Selective reagent ionisation‐time of flight‐mass spectrometry: a rapid technology for the novel analysis of blends of new psychoactive substances

In this study we demonstrate the potential of selective reagent ionisation‐time of flight‐mass spectrometry for the rapid and selective identification of a popular new psychoactive substance blend called ‘synthacaine’, a mixture that is supposed to imitate the sensory and intoxicating effects of cocaine. Reactions with H₃O⁺ result in protonated parent molecules which can be tentatively assigned to benzocaine and methiopropamine. However, by comparing the product ion branching ratios obtained at two reduced electric field values (90 and 170 Td) for two reagent ions (H₃O⁺ and NO⁺) to those of the pure chemicals, we show that identification is possible with a much higher level of confidence then when relying solely on the m/z of protonated parent molecules. A rapid and highly selective analytical identification of the constituents of a recreational drug is particularly crucial to medical personnel for the prompt medical treatment of overdoses, toxic effects or allergic reactions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification and quantification of VOCs by proton transfer reaction time of flight mass spectrometry: An experimental workflow for the optimization of specificity,sensitivity, and accuracy

Proton transfer reaction time of flight mass spectrometry (PTR‐ToF‐MS) is a direct injection MS technique, allowing for the sensitive and real‐time detection, identification, and quantification of volatile organic compounds. When aiming to employ PTR‐ToF‐MS for targeted volatile organic compound analysis, some methodological questions must be addressed, such as the need to correctly identify product ions, or evaluating the quantitation accuracy. This work proposes a workflow for PTR‐ToF‐MS method development, addressing the main issues affecting the reliable identification and quantification of target compounds. We determined the fragmentation patterns of 13 selected compounds (aldehydes, fatty acids, phenols). Experiments were conducted under breath‐relevant conditions (100% humid air), and within an extended range of reduced electric field values (E/N = 48–144 Td), obtained by changing drift tube voltage. Reactivity was inspected using H₃O⁺, NO⁺, and O₂⁺ as primary ions. The results show that a relatively low (<90 Td) E/N often permits to reduce fragmentation enhancing sensitivity and identification capabilities, particularly in the case of aldehydes using NO⁺, where a 4‐fold increase in sensitivity is obtained by means of drift voltage reduction. We developed a novel calibration methodology, relying on diffusion tubes used as gravimetric standards. For each of the tested compounds, it was possible to define suitable conditions whereby experimental error, defined as difference between gravimetric measurements and calculated concentrations, was 8% or lower.     

Study of gas‐phase reactions of NO2+ with aromatic compounds using proton transfer reaction time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

The study of ion chemistry involving the NO₂⁺ is currently the focus of considerable fundamental interest and is relevant in diverse fields ranging from mechanistic organic chemistry to atmospheric chemistry. A very intense source of NO₂⁺ was generated by injecting the products from the dielectric barrier discharge of a nitrogen and oxygen mixture upstream into the drift tube of a proton transfer reaction time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (PTR‐TOF‐MS) apparatus with H₃O⁺ as the reagent ion. The NO₂⁺ intensity is controllable and related to the dielectric barrier discharge operation conditions and ratio of oxygen to nitrogen. The purity of NO₂⁺ can reach more than 99% after optimization. Using NO₂⁺ as the chemical reagent ion, the gas‐phase reactions of NO₂⁺ with 11 aromatic compounds were studied by PTR‐TOF‐MS. The reaction rate coefficients for these reactions were measured, and the product ions and their formation mechanisms were analyzed. All the samples reacted with NO₂⁺ rapidly with reaction rate coefficients being close to the corresponding capture ones. In addition to electron transfer producing [M]⁺, oxygen ion transfer forming [MO]⁺, and 3‐body association forming [M·NO₂]⁺, a new product ion [M−C]⁺ was also formed owing to the loss of C═O from [MO]⁺.This work not only developed a new chemical reagent ion NO₂⁺ based on PTR‐MS but also provided significant interesting fundamental data on reactions involving aromatic compounds, which will probably broaden the applications of PTR‐MS to measure these compounds in the atmosphere in real time.     

Elucidation of artefacts in proton transfer reaction time‐of‐flight mass spectrometers

We present an effective procedure to differentiate instrumental artefacts, such as parasitic ions, memory effects, and real trace impurities contained in inert gases. Three different proton transfer reaction mass spectrometers were used in order to identify instrument‐specific parasitic ions. The methodology reveals new nitrogen‐ and metal‐containing ions that up to date have not been reported. The parasitic ion signal was dominated by [N₂]H⁺ and [NH₃]H⁺ rather than by the common ions NO⁺ and O₂⁺. Under dry conditions in a proton transfer reaction quadrupole interface time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer (PTR‐QiTOF), the ion abundances of [N₂]H⁺ were elevated compared with the signals in the presence of humidity. In contrast, the [NH₃]H⁺ ion did not show a clear humidity dependency. On the other hand, two PTR‐TOF1000 instruments showed no significant contribution of the [N₂]H⁺ ion, which supports the idea of [N₂]H⁺ formation in the quadrupole interface of the PTR‐QiTOF. Many new nitrogen‐containing ions were identified, and three different reaction sequences showing a similar reaction mechanism were established. Additionally, several metal‐containing ions, their oxides, and hydroxides were formed in the three PTR instruments. However, their relative ion abundancies were below 0.03% in all cases. Within the series of metal‐containing ions, the highest contribution under dry conditions was assigned to the [Fe(OH)₂]H⁺ ion. Only in one PTR‐TOF1000 the Fe⁺ ion appeared as dominant species compared with the [Fe(OH)₂]H⁺ ion. The present analysis and the resulting database can be used as a tool for the elucidation of artefacts in mass spectra and, especially in cases, where dilution with inert gases play a significant role, preventing misinterpretations.     

Molecular formula analysis of fragment ions by isotope‐selective collision‐induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry of pharmacologically active compounds

The purpose of this work is to explore the mass fragment characterization of commonly used drugs through a novel approach, which involves isotope‐selective tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Collision‐induced dissociation (CID) was performed with a low‐resolution linear ion trap mass spectrometer in positive electrospray ionization. Three pharmacologically active ingredients, i.e. omeprazole, meloxicam and brinzolamide, selected as model compounds in their own formulation, were investigated as a sodiated adduct [C₁₇H₁₉N₃O₃S + Na]⁺ (omeprazole) and as protonated adducts, [C₁₄H₁₃N₃O₄S₂ + H]⁺ and [C₁₂H₂₁N₃O₅S₃ + H]⁺, meloxicam and brinzolamide, respectively. Selecting a narrow window of ±0.5 m/z units, precursor ion fragmentation by CID‐MS/MS of isotopologues A + 0, A + 1 and A + 2 was found very useful to confirm the chemical formula of product ions, thus aiding the establishment of characteristic fragmentation pathways of all three examined compounds. The correctness of putative molecular formula of product ions was easily demonstrated by exploiting the isotope peak abundance ratios (i.e. I_F+0/I_F+1 and I_F+0/I_F+2) as simple constraints in low‐resolution MS instrumentations. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cyclic heterotetrameric and low‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded polymeric structures in the morpholinium salts of ring‐substituted benzoic acid analogues

The morpholinium (tetrahydro‐2H‐1,4‐oxazin‐4‐ium) cation has been used as a counter‐ion in both inorganic and organic salt formation and particularly in metal complex stabilization. To examine the influence of interactive substituent groups in the aromatic rings of benzoic acids upon secondary structure generation, the anhydrous salts of morpholine with salicylic acid, C₄H₁₀NO⁺·C₇H₅O₃⁻, (I), 3,5‐dinitrosalicylic acid, C₄H₁₀NO⁺·C₇H₃N₂O₇⁻, (II), 3,5‐dinitrobenzoic acid, C₄H₁₀NO⁺·C₇H₃N₂O₆⁻, (III), and 4‐nitroanthranilic acid, C₄H₁₀NO⁺·C₇H₅N₂O₄⁻, (IV), have been prepared and their hydrogen‐bonded crystal structures are described. In the crystal structures of (I), (III) and (IV), the cations and anions are linked by moderately strong N—H…O_carboxyl hydrogen bonds, but the secondary structure propagation differs among the three, viz. one‐dimensional chains extending along [010] in (I), a discrete cyclic heterotetramer in (III), and in (IV), a heterotetramer with amine N—H…O hydrogen‐bond extensions along b, giving a two‐layered ribbon structure. With the heterotetramers in both (III) and (IV), the ion pairs are linked though inversion‐related N—H…O_carboxylate hydrogen bonds, giving cyclic R₄⁴(12) motifs. With (II), in which the anion is a phenolate rather than a carboxylate, the stronger assocation is through a symmetric lateral three‐centre cyclic R₁²(6) N—H…(O,O′) hydrogen‐bonding linkage involving the phenolate and nitro O‐atom acceptors of the anion, with extension through a weaker O—H…O_carboxyl hydrogen bond. This results in a one‐dimensional chain structure extending along [100]. In the structures of two of the salts [i.e. (II) and (IV)], there are also π–π ring interactions, with ring‐centroid separations of 3.5516 (9) and 3.7700 (9) Å in (II), and 3.7340 (9) Å in (IV).     

Elucidation of phototransformation reactions of the X‐ray contrast medium iopromide under simulated solar radiation using UPLC‐ESI‐QqTOF‐MS

The highly polar, nonionic X‐ray contrast agent iopromide (C₁₈H₂₄N₃O₈I₃; 791 Da) is resistant to microbial degradation during the activated sludge process in wastewater treatment plants and hence is released into the aquatic environment. Against this background, the present study was conducted to evaluate the phototransformation, potentially constituting the most relevant removal mechanism in rivers and streams. The photolysis of the iodinated aromatic compound was investigated in a Suntest solar simulator using aqueous solutions. Following a 120‐min irradiation period, an almost complete primary degradation of iopromide gave rise to a series of photoproducts that were chromatographed on a reversed‐phase UPLC and subsequently characterized by a combination of accurate mass measurements on a ESI‐QqToF‐MS instrument and H/D‐exchange experiments. This analytical approach facilitated confident identification of eight prominent products with the following elemental compositions and molecular weights: C₁₈H₂₅N₃O₉I₂ (681 Da); C₁₈H₂₅N₃O₈I₂ (665 Da); C₁₇H₂₃N₃O₈I₂ (651 Da); C₁₈H₂₄N₃O₉I (553 Da); C₁₇H₂₄N₃O₈I (525 Da); C₁₅H₂₀N₃O₆I (465 Da); C₁₄H₁₈N₃O₆I (451 Da); and C₁₈H₂₅N₃O₉ (427 Da). Their formation was the result of four principal photoreactions: (1) gradual, and eventually complete, deiodination of the aromatic ring; (2) substitution of the halogen by a hydroxyl group; (3) N‐dealkylation of the amide in the hydroxylated side chain; and (4) oxidation of a methylene group in the hydroxylated side chain to the corresponding ketone. In conclusion, the findings of the artificial sunlight irradiation experiments indicated that in real environmental settings iopromide might suffer partial or even complete deiodination. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modified proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR‐MS) operating conditions for in vitro and in vivo analysis of wine aroma

With proton transfer reaction‐mass spectrometry standard operating conditions, analysis of alcoholic beverages is an analytical challenge. Ethanol reacts with the primary ion H₃O⁺ leading to its depletion and to formation of ethanol‐related ions and clusters, resulting in unstable ionization and in significant fragmentation of analytes. Different methods were proposed but generally resulted in lowering the sensitivity and/or complicating the mass spectra. The aim of the present study was to propose a simple, sensitive, and reliable method with fragmentation as low as possible, linearity within a realistic range of volatile organic compounds concentrations, and applicability to in vivo dynamic aroma release (nosespace) studies of wines. For in vitro analyses, a reference flask containing a hydro‐alcoholic solution (10% ethanol) was permanently connected to the PTR‐MS inlet in order to establish ethanol chemical ionization conditions. A low electric field strength to number density ratio E/N (80 Td) was used in the drift‐tube. A stable reagent ion distribution was obtained with the primary protonated ethanol ion C₂H₅OH₂⁺ accounting for more than 80% of the ionized species. The ethanol dimer (C₂H₅OH)₂H⁺ accounted for only 10%. Fragmentation of some aroma molecules important for white wine flavor (various esters, linalool, cis‐rose oxide, 2‐methylpropan‐1‐ol, 3‐methylbutan‐1‐ol, and 2‐phenylethanol) was studied from same ethanol content solutions connected alternatively with the reference solution to the instrument inlet. Linear dynamic range and limit of detection (LOD) were determined for ethyl hexanoate. Fragmentation of the protonated analytes was limited to a few ions of low intensity, or to specific fragment ions with no further fragmentation. Association and/or ligand switching reactions from ethanol clusters were only significant for the primary alcohols. Interpretation of the mass spectra was straightforward with easy detection of diagnostic ions. These results made this ethanol ionization method suitable for direct headspace analyses of model wines and to their nosespace analyses.     

Characterization of N‐methylated amino acids by GC‐MS after ethyl chloroformate derivatization

Methylation is an essential metabolic process in the biological systems, and it is significant for several biological reactions in living organisms. Methylated compounds are known to be involved in most of the bodily functions, and some of them serve as biomarkers. Theoretically, all α‐amino acids can be methylated, and it is possible to encounter them in most animal/plant samples. But the analytical data, especially the mass spectral data, are available only for a few of the methylated amino acids. Thus, it is essential to generate mass spectral data and to develop mass spectrometry methods for the identification of all possible methylated amino acids for future metabolomic studies. In this study, all N‐methyl and N,N‐dimethyl amino acids were synthesized by the methylation of α‐amino acids and characterized by a GC‐MS method. The methylated amino acids were derivatized with ethyl chloroformate and analyzed by GC‐MS under EI and methane/CI conditions. The EI mass spectra of ethyl chloroformate derivatives of N‐methyl ( 1–18 ) and N,N‐dimethyl amino acids ( 19–35 ) showed abundant [M‐COOC₂H₅]⁺ ions. The fragment ions due to loss of C₂H₄, CO₂, (CO₂ + C₂H₄) from [M‐COOC₂H₅]⁺ were of structure indicative for 1–18 . The EI spectra of 19–35 showed less number of fragment ions when compared with those of 1–18 . The side chain group (R) caused specific fragment ions characteristic to its structure. The methane/CI spectra of the studied compounds showed [M + H]⁺ ions to substantiate their molecular weights. The detected EI fragment ions were characteristic of the structure that made easy identification of the studied compounds, including isomeric/isobaric compounds. Fragmentation patterns of the studied compounds ( 1–35 ) were confirmed by high‐resolution mass spectra data and further substantiated by the data obtained from ¹³C₂‐labeled glycines and N‐ethoxycarbonyl methoxy esters. The method was applied to human plasma samples for the identification of amino acids and methylated amino acids. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

ESI‐MS/MS analysis of protonated N‐methyl amino acids and their immonium ions

Methylation is one of the important posttranslational modifications of biological systems. At the metabolite level, the methylation process is expected to convert bioactive compounds such as amino acids, fatty acids, lipids, sugars, and other organic acids into their methylated forms. A few of the methylated amino acids are identified and have been proved as potential biomarkers for several metabolic disorders by using mass spectrometry–based metabolomics workstation. As it is possible to encounter all the N‐methyl forms of the proteinogenic amino acids in plant/biological systems, it is essential to have analytical data of all N‐methyl amino acids for their detection and identification. In earlier studies, we have reported the ESI‐MS/MS data of all methylated proteinogenic amino acids, except that of mono‐N‐methyl amino acids. In this study, the N‐methyl amino acids of all the amino acids ( 1 ‐ 21 ; including one isomeric pair) were synthesized and characterized by ESI‐MS/MS, LC/MS/MS, and HRMS. These data could be useful for detection and identification of N‐methyl amino acids in biological systems for future metabolomics studies. The MS/MS spectra of [M + H]⁺ ions of most N‐methyl amino acids showed respective immonium ions by the loss of (H₂O, CO). The other most common product ions detected were [MH‐(NH₂CH₃]⁺, [MH‐(RH)]⁺ (where R = side chain group) ions, and the selective structure indicative product ions due to side chain and N‐methyl group. The isomeric/isobaric N‐methyl amino acids could easily be differentiated by their distinct MS/MS spectra. Further, the MS/MS of immonium ions inferred side chain structure and methyl group on α‐nitrogen of the N‐methyl amino acids.     

Supramolecular hydrogen‐bonded networks in cytosinium succinate and cytosinium 4‐nitrobenzoate cytosine monohydrate

In cytosinium succinate (systematic name: 4‐amino‐2‐oxo‐2,3‐dihydropyrimidin‐1‐ium 3‐carboxypropanoate), C₄H₆N₃O⁺·C₄H₅O₄⁻, (I), the cytosinium cation forms one‐dimensional self‐assembling patterns by intermolecular N—H...O hydrogen bonding, while in cytosinium 4‐nitrobenzoate cytosine monohydrate [systematic name: 4‐amino‐2‐oxo‐2,3‐dihydropyrimidin‐1‐ium 4‐nitrobenzoate 4‐aminopyrimidin‐2(1H)‐one solvate monohydrate], C₄H₆N₃O⁺·C₇H₄NO₄⁻·C₄H₅N₃O·H₂O, (II), the cytosinium–cytosine base pair, held together by triple hydrogen bonds, leads to one‐dimensional polymeric ribbons via double N—H...O hydrogen bonds. This study illustrates clearly the different alignment of cytosine molecules in the crystal packing and their ability to form supramolecular hydrogen‐bonded networks with the anions.     

New hydrophobic L‐amino acid salts: maleates of L‐leucine,L‐isoleucine and L‐norvaline

Crystals of maleates of three amino acids with hydrophobic side chains [L‐leucenium hydrogen maleate, C₆H₁₄NO₂⁺·C₄H₃O₄⁻, (I), L‐isoleucenium hydrogen maleate hemihydrate, C₆H₁₄NO₂⁺·C₄H₃O₄⁻·0.5H₂O, (II), and L‐norvalinium hydrogen maleate–L‐norvaline (1/1), C₅H₁₁NO₂⁺·C₄H₃O₄⁻·C₅H₁₂NO₂, (III)], were obtained. The new structures contain C₂²(12) chains, or variants thereof, that are a common feature in the crystal structures of amino acid maleates. The L‐leucenium salt is remarkable due to a large number of symmetrically non‐equivalent units (Z′ = 3). The L‐isoleucenium salt is a hydrate despite the fact that L‐isoleucine is a nonpolar hydrophobic amino acid (previously known amino acid maleates formed hydrates only with lysine and histidine, which are polar and hydrophilic). The L‐norvalinium salt provides the first example where the dimeric cation L‐Nva...L‐NvaH⁺ was observed. All three compounds have layered noncentrosymmetric structures. Preliminary tests have shown the presence of the second harmonic generation (SGH) effect for all three compounds.     

6‐Propyl‐2‐thiouracil versus 6‐methoxymethyl‐2‐thiouracil: enhancing the hydrogen‐bonded synthon motif by replacement of a methylene group with an O atom

The understanding of intermolecular interactions is a key objective of crystal engineering in order to exploit the derived knowledge for the rational design of new molecular solids with tailored physical and chemical properties. The tools and theories of crystal engineering are indispensable for the rational design of (pharmaceutical) cocrystals. The results of cocrystallization experiments of the antithyroid drug 6‐propyl‐2‐thiouracil (PTU) with 2,4‐diaminopyrimidine (DAPY), and of 6‐methoxymethyl‐2‐thiouracil (MOMTU) with DAPY and 2,4,6‐triaminopyrimidine (TAPY), respectively, are reported. PTU and MOMTU show a high structural similarity and differ only in the replacement of a methylene group (–CH₂–) with an O atom in the side chain, thus introducing an additional hydrogen‐bond acceptor in MOMTU. Both molecules contain an ADA hydrogen‐bonding site (A = acceptor and D = donor), while the coformers DAPY and TAPY both show complementary DAD sites and therefore should be capable of forming a mixed ADA/DAD synthon with each other, i.e. N—H…O, N—H…N and N—H…S hydrogen bonds. The experiments yielded one solvated cocrystal salt of PTU with DAPY, four different solvates of MOMTU, one ionic cocrystal of MOMTU with DAPY and one cocrystal salt of MOMTU with TAPY, namely 2,4‐diaminopyrimidinium 6‐propyl‐2‐thiouracilate–2,4‐diaminopyrimidine–N,N‐dimethylacetamide–water (1/1/1/1) (the systematic name for 6‐propyl‐2‐thiouracilate is 6‐oxo‐4‐propyl‐2‐sulfanylidene‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyrimidin‐1‐ide), C₄H₇N₄⁺·C₇H₉N₂OS⁻·C₄H₆N₄·C₄H₉NO·H₂O, (I), 6‐methoxymethyl‐2‐thiouracil–N,N‐dimethylformamide (1/1), C₆H₈N₂O₂S·C₃H₇NO, (II), 6‐methoxymethyl‐2‐thiouracil–N,N‐dimethylacetamide (1/1), C₆H₈N₂O₂S·C₄H₉NO, (III), 6‐methoxymethyl‐2‐thiouracil–dimethyl sulfoxide (1/1), C₆H₈N₂O₂S·C₂H₆OS, (IV), 6‐methoxymethyl‐2‐thiouracil–1‐methylpyrrolidin‐2‐one (1/1), C₆H₈N₂O₂S·C₅H₉NO, (V), 2,4‐diaminopyrimidinium 6‐methoxymethyl‐2‐thiouracilate (the systematic name for 6‐methoxymethyl‐2‐thiouracilate is 4‐methoxymethyl‐6‐oxo‐2‐sulfanylidene‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyrimidin‐1‐ide), C₄H₇N₄⁺·C₆H₇N₂O₂S⁻, (VI), and 2,4,6‐triaminopyrimidinium 6‐methoxymethyl‐2‐thiouracilate–6‐methoxymethyl‐2‐thiouracil (1/1), C₄H₈N₅⁺·C₆H₇N₂O₂S⁻·C₆H₈N₂O₂S, (VII). Whereas in (I) only an AA/DD hydrogen‐bonding interaction was formed, the structures of (VI) and (VII) both display the desired ADA/DAD synthon. Conformational studies on the side chains of PTU and MOMTU also revealed a significant deviation for cocrystals (VI) and (VII), leading to the desired enhancement of the hydrogen‐bond pattern within the crystal.     

Neutral 4‐phenyl‐1‐[phenyl(pyridin‐2‐yl)methylidene]semicarbazide and its salt forms with inorganic anions

Semicarbazones can exist in two tautomeric forms. In the solid state, they are found in the keto form. This work presents the synthesis, structures and spectroscopic characterization (IR and NMR spectroscopy) of four such compounds, namely the neutral molecule 4‐phenyl‐1‐[phenyl(pyridin‐2‐yl)methylidene]semicarbazide, C₁₉H₁₆N₄O, (I), abbreviated as HBzPyS, and three different hydrated salts, namely the chloride dihydrate, C₁₉H₁₇N₄O⁺·Cl^?·2H₂O, (II), the nitrate dihydrate, C₁₉H₁₇N₄O⁺·NO₃^?·2H₂O, (III), and the thiocyanate 2.5‐hydrate, C₁₉H₁₇N₄O⁺·SCN^?·2.5H₂O, (IV), of 2‐[phenyl({[(phenylcarbamoyl)amino]imino})methyl]pyridinium, abbreviated as [H₂BzPyS]⁺·X^?·nH₂O, with X = Cl^? and n = 2 for (II), X = NO₃^? and n = 2 for (III), and X = SCN^? and n = 2.5 for (IV), showing the influence of the anionic form in the intermolecular interactions. Water molecules and counter‐ions (chloride or nitrate) are involved in the formation of a two‐dimensional arrangement by the establishment of hydrogen bonds with the N—H groups of the cation, stabilizing the E isomers in the solid state. The neutral HBzPyS molecule crystallized as the E isomer due to the existence of weak π–π interactions between pairs of molecules. The calculated IR spectrum of the hydrated [H₂BzPyS]⁺ cation is in good agreement with the experimental results.     

Strychninium N‐phthaloyl‐β‐alaninate N‐phthaloyl‐β‐alanine and brucinium N‐phthaloyl‐β‐alaninate 5.67‐hydrate

Comparison of the structures of strychninium N‐phthaloyl‐β‐alaninate N‐phthaloyl‐β‐alanine, C₂₁H₂₃N₂O₂⁺·C₁₁H₈NO₄⁻·C₁₁H₉NO₄, and brucinium N‐phthaloyl‐β‐alaninate 5.67‐hydrate, C₂₃H₂₇N₂O₄⁺·C₁₁H₈NO₄⁻·5.67H₂O, reveals that, unlike strychninium cations, brucinium cations display a tendency to produce stacking inter­actions with cocrystallizing guests.     

Theoretical chemical ionization rate constants of the concurrent reactions of hydronium ions (H3O+) and oxygen ions (O ) with selected organic iodides

Short chain volatile iodinated organic compounds (VIOCs) are of great importance in many fields that include atmospheric chemistry, agriculture, and environmental chemistry related to nuclear power plant safety. Proton‐transfer‐reaction mass spectrometry (PTR‐MS) allows for fast, sensitive, and online quantification of VIOCs if the chemical ionization (CI) reaction rate coefficients are known. In this work, the theoretical CI rate coefficients for the reactions of hydronium ions (H₃O⁺) and oxygen ions (O ) with selected atmospherically important short chain VIOCs are determined. The neutral CH₃I, CH₂I₂, C₂H₅I, iso‐C₃H₇I, n‐C₃H₇I, n‐C₄H₉I, 2‐C₄H₉I, n‐C₅H₁₁I, 2‐C₅H₁₁I, and 3‐C₅H₁₁I have been chosen because these compounds are of atmospheric and environmental importance in the field of safety of nuclear plant reactors. Theoretical ion‐molecule collision rate coefficients were determined using the Su and Chesnavich theory based on parametrized trajectory calculations. The proton affinity, ionization energy, dipole moment, and polarizability values of the neutral molecules were determined from density functional theory and coupled‐cluster calculations. The newly calculated rate constants facilitate the use of the CI mass spectrometry in the atmospheric quantification of selected VIOCs.     

Analysis of ToF‐SIMS spectra of poly(2‐vinylpyridine) and poly(4‐vinylpyridine) with density functional theory calculations

The time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) positive and negative ion spectra of poly(2‐vinylpyridine) (P2VP) and poly(4‐vinylpyridine) (P4VP) were analyzed using density functional theory calculations. Most of the ions from these structural isomers shared the same accurate mass, but had different relative abundance. This could be attributed to the fact that from a thermodynamics perspective, the disparity in the molecular structures can affect the ion stability if we assume that they shared the same mechanistic pathway of formation with similar reaction kinetics. The molecular structures of these ions were assigned, and their stability was evaluated based on calculations using the Kohn‐Sham density functional theory with Becke's 3‐parameter Lee‐Yang‐Parr exchange‐correlation functional and a correlation‐consistent, polarized, valence, double‐zeta basis set for cations and the same basis set with a triple‐zeta for anions. The computational results agreed with the experimental observations that the nitrogen‐containing cations such as C₅H₄N⁺ (m/z = 78), C₈H₇N^+· (m/z = 117), C₈H₈N⁺ (m/z = 118), C₉H₈N⁺ (m/z = 130), C₁₃H₁₁N₂⁺ (m/z = 195), C₁₄H₁₃N₂⁺ (m/z = 209), C₁₅H₁₅N₂⁺ (m/z = 223), and C₂₁H₂₂N₃⁺ (m/z = 316) ions were more favorably formed in P2VP than in P4VP due to higher ion stability because the calculated total energies of these cations were more negative when the nitrogen was situated at the ortho position. Nevertheless, our assumption was invalid in the formation of positive ions such as C₆H₇N⁺˙ (m/z = 93) and C₈H₁₀N⁺ (m/z = 120). Their formation did not necessarily depend on the ion stability. Instead, the transition state chemistry and the matrix effect both played a role. In the negative ion spectra, we found that nitrogen‐containing anions such as C₅H₄N^? (m/z = 78), C₆H₆N^? (m/z = 92), C₇H₆N^? (m/z = 104), C₈H₆N^? (m/z = 116), C₉H₁₀N^? (m/z = 132), C₁₃H₁₁N₂^? (m/z = 195), and C₁₄H₁₃N₂^? (m/z = 209) ions were more favorably formed in P4VP, which is in line with our computational results without exception. We speculate that whether anions would form from P2VP and P4VP is more dependent on the stability of the ions.     

Effects of two benzenedicarboxylic acids on the construction of CdII coordination polymers incorporating a flexible N‐donor ligand

Compared with the monomorphic type of ligand, combining mixed ligands in one coordination polymer offers greater tunability of the structural framework. Employment of N‐heterocyclic ligands and aromatic polycarboxylates is an effective approach for the construction of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). Two new coordination polymers incorporating both 2‐[(1H‐imidazol‐1‐yl)methyl]‐1H‐benzimidazole (imb) and benzenedicarboxylic acid isomers, namely, catena‐poly[[[di‐μ‐chlorido‐bis[(2‐carboxybenzoato‐κ²O¹,O^1′)cadmium(II)]]‐bis{μ‐2‐[(1H‐imidazol‐1‐yl)methyl]‐1H‐benzimidazole‐κ²N:N′}] dihydrate], {[Cd(C₈H₅O₄)Cl(C₁₁H₁₀N₄)]·H₂O}_n, (I), and poly[[aqua(μ₂‐benzene‐1,3‐dicarboxylato‐κ³O¹,O^1′:O³){μ₂‐2‐[(1H‐imidazol‐1‐yl)methyl]‐1H‐benzimidazole‐κ²N:N′}cadmium(II)] dihydrate], {[Cd(C₈H₄O₄)(C₁₁H₁₀N₄)(H₂O)]·2H₂O}_n, (II), have been prepared and structurally characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. In polymer (I), imb ligands bridge Cd^II ions, forming a one‐dimensional chain, and 2‐carboxybenzoate anions coordinate to the Cd^II ions in a terminal fashion. Polymer (II) exhibits a two‐dimensional network structure in which imb ligands and the benzene‐1,3‐dicarboxylate anions join Cd^II ions co‐operatively. This indicates that changing of the aromatic dicarboxylic acids can result in polymers with different compositions and architectures. Moreover, their IR spectra, PXRD (powder X‐ray diffraction) patterns, thermogravimetric analyses and fluorescence properties were also investigated.     

Two ZnII mononuclear coordination compounds with pyridinedicarboxylate and auxiliary N‐(pyridin‐4‐ylmethylidene)hydroxylamine ligands

Two new mononuclear coordination compounds, bis{4‐[(hydroxyimino)methyl]pyridinium} diaquabis(pyridine‐2,5‐dicarboxylato‐κ²N,O²)zincate(II), (C₆H₇N₂O)₂[Zn(C₇H₃NO₄)₂(H₂O)₂], (1), and (pyridine‐2,6‐dicarboxylato‐κ³O²,N,O⁶)bis[N‐(pyridin‐4‐ylmethylidene‐κN)hydroxylamine]zinc(II), [Zn(C₇H₃NO₄)(C₆H₆N₂O)₂], (2), have been synthesized and characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffractometry. The centrosymmetric Zn^II cation in (1) is octahedrally coordinated by two chelating pyridine‐2,5‐dicarboxylate ligands and by two water molecules in a distorted octahedral geometry. In (2), the Zn^II cation is coordinated by a tridentate pyridine‐2,6‐dicarboxylate dianion and by two N‐(pyridin‐4‐ylmethylidene)hydroxylamine molecules in a distorted C₂‐symmetric trigonal bipyramidal coordination geometry.     

Differences and similarities among hypoxanthinium nitrate hydrate structures

Crystals of hypoxanthinium (6‐oxo‐1H,7H‐purin‐9‐ium) nitrate hydrates were investigated by means of X‐ray diffraction at different temperatures. The data for hypoxanthinium nitrate monohydrate (C₅H₅N₄O⁺·NO₃^?·H₂O, Hx1 ) were collected at 20, 105 and 285 K. The room‐temperature phase was reported previously [Schmalle et al. (1990). Acta Cryst. C 46 , 340–342] and the low‐temperature phase has not been investigated yet. The structure underwent a phase transition, which resulted in a change of space group from Pmnb to P2₁/n at lower temperature and subsequently in nonmerohedral twinning. The structure of hypoxanthinium dinitrate trihydrate (H₃O⁺·C₅H₅N₄O⁺·2NO₃^?·2H₂O, Hx2 ) was determined at 20 and 100 K, and also has not been reported previously. The Hx2 structure consists of two types of layers: the `hypoxanthinium nitrate monohydrate' layers (HX) observed in Hx1 and layers of Zundel complex H₃O⁺·H₂O interacting with nitrate anions (OX). The crystal can be considered as a solid solution of two salts, i.e. hypoxanthinium nitrate monohydrate, C₅H₅N₄O⁺·NO₃^?·H₂O, and oxonium nitrate monohydrate, H₃O⁺(H₂O)·NO₃^?.