In recent years, methods based on photodissociation in the gas phase have become powerful means in the field of chiral analysis. Among them, infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy is a very attractive one, since it can provide valuable spectral and structural information of chiral complexes in addition to chiral discrimination. Experimentally, the method can be fulfilled by the isolation of target diastereomeric ions in an ion trap followed by the irradiation of a tunable IR laser. Chiral analysis is performed by comparing the difference existing in the spectra of enantiomers. Combined with theoretical calculations, their structures can be further understood on the molecular scale. By now, lots of chiral molecules, including amino acids and peptides, have been studied with the method combined with theoretical calculations. This review summarizes the relative experimental results obtained, and discusses the limitation and prospects of the method.
Keywords: IRMPD spectroscopy; chirality; diastereomeric ions; mass spectrometry.