glycolide catalyzed by pyridine
N2 - The usefulness of various N- and P-based catalysts for syntheses of cyclic polyglycolide via zwitterionic polymerization of glycolide was examined. Most catalysts produced discolored, largely insoluble polyglycolides consisting of cycles and unidentified byproducts. Soluble, cyclic polyglycolides were obtained using neat pyridine as catalyst at 120 °C, 100 °C, 80 °C, and even at 60 °C. The number-average molecular weights were extremely low and depended slightly on the glycolide-to-pyridine ratio. Three different mass distributions of the cycles were detected by mass spectrometry, depending on the reaction conditions. The cyclic polyglycolides were also characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements. The SAXS data in combination with the mass spectra indicate that the majority of the cycles form extended-ring crystallites
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
KW - Polylactide
KW - Polymerization
KW - Zitterions
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-639748
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d5py00762c
SN - 1759-9954
SP - 1
EP - 9
PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
AN - OPUS4-63974
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Kricheldorf, Hans R.
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Meyer, Andreas
T1 - Poly(butylene terephthalate): About condensation, cyclization, degradation and elimination reactions in the solid state, and the role of smooth crystal surfaces
N2 - Three commercial poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) samples - Pocan B1300 (B13), Pocan B1600 (B16), and Addigy P 1210 (AP121) - served as the starting materials for the annealing experiments, which were conducted with and without the addition of esterification and transesterification catalysts. The catalysts used were Sn(II) 2-ethylhexanoate (SnOct₂), Zr(IV) acetylacetonate, and 4-toluene sulfonic acid (TSA). Temperatures varied between 150 and 210 °C. The PBT samples were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI TOF) mass spectrometry. The MALDI mass spectra of all three samples differed greatly but displayed mass peaks of cycles. Similar results were produced by annealing with SnOct₂ or Zr(acac)₄, which favored the formation of even-numbered cycles within the mass range below m/z 5000, along with slow degradation. TSA favored a more intensive degradation without the formation of cycles or even with the destruction of cycles. PBT chains with two carboxylic (COOH) end groups were the most stable species under all circumstances. The origin of the extremely high melting point of AP121 (241–242 °C) can be explained by the smoothing of crystallite surfaces via transesterification. The results suggest that combining MALDI mass spectrometry and SAXS measurements provides a new way to better understand the solid-state chemistry of PBT and related polyesters.
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
KW - Polybutylene Terephthalate
KW - Crystallization
KW - solid state
KW - cyclization
PY - 2026
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-652844
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111862
SN - 0141-3910
VL - 245
SP - 1
EP - 11
PB - Elsevier Ltd.
AN - OPUS4-65284
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Dalgic, Mete‐Sungur
A1 - Kumar, Sourabh
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
T1 - Quantitative Analysis of Polymers by MALDI‐TOF Mass Spectrometry: Correlation Between Signal Intensity and Arm Number
N2 - The signal intensities of linear and star‐shaped poly(L‐lactides) (PLA) and poly (ethylene oxides) (PEO) were compared to determine the influence of the number of arms on the ionization in matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐TOF) mass spectrometry. In this study, a variety of blends were prepared and investigated, including binary and ternary combinations of linear and star‐shaped polymers with similar molecular masses. The focus was on examining their intensity ratios. In equimolar binary PLA blends, polymer stars were observed to exhibit higher intensities than their linear counterparts. This result was supported by experiments with equimolar ternary PLA blends, which clearly demonstrated an intensity dependence on the number of polymer arms. It was observed that four‐arm PLA exhibited higher intensities than three‐arm PLA. A similar trend was observed in investigations involving acetylated polymer end groups, suggesting that differences in ionization are primarily influenced by polymer architecture rather than end groups. In order to validate this assumption, the binding energies for [polymer‐K] + adduct ions utilizing the most stable geometry obtained from GOAT (Global Optimizer Algorithm) were calculated, revealing that star‐shaped lower mass oligomers have slightly higher binding energies.
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
KW - Starlike polymers
KW - Quantification
KW - Topology
PY - 2026
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-653401
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/jms.70023
SN - 1076-5174
VL - 61
IS - 1
SP - 1
EP - 12
PB - John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
AN - OPUS4-65340
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Rösler, Alexander
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Klamroth, Tillmann
A1 - Müller, Axel HE
A1 - Schlaad, Helmut
T1 - Kinetics of anionic polymerization of β‐myrcene in hydrocarbon solvents
N2 - AbstractThe kinetics of anionic polymerization of β‐myrcene initiated by sec‐butyllithium were examined in saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbon solvents, i.e. cyclohexane, cyclohexene, 4‐vinylcyclohexene and dl‐limonene. Polymerizations usually proceeded in a living manner, i.e. in the absence of termination and chain transfer reactions, in all solvents, to produce well‐defined polymyrcenes with high content (85%) of cis‐1,4 units. However, polymyrcenyllithium chains exhibited limited long‐term stability in 4‐vinylcyclohexene solution, most probably due to chain transfer to solvent. Reaction orders with respect to the concentration of active chains were found to be one‐quarter in cyclohexane increasing to one‐half in unsaturated solvents, indicating that the polymyrcenyllithium chains are present as tetrameric or dimeric associates, respectively. Apparent activation energies were found to be 81 kJ mol−1 in cyclohexane and 77 kJ mol−1 in dl‐limonene solution, which are close to the values obtained by quantum chemical calculations. © 2025 The Author(s). Polymer International published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
KW - Myrcene
KW - Anionic polymerization
KW - MALDI TOF MS
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-649039
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pi.6772
SN - 0959-8103
SP - 1
EP - 8
PB - Wiley
AN - OPUS4-64903
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Trimpin, S.
A1 - Lee, C.
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - El-Baba, T.
A1 - Lutomski, C.
A1 - Inutan, E.
A1 - Foley, C.
A1 - Ni, C.-K.
A1 - McEwen, C.
T1 - Unprecedented Ionization Processes in Mass SpectrometryProvide Missing Link between ESI and MALDI
N2 - In the field of mass spectrometry,producing intact, highly-charged protein ions from surfaces is a conundrum with significant potential payoff in application areas ranging from bio-medical to clinical research. Here, we report on the ability to form intact, highly-charged protein ions on high vacuum time-of-flight mass spectrometers in the linear and reflectron modes achievable using experimental conditions that allow effective matrix removal from both the sample surfaces and from the charged clusters formed by the laser Ablation event. The charge states are the highest reported on high vacuum mass spectrometers, yet they remain at only around athird of the highest charge obtained using laser ablation with a suitable matrix at atmospheric pressure. Other than physical instrument modifications, the key to forming abundant and stable highly-charged ions appears to be the volatility of the matrix used. Cumulative results suggest mechanistic links between the ionization process reported here and traditional ionization methods of electrospray ionization and matrix-assisted laser desorp-tion/ionization.
KW - MALDI
KW - Electrospray
KW - Mass spectrometry
KW - Ionization
PY - 2018
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/cphc.201701246
SN - 1439-4235
SN - 1439-7641
VL - 19
IS - 5
SP - 581
EP - 589
PB - Wiley-VCH
AN - OPUS4-44404
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Kricheldorf, H.
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Scheliga, F.
T1 - Cyclic poly(lactide)s via the ROPPOC method catalyzed by alkyl- or aryltin chlorides
N2 - A comparison of tributyltin chloride, dibutyltin dichloride,and butyltin trichloride as catalysts of ring-opening polymerizations(ROPs) of l-lactides at 160°C in bulk reveals increasing reactivity in the above order, but only the least reactive catalysts, Bu3SnCl, yield a uniform reaction product, namely cyclic poly(L-lactide)s with weight average molecular weights (Mw ́s) in the range of 40,000–80,000. A comparison of dimethyltin , dibutyltin , and diphenyltin dichlorides resulted in the following order of reactivity: Me2SnCl2