Quantitative MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry of Star-Shaped Polylactides Based on Chromatographic Hyphenation

The end groups of three- and four-arm star-shaped polylactides (PLA) with trimethylolpropane and pentaerythritol core structures were functionalized with acetic acid. Reaction products with different degrees of functionalization were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Additional gradient elution liquid adsorption chromatography (GELAC) measurements were performed to determine the degree of functionalization. This technique enabled clear separation and sufficient quantification of the formed species. These chromatographic data could be used inversely to quantify mass spectrometric results, which are usually biased by the unknown ionization probabilities of different polymer end group structures. Our results showed that, in this particular case, the peak intensity in the MALDI-TOF mass spectra can be used to semiquantitatively determine the degree of functionalization in incompletely functionalized multiarm PLA.