Gas-Phase nanoclusterization of Amino Acids by High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry

Mass spectrometry emerges as an essential technique to investigate the non-covalent cluster formation among various small molecules such as amino acids and nucleosides. Amino acids receive specific attention as they represent the building blocks of protein and protein complexes and also the early step in the origin of life. The interactions among amino acids, including hydrogen bonding, electrostatic, and hydrophobic, play a crucial role in shaping the structures and functions of biological molecules. This study focuses on investigating the clustering behavior of some prominent employing electrospray ionization (ESI) coupled with high resolution Orbitrap Exploris 240 mass spectrometer. Our studies will be directed to assess the stability of the cluster by molecular dynamics simulations.