Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry of Trimethylsilyl Derivatives of Some Iminodicarboxylic Acids

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Abstract
Trimethylsilylation of eight iminodicarboxylic acids (IDCAs) with N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) or N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)acetamide was studied under various reaction conditions. The IDCAs include iminodiacetic acid (1), 2- and 3-(carboxymethylamino)propionic acids (2 and 3), 2,2′-, 2,3′-, and 3,3′-iminodipropionic acids (4–6), N-methyliminodiacetic acid (7), and nitrilotriacetic acid (8). For 1–6, both bis- and tris(trimethylsilyl) (TMS) derivatives were formed under usual silylating conditions, although the proportion of amounts of the two derivatives varied depending on reaction conditions. This double derivatization was due to the steric hindrance of N-substituent group. However, under mild silylating conditions (BSTFA alone, 120 °C, 30 min), 1–6 yielded only the di-TMS derivatives. Upon electron impact at 20 eV, both the di- and tri-TMS derivatives showed simple spectra with a molecular (M+) ion and M −15 (loss of CH3). The α,α′-IDCAs (1, 2, 4, 7, and 8) are characterized by fragments M −43 (loss of CH3 and CO) and M −117 (loss of COOTMS) (base peak). On the other hand, the β,β′-IDCA (6) is characterized by fragments M −57 (loss of CH3, CH2, and CO) and prominent M −131 (loss of CH2COOTMS). The α,β′-IDCAs (3 and 5) exhibit both the fragments characteristic of α,α′- and β,β′-IDCAs, M −43, M −57, M −117, and M −131. However, base beaks are usually the fragment M −117 and not M −131.