Publication
We combine conformer-selective, cryogenic infrared spectroscopy, quantum mechanical computations, and 18O substitution at the reducing end to determine the structural preferences of protonated glucosamine in the gas phase. Cryogenic infrared-infrared (IR-IR) double resonance spectroscopy of helium-tagged protonated glucosamine provides vibrational fingerprints of individual conformers, and 18O isotopic labeling facilitates the match with computed structures and provides a selective probe of the anomeric hydroxyl. This is key for using vibrational spectroscopy for glycan analysis and determining the generality of anomeric memory during glycosidic bond cleavage.
Oleg Boyarkine, Andrei Zviagin