Supercharging Proteins: How Many Charges Can a Protein Carry?

Published in: Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) (2017)

Very highly charged proteins, so-called "supercharged" ions, can lose (excess) protons to background gases like N2 . It is remarkable that such extremely acidic species can be generated in electrospray ionization, in the presence of not just N2 but also much higher-basicity solvents. What mechanism(s) can explain such high charging, and what is the ultimate limit?

Keyphrases

ionic liquid
protein protein
amino acid
small molecule
aqueous solution
water soluble