A Fragmentation Study on Four Oligostilbenes by Electrospray Tandem Mass Spectrometry

ABSTRACT: Oligostilbenes have attracted much interest due to their intricate structures and diverse bioactivities. In this study, two stilbene dimers, (−)-7,8-cis-ε-viniferin (1) and carasiphenol A (2), and two trimers, suffruticosol A (3) and suffruticosol C (4), were investigated by electrospray ionization ion-trap time-of-flight multistage mass spectrometry (ESI-IT-TOF-MS(n)). Based on the MS(n) study, the fragmentation pathways and diagnostic ions of four oligostilbenes in both positive and negative modes were proposed. The consecutive elimination of phenol (C(6)H(6)O) and resorcinol (C(6)H(6)O(2)) moieties were the particular dissociation for oligostilbenes due to the presence of 1,2-diphenylethylene nucleus. The present MS(n) fragmentation study will provide valuable information for the fast characterization of oligostilbenes from complicated natural mixtures. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: [Image: see text] ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s13659-019-0212-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.