Stereospecific control of peptide gas‐phase ion chemistry with cis and trans cyclo ornithine residues

We report non‐chiral amino acid residues cis‐ and trans‐1,4‐diaminocyclohexane‐1‐carboxylic acid (cyclo‐ornithine, cO) that exhibit unprecedented stereospecific control of backbone dissociations of singly charged peptide cations and hydrogen‐rich cation radicals produced by electron‐transfer dissociation. Upon collision‐induced dissociation (CID) in the slow heating regime, peptide cations containing trans‐cO residues undergo facile backbone cleavages of amide bonds C‐terminal to trans‐cO. By contrast, peptides with cis‐cO residues undergo dissociations at several amide bonds along the peptide ion backbone. Diastereoisomeric cO‐containing peptides thus provide remarkably distinct tandem mass spectra. The stereospecific effect in CID of the trans‐cO residue is explained by syn‐facially directed proton transfer from the 4‐ammonium group at cO to the C‐terminal amide followed by neighboring group participation in the cleavage of the CO―NH bond, analogous to the aspartic acid and ornithine effects. Backbone dissociations of diastereoisomeric cO‐containing peptide ions generate distinct [b_n]⁺‐type fragment ions that were characterized by CID‐MS³ spectra. Stereospecific control is also reported for electron‐transfer dissociation of cis‐ and trans‐cO containing doubly charged peptide ions. The stereospecific effect upon electron transfer is related to the different conformations of doubly charged peptide ions that affect the electron attachment sites and ensuing N―C_α bond dissociations.     

Structure determination of [C3H3N2]+ ions,formed from monosubstituted pyrazoles C3H3N2R,by collision-induced dissociation mass spectrometry

[C₃H₃N₂]⁺ ions have been generated under electron impact conditions from some monosubstituted pyrazoles C₃H₃N₂R. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) mass spectra of deuterium-labelled precursors suggest that the majority of the [C₃H₃N₂]⁺ ions formed from 1-nitro- and 4-bromo-pyrazole retain their cyclic structure, whereas the ions from 3(5)-bromopyrazole are mainly linear. This is confirmed by the relative values observed for the overall cross-sections for CID and for ion loss. An isotope effect of the order of 1.5–1.9 has been found for the collision-induced loss of H^˙ from [C₃H₃N₂]⁺, generated from 3(5)- and 4-bromopyrazole.     

A study of the electron capture induced decompositions and charge separation reactions of the doubly charged isomeric ions of the methylpyridines and aniline

The doubly charged isomeric ions [C₆H₇N]²⁺ formed from 2-, 3- and 4-methylpyridine and aniline were investigated via their unimolecular charge separation reactions and by electron capture induced decompositions (ECID). The ECID spectra were compared with the collision induced decomposition (CID) spectra of the singly charged ions in an attempt to investigate the structure of the doubly charged ions. The four isomers could be unambiguously identified by their unimolecular charge separations. These differences were greater than in the mass spectra, ECID spectra or CID spectra of singly charged ions.     

Unblocking the Sink: Improved CID-Based Analysis of Phosphorylated Peptides by Enzymatic Removal of the Basic C-Terminal Residue

A one-step enzymatic reaction for improving the collision-induced dissociation (CID)-based tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analysis of phosphorylated peptides in an ion trap is presented. Carboxypeptidase-B (CBP-B) was used to selectively remove C-terminal arginine or lysine residues from phosphorylated tryptic/Lys-C peptides prior to their MS/MS analysis by CID with a Paul-type ion trap. Removal of this basic C-terminal residue served to limit the extent of gas-phase neutral loss of phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄), favoring the formation of diagnostic b and y ions as determined by an increase in both the number and relative intensities of the sequence-specific product ions. Such differential fragmentation is particularly valuable when the H₃PO₄ elimination is so predominant that localizing the phosphorylation site on the peptide sequence is hindered. Improvement in the quality of tandem mass spectral data generated by CID upon CBP-B treatment resulted in greater confidence both in assignment of the phosphopeptide primary sequence and for pinpointing the site of phosphorylation. Higher Mascot ion scores were also generated, combined with lower expectation values and higher delta scores for improved confidence in site assignment; Ascore values also improved. These results are rationalized in accordance with the accepted mechanisms for the elimination of H₃PO₄ upon low energy CID and insights into the factors dictating the observed dissociation pathways are presented. We anticipate this approach will be of utility in the MS analysis of phosphorylated peptides, especially when alternative electron-driven fragmentation techniques are not available.

Synthesis,characterization and catalytic activity of new aminomethyldiphosphine–Pd(II) complexes for Suzuki cross‐coupling reaction

A new range of CF₃‐substituted aminomethyldiphosphine (P―C―N) ligands ((C₆H₅)₂PCH₂)₂NR (R = ―C₆H₄(2‐CF₃) ( 1 ), ―C₆H₄(3‐CF₃) ( 1b ) has been synthesized from 2‐(trifluoromethyl)aniline and 3‐(trifluoromethyl)aniline with diphenylphosphine. The aminomethyldiphosphine ligands were reacted with Pd(cod)Cl₂ to give corresponding metal complexes, PdLCl₂ ( 2a , 2b ). The aminomethyldiphosphine–palladium compounds were characterized by utilizing several methods including NMR (¹H, ¹³C, ³¹P) and elemental analysis. These compounds were used as catalysts in Suzuki cross‐coupling reaction of aryl chlorides and bromides. The effect of base was also investigated in this current project. CF₃‐substituted aminomethyldiphosphine–palladium complexes were found to be efficient catalysts in Suzuki cross‐coupling reaction of activated and deactivated aryl boronic acids. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dissociative photoionization of isoprene: experiments and calculations

Vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) dissociative photoionization of isoprene in the energy region 8.5–18 eV was investigated with photoionization mass spectroscopy (PIMS) using synchrotron radiation (SR). The ionization energy (IE) of isoprene as well as the appearance energies (AEs) of its fragment ions C₅H₇⁺, C₅H₅⁺, C₄H₅⁺, C₃H₆⁺, C₃H₅⁺, C₃H₄⁺, C₃H₃⁺ and C₂H₃⁺ were determined with photoionization efficiency (PIE) curves. The dissociation energies of some possible dissociation channels to produce those fragment ions were also determined experimentally. The total energies of C₅H₈ and its main fragments were calculated using the Gaussian 03 program and the Gaussian‐2 method. The IE of C₅H₈, the AEs for its fragment ions, and the dissociation energies to produce them were predicted using the high‐accuracy energy model. According to our results, the experimental dissociation energies were in reasonable agreement with the calculated values of the proposed photodissociation channels of C₅H₈. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Doubly charged ion mass spectra: III—N-alkanes

Doubly charged ion mass spectra have been obtained for 15 n-alkane hydrocarbons. Spectra were measured using a Nier-Johnson geometry Hitachi RMU-7L mass spectrometer operated at 1.6kV accelerating voltage. Fragment ions, which resulted from C? C bond rupture and extensive H loss, dominated the spectra. Molecular ions have not been observed. The most intense ions in the doubly charged ion mass spectra of n-alkanes were [C₂H₄]²⁺, [C₃H₂]²⁺, [C₄H₃]²⁺, [C₅H₂]²⁺, [C₆H₆]²⁺, [C₆H₈]²⁺, [C₇H₆]²⁺, [C₇H₈]²⁺, [C₈H₆]²⁺ and [C₈H₈]²⁺. Appearance energies for forming the prominent doubly charged fragment ions have been measured and range from 27.5 eV to energies greater than 60eV. A geometry optimized SCF approach has been used to compute the energies and structures of prominent ions in the doubly charged mass spectra.     

Evidence for ion–ion interactions between peptides and anions (HSO4− or ClO4−) derived from high‐acidity acids

The existence of gas‐phase electrostatic ion–ion interactions between protonated sites on peptides ([Glu] Fibrinopeptide B, Angiotensin I and [Asn¹, Val⁵]‐Angiotensin II) and attaching anions (ClO₄^? and HSO₄^?) derived from strong inorganic acids has been confirmed by CID MS/MS. Evidence for ion–ion interactions comes especially from the product ions formed during the first dissociation step, where, in addition to the expected loss of the anion or neutral acid, other product ions are also observed that require covalent bond cleavage (i.e. H₂O loss when several carboxylate groups are present, or NH₃ loss when only one carboxylate group is present). For [[Glu] Fibrinopeptide B + HSO₄]^?, under CID, H₂O water loss was found to require less energy than H₂SO₄ departure. This indicates that the interaction between HSO₄^? and the peptide is stronger than the covalent bond holding the hydroxyl group, and must be an ion–ion interaction. The strength and stability of this type of ion‐pairing interaction are highly dependent on the accessibility of additional mobile charges to the site. Positive mobile charges such as protons from the peptide can be transferred to the attaching anion to possibly form a neutral that may depart from the complex. Alternatively, an ion–ion interaction can be disrupted by a competing proximal additional negatively charged site of the peptide that can potentially form a salt bridge with the positively charged site and thereby facilitate the attaching anion's departure. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Molecular ionization-dissociation of fluoranthene at 266 nm: Energetic and dissociative pathways

Experimental studies have been carried out for nanosecond 266-nm laser-induced photoionization and dissociation of fluoranthene, C₁₆H₁₀ with pulse energies from 0.5 to 20 mJ using a time of flight mass spectrometer. The fragmentation patterns have been characterized and discussed with respect to the number of absorbed photons. They fall into three regimes. The first regime involves low energy processes, where the molecular parent ion promptly dissociates, resulting in the formation of Cm⁺Hn(m=11−15) by a process where up to two photons are absorbed. The second regime involves intermediate energy, where dissociative processes are activated by up to three-photon absorption and produce a second group of daughter ions: C10⁺Hn, C₉⁺Hn, and C₈⁺Hn. Finally, there is a third dissociative process, characterized by the absorption of up to four photons, producing C₇⁺Hn, C₆⁺Hn, C₅⁺Hn, C₄⁺Hn, and C₃⁺Hn. Most of the detected ions are of the form Cm⁺Hn with m < n. Total deprotonation has also been observed. The mechanism proposed involves the dissociation of the parent ion, which then dissociates by different competitive channels. Helium, neon and argon were used as carrier gases (CG). A detailed discussion is presented regarding the use of He as the CG. The laser pulse intensity allows the absorption of up to nine photons, observed through the formation of multiply charged ions of some of the CG atoms.     

Towards perfunctionalized dodecahedranes--en route to C20 fullerene

“One‐pot” substitution of the twenty hydrogen atoms in pentagonal dodecahedrane (C₂₀H₂₀) by OH, F, Cl, and Br atoms is explored. Electrophilic insertion of oxygen atoms with DMDO and TFMDO as oxidizing reagents ended, far off the desired C₂₀(OH)₂₀, in complex polyol mixtures (up to C₂₀H₁₀(OH)₁₀ decols, a trace of C₂₀H(OH)₁₉?). Perfluorination was successful in a NaF matrix but (nearly pure) C₂₀F₂₀ could be secured only in very low yield. “Brute‐force” photochlorination (heat, light, pressure, time) provided a mixture of hydrogen‐free, barely soluble C₂₀Cl₁₆ dienes in high yield and C₂₀Cl₂₀ as a trace component. Upon electron‐impact ionization of the C₂₀Cl₁₆ material sequential loss of the chlorine atoms was the major fragmentation pathway furnishing, however, only minor amounts of chlorine‐free C₂₀⁺ ions. “Brute‐force” photobrominations delivered an extremely complex mixture of polybromides with C₂₀HBr₁₃ trienes as the highest masses. The MS spectra exhibited exclusive loss of the Br substituents ending in rather intense singly, doubly, and triply charged C₂₀H_4–0^+(2+)(3+) ions. The insoluble ～C₂₀HBr₁₃ fraction (C₂₀Br₁₄ trienes as highest masses) obtained along a modified bromination protocol, ultimately allowed the neat mass selection of C₂₀^? ions. The C₂₀Cl₁₆ dienes and C₂₀H_0–3Br_14–12 tri‐/tetraenes, in spite of their very high olefinic pyramidalization, proved resistant to oxygen and dimerization (polymerization) but added CH₂N₂ smoothly. Dehalogenation of the respective cycloaddition products through electron‐impact ionization resulted in C_22–24H_4–8⁺⁽²⁺⁾ ions possibly constituting bis‐/tris‐/tetrakis‐methano‐C₂₀ fullerenes or partly hydrogenated C₂₂, C₂₃, and C₂₄ cages.     

Functional group interaction in the fragmentation of protonated 2,7-octanedione

The fragmentation of 2,7-octanedione, induced by chemical ionization with methane as a reagent gas (CI (CH₄)), is shown to be extensively governed by the interaction of the two carbonyl groups. Tandem mass spectrometry reveals that a sequential loss of H₂O and C₂H₄O from the [M + H]⁺ ion competes with sequential loss of H₂O and C₆H₁₀, and that both processes occur via the same [MH - H₂O]⁺ intermediate. This intermediate is likely to be formed via intramolecular gas-phase aldol condensation and subsequent dehydration. The resulting C(1) protonated 1-acetyl-2-methylcyclopentene structure readily accounts for the observed further decomposition to CH₃C?O⁺ and 1-methylcyclopentene (C₆H₁₀) or, alternatively, to [C₆H₉]⁺ (e. g. 1-methylcyclopentenylium) ions and acetaldehyde (C₂H₄O). Support for this mechanistic rationale is derived from deuterium isotope labelling and low-energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) of the [MH - H₂O]⁺ ion. The common intermediate shows a CID behaviour indistinguishable by these techniques from that of reference ions, which are produced by gas-phase protonation of the authentic cyclic aldol or by gas-phase addition of an acetyl cation to 1-methylcyclopentene in a CI (CH₃COOCH₃) experiment.     

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.     

Metastable ions in chemical ionization

The ion [C₃H₅]⁺ generated in a chemical ionization source by a variety of methods, including protonation and charge exchange, exhibits a metastable peak for H₂ loss which is two orders of magnitude weaker than that formed in an electron impact source. The stable [C₃H₅]⁺ ions generated by electron impact and chemical ionization undergo collision-induced dissociation to a comparable extent, both losing H₂ by only one of the two competitive mechanisms observed for metastable ions. In contrast to the behavior of [C₃H₅]⁺, the molecular ions of p-substituted nitrobenzene, generated by charge exchange at high source pressure, yield composite metastable peaks for NO loss which are very similar in shape and intensity to those generated by electron impact. The contrasting behavior of the metastable ions extracted from high pressure ion sources in the two systems may be due to differences in the efficiencies of quenching of the ionic states responsible for fragmentation as metastable ions. It is noteworthy that the NO loss reactions require considerably lower activation energies than does the H₂ loss reaction.     

Rearrangements and fragmentations of [C2H5S]+ ions

[C₂H₅S]⁺ ions (m/e 61) with different initial structures were generated in the mass spectrometer from twelve precursor ions. Abundance ratios of competing metastable ion decompositions were used to determine whether these ions decompose through the same or different reaction channels. It was concluded that all [C₂H₅S]⁺ ions isomerize to a common structure or mixture of structures prior to decomposition in the first field free region. From ¹³C labelling experiments it was concluded that [C₂H₅S]⁺ ions generated from the molecular ions of 2-propanethiol-2-[¹³C], partially rearrange to a symmetrical structure before decomposition to [CHS]⁺ and CH₄, whereas in [C₂H₅S]⁺ ions generated from the the molecular ions of 1,2-bis-(thiomethoxy-[¹³C]) ethane, the two carbon atoms become fully equivalent before CH₄ loss occurs.     

Gas-Phase Synthesis of Singly and Multiply Charged Polyoxovanadate Anions Employing Electrospray Ionization and Collision Induced Dissociation

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) combined with in-source fragmentation and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) experiments were used to generate a wide range of singly and multiply charged vanadium oxide cluster anions including V_xO_y ^n– and V_xO_yCl^n– ions (x = 1–14, y = 2–36, n = 1–3), protonated clusters, and ligand-bound polyoxovanadate anions. The cluster anions were produced by electrospraying a solution of tetradecavanadate, V₁₄O₃₆Cl(L)₅ (L = Et₄N⁺, tetraethylammonium), in acetonitrile. Under mild source conditions, ESI-MS generates a distribution of doubly and triply charged V_xO_yCl^n– and V_xO_yCl(L)^(n–1)– clusters predominantly containing 14 vanadium atoms as well as their protonated analogs. Accurate mass measurement using a high-resolution LTQ/Orbitrap mass spectrometer (m/Δm = 60,000 at m/z 410) enabled unambiguous assignment of the elemental composition of the majority of peaks in the ESI-MS spectrum. In addition, high-sensitivity mass spectrometry allowed the charge state of the cluster ions to be assigned based on the separation of the major from the much less abundant minor isotope of vanadium. In-source fragmentation resulted in facile formation of smaller V_xO_yCl^(1–2)– and V_xO_y ^(1–2)– anions. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiments enabled systematic study of the gas-phase fragmentation pathways of the cluster anions originating from solution and from in-source CID. Surprisingly simple fragmentation patterns were obtained for all singly and doubly charged V_xO_yCl and V_xO_y species generated through multiple MS/MS experiments. In contrast, cluster anions originating directly from solution produced comparatively complex CID spectra. These results are consistent with the formation of more stable structures of V_xO_yCl and V_xO_y anions through low-energy CID. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that solution-phase synthesis of one precursor cluster anion combined with gas-phase CID is an efficient approach for the top-down synthesis of a wide range of singly and multiply charged gas-phase metal oxide cluster anions for subsequent investigations of structure and reactivity using mass spectrometry and ion spectroscopy techniques.      

Localization of Fatty Acyl and Double Bond Positions in Phosphatidylcholines Using a Dual Stage CID Fragmentation Coupled with Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry

A high content molecular fragmentation for the analysis of phosphatidylcholines (PC) was achieved utilizing a two-stage [trap (first generation fragmentation) and transfer (second generation fragmentation)] collision-induced dissociation (CID) in combination with travelling-wave ion mobility spectrometry (TWIMS). The novel aspects of this work reside in the fact that a TWIMS arrangement was used to obtain a high level structural information including location of fatty acyl substituents and double bonds for PCs in plasma, and the presence of alkali metal adduct ions such as [M?+?Li]⁺ was not required to obtain double bond positions. Elemental compositions for fragment ions were confirmed by accurate mass measurements. A very specific first generation fragment ion m/z 577 (M-phosphoryl choline) from the PC [16:0/18:1 (9Z)] was produced, which by further CID generated acylium ions containing either the fatty acyl 16:0 (C₁₅H₃₁CO⁺, m/z 239) or 18:1 (9Z) (C₁₇H₃₃CO⁺, m/z 265) substituent. Subsequent water loss from these acylium ions was key in producing hydrocarbon fragment ions mainly from the α-proximal position of the carbonyl group such as the hydrocarbon ion m/z 67 (+H₂C-HC?=?CH-CH?=?CH₂). Formation of these ions was of important significance for determining double bonds in the fatty acyl chains. In addition to this, and with the aid of ¹³C labeled lyso-phosphatidylcholine (LPC) 18:1 (9Z) in the ω-position (methyl) TAP fragmentation produced the ion at m/z 57. And was proven to be derived from the α-proximal (carboxylate) or distant ω-position (methyl) in the LPC.     

Doubly charged ion mass spectra: IV—chlorinated and brominated alkanes

Doubly charged ion mass spectra have been obtained for 42 chlorinated and brominated n-alkane (methyl through octyl) hydrocarbons. A double focusing Hitachi RMU-7L mass spectrometer, operated at 1.6kV accelerating voltage, has been used to measure the spectra. Molecular doubly charged ions have not been observed. Intense fragment ions have been produced from extensive H and halogen loss as well as C? C bond rupture of the parent molecule. The most abundant ions in the doubly charged ion spectra observed in this investigation resulted from reactions of [Cl]²⁺˙, [Br]²⁺˙, [CCL₂]²⁺, [C₂H₂Cl]²⁺˙, [C₃H₂]²⁺, [C₃HCl]²⁺, [C₃HBr]²⁺, [C₄H₃]²⁺˙, [C₄H₄]²⁺, [C₄H₆Br]²⁺˙, [C₄H₈Br]²⁺˙, [C₅H₂]²⁺, [C₆H₆]²⁺, [C₆H₈]²⁺ and [C₇H₈]²⁺. The prominent doubly charged fragment ions formed by electron impact of the smaller halogenated alkanes generally contained halogen, whereas ions of the type [C_nH_x]²⁺ were dominant in the spectra of higher molecular weight mono- and dihalogenated alkanes. Appearance energies of several ions have been measured. A geometry optimized quantum mechanical SCF treatment has been used to compute energies, charge densities and structures of doubly charged halogenated alkane ions.     

7H-benz [kl]acridin-7-ylium closed-shell ion produced from 1,8-bis(phenylamino)naphthalenes under electron impact: Tandem mass spectrometric structure elucidation

Not only strongly basic aromatic amines such as ‘proton sponges’ show characteristic [M – Me₂NH – H]⁺ peaks corresponding to cyclization to stable heterocyclic ions under electron impact. The fragmentation of the title compounds, which are weak bases, leads to [M – RNH₂ – C₆H₅]⁺ heteroaromatic ions. These are the 7-phenyl-7H-benz[kl]acridine radical cation and the delocalized stable 7H-benz[kl]acridin-7-ylium ion as shown by unimolecular metastable ion spectra, collision-induced decomposition (CID) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and accurate mass measurements. The high-collision-energy CID tandem mass spectra of these ions are perfectly superimposable on those of the ions produced by the reference substance, 7-phenyl-7H-benz[kl]acridine obtained as a by-product in the Ullmann phenylation of 1,8-diaminonaphthalene. This combination of MS/MS experiments also provides strong support for the gas-phase reaction mechanism leading to the benz[kl]acridine ions and for the structures of these ions.     

A comparison of three experimental techniques for ion structure studies via collision-induced reactions: The [C5H8]+˙ example

Structure differentiation between [C₅H₈]⁺˙ ions, formed by electron ionization of various precursors, has been used as a test case for comparison of three experimental techniques involving collision-induced dissociation (CID). Low-energy CID in an rf-only quadrupole collision cell has been studied in the range 1–150 eV laboratory collision energy. These data have been compared with those obtained using mass-analyzed ion kinetic energy spectroscopy at 8 keV energy, and with results from dissociative charge-stripping (DCS) coupled with a second electron capture collision (EC) in order to remove intense interferences (DCS/EC). The greatest degree of structure differentiation was possible using the DCS/EC technique. The other two methods were comparable in this regard, although effects of pre-collision internal energy was apparent for collision energies much below 30 eV. Day-to-day reproducibility of spectra was most difficult to obtain for the low-energy CID technique. Of the [C₅H₈]⁺˙ ions thus tested, the isoprene molecular ion was clearly the best match to the fragment ion formed from limonene.     

Theoretical Study of Isoprene Dissociative Photoionization

Theoretical calculations have been carried out to investigate the possible dissociation channels of isoprene. We focus on the major fragment ions of C₅H₇⁺,C₅H₅⁺,C₄H₅⁺,C₃H₆⁺,C₃H₅⁺,C₃H₄⁺,C₃H₃⁺ and C₂H₃⁺, which were observed experimentally from the isoprene dissociative photoionization. The energy calculations were performed with the CBS-QB3 model. All the geometries and energies of the fragments, intermediates and transition states involved in the dissociations channels were determined. Finally, the mechanisms of the dissociation pathways were discussed on the comparison of theoretical and experimental results.