Pi-complex structure of gaseous benzene-NO cations assayed by IR multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy

[C(6)H(6)NO](+) ions, in two isomeric forms involved as key intermediates in the aromatic nitrosation reaction, have been produced in the gas phase and analyzed by IR multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy in the 800-2200 cm(-)(1) fingerprint wavenumber range, exploiting the high fluence and wide tunability of a free electron laser (FEL) source. The IRMPD spectra were compared with the IR absorption spectra calculated for the optimized structures of potential isomers, thus allowing structural information on the absorbing species. [C(6)H(6)NO](+) ions were obtained by two routes, taking advantage of the FEL coupling to two different ion traps. In the first one, an FT-ICR mass spectrometer, a sequence of ion-molecule reactions was allowed to occur, ultimately leading to an NO(+) transfer process to benzene. The so-formed ions displayed IRMPD features characteristic of a [benzene,NO](+) pi-complex structure, including a prominent band at 1963 cm(-)(1), within the range for the N-O bond stretching vibration of NO (1876 cm(-)(1)) and NO(+) (2344 cm(-)(1)). A quite distinct species is formed by electrospray ionization (ESI) of a methanol solution of nitrosobenzene. The ions transferred and stored in a Paul ion trap showed the IRMPD features of substituent protonated nitrosobenzene, the most stable among conceivable [C(6)H(6)NO](+) isomers according to computations. It is noteworthy that IRMPD is successful in allowing a discrimination between isomeric [C(6)H(6)NO](+) species, whereas high-energy collision-induced dissociation fails in this task. The [benzene,NO](+) pi-complex is characterized by IRMPD spectroscopy as an exemplary noncovalent ionic adduct between two important biomolecular moieties.     

Protonation of gas-phase aromatic molecules: IR spectrum of the fluoronium isomer of protonated fluorobenzene

The IR spectrum of the fluoronium isomer of protonated fluorobenzene (F-C(6)H(6)F(+), phenylfluoronium) is recorded in the vicinity of the C-H and F-H stretch fundamentals to obtain the first structured spectrum of an isolated protonated aromatic molecule in the gas phase. Stable F-C(6)H(6)F(+) ions are produced via proton transfer from CH(5)(+) to fluorobenzene (C(6)H(5)F) in a supersonic plasma expansion. The F-C(6)H(6)F(+) spectrum recorded between 2,540 and 4,050 cm(-1) is consistent with a weakly bound ion-dipole complex composed of HF and the phenyl cation, HF-C(6)H(5)(+). The strongest transition occurs at 3,645 cm(-1) and is assigned to the F-H stretch (sigma(FH)). The antisymmetric C-H stretch of the two ortho hydrogen atoms, sigma(CH) = 3,125 cm(-1), is nearly unshifted from bare C(6)H(5)(+), indicating that HF complexation has little influence on the C-H bond strength of C(6)H(5)(+). Despite the simultaneous production of the more stable ring protonated carbenium isomers of C(6)H(6)F(+) (fluorobenzenium) in the electron ionization source, F-C(6)H(6)F(+) can selectively be photodissociated into C(6)H(5)(+) and HF under the present experimental conditions, because it has a much lower dissociation energy than all carbenium isomers. Quantum chemical calculations at the B3LYP and MP2 levels of theory using the 6-311G(2df,2pd) basis support the interpretation of the experimental data and provide further details on structural, energetic, and vibrational properties of F-C(6)H(6)F(+), the carbenium isomers of C(6)H(6)F(+), and other weakly bound HF-C(6)H(5)(+) ion-dipole complexes. The dissociation energy of F-C(6)H(6)F(+) with respect to dehydrofluorination is calculated as D(0) = 4521 cm(-1) (approximately 54 kJ/mol). Analysis of the charge distribution in F-C(6)H(6)F(+) supports the notation of a HF-C(6)H(5)(+) ion-dipole complex, with nearly the whole positive charge of the added proton distributed over the C(6)H(5)(+) ring. As a result, protonation at the F atom strongly destabilizes the C-F bond in C(6)H(5)F.     

Dissociation routes of protonated toluene probed by infrared spectroscopy in the gas phase

The structures of C(7)H(9)(+) ions generated by protonation of toluene are investigated by means of gas-phase infrared spectroscopy in conjunction with labeling experiments and complementary mass spectrometric studies. In full consistency with previous studies, the unimolecular as well as the multiphoton-induced dissociation of mass-selected C(7)H(9)(+) ions lead to losses of molecular hydrogen and methane. Labeling data clearly imply the occurrence of skeletal rearrangements of protonated toluene to isomeric structures in the course of fragmentation. Complementary reactivity studies indicate, however, that the C(7)H(7)(+) ions generated upon dehydrogenation of C(7)H(9)(+) bear the benzylium structure, rather than that of the more stable tropylium ion. Combination of labeling data and extensive theoretical studies lead to a scheme for the fragmentation of protonated toluene, which can account for all experimental findings reasonably well. As far as infrared spectroscopy of gaseous ions is concerned, the present results confirm the structural predictions derived from theory and provide evidence for the existence of protonated cycloheptatriene but also pose some questions about the comparability of intensities in multiphoton dissociation and linear absorption spectra.     

Tautomerism of uracil probed via infrared spectroscopy of singly hydrated protonated uracil

Tautomerism of the nucleobase uracil is characterized in the gas phase through IR photodissociation spectroscopy of singly hydrated protonated uracil created with tandem mass spectrometric methods in a commercially available Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer. Protonated uracil ions generated by electrospray ionization are re-solvated in a low-pressure collision cell filled with a mixture of water vapor seeded in argon. Their structure is investigated by IR photodissociation spectroscopy in the NH and OH stretching region (2500-3800 cm(-1)) with a tabletop IR laser source and in the 1000-2000 cm(-1) range with a free-electron laser. In both regions the IR photodissociation spectrum exhibits well-resolved spectral signatures that point to the presence of two different types of structure for monohydrated protonated uracil, which result from the two lowest-energy tautomers of uracil. Ab initio calculations confirm that no water-catalyzed tautomerization occurs during the re-solvation process, indicating that the two protonated forms of uracil directly originate from the electrospray process.     

Infrared photodissociation spectroscopy of protonated ammonia cluster ions, NH4+(NH3)n (n=5-8), by using infrared free electron laser

Infrared photodissociation action spectra of protonated ammonia cluster ions, NH(4) (+)(NH(3))(n) (n=5-8), were measured in the range of 1020-1210 cm(-1) by using a tunable infrared free electron laser. Analyses by the density functional theory (DFT) show that the spectral features observed can be assigned to the nu(2) vibrational mode of the NH(3) molecules in NH(4) (+)(NH(3))(n). Size dependence of the spectra supports structural models obtained by the DFT calculations, in which the NH(4) (+) ion is solvated by the four nearest-neighbor NH(3) molecules. For NH(4) (+)(NH(3))(5), the spectrum between 1000 and 1700 cm(-1) was measured. The nu(4) bands of the NH(3) molecules and the NH(4) (+) ion were found in the range of 1420-1700 cm(-1).     

Photodissociation and spectroscopic study of cold protonated dipeptides

A photodissociation spectrometer, containing a spray ionization source and a temperature-variable multipole ion trap, has been constructed to examine the structure and reactivity of gas phase biological molecular ions at various temperatures. Ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) photodissociation spectra of protonated alanyltryptophan (Ala-TrpH+) and tryptophanylglycine (Trp-GlyH+) have been measured. In UV spectra, the S1-S0 band origin of Ala-TrpH+ exhibits a significant red shift with respect to those of protonated tryptophan (TrpH+) and Trp-GlyH+. This red shift is ascribed to the stabilization of the excited state due to the strong interaction between the NH3+ group and indole ring. We also discuss the temperature effect on the structure and reactivity for these peptides. In addition to the UV photodissociation spectra of the dipeptides, IR spectra of the complex of Ala-TrpH+ with methanol are measured. IR photodissociation spectra of solvated ions show that Ala-TrpH+-methanol has the closed structure, which is consistent with the large spectral shift in UV spectrum of bare dipeptide.     

Infrared spectra of protonated uracil, thymine and cytosine.

The gas-phase structures of protonated uracil, thymine, and cytosine are probed by using mid-infrared multiple-photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy performed at the Free Electron Laser facility of the Centre Laser Infrarouge d'Orsay (CLIO), France. Experimental infrared (IR) spectra are recorded for ions that were generated by electrospray ionization, isolated, and then irradiated in a quadrupole ion trap; the results are compared to the calculated infrared absorption spectra of the different low-lying isomers (computed at the B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) level). For each protonated base, the global energy minimum corresponds to an enolic tautomer, whose infrared absorption spectrum matched very well with the experimental IRMPD spectrum, with the exception of a very weak IRMPD signal observed at about 1800 cm(-1) in the case of the three protonated bases. This signal is likely to be the signature of the second-energy-lying oxo tautomer. We thus conclude that within our experimental conditions, two tautomeric ions are formed which coexist in the quadrupole ion trap.     

Electronic spectroscopy of cold, protonated tryptophan and tyrosine

We report here a new method to obtain electronic spectra of biomolecular ions that are produced in the gas phase by electrospray and cooled to approximately 10 K in a 22-pole ion trap, and we demonstrate this technique by applying it to protonated tryptophan and tyrosine. Cooling in the trap greatly simplifies the spectrum of protonated tyrosine, which exhibits a well-defined band origin and clearly resolved low frequency vibrational bands. In contrast, the spectrum of protonated tryptophan exhibits only broad features, even at low temperatures, suggesting that a fast nonradiative process broadens the individual vibronic features, even upon excitation at the electronic band origin. The method demonstrated here should be applicable to a wide variety of biological molecules.     

Isolating benzenium ion salts

When partnered with carborane anions, arenium ions are remarkably stable. Previously investigated only at subambient temperatures in highly superacidic media, protonated benzene is readily isolated as a crystalline salt, thermally stable to >150 degrees C. Salts of the type [H(arene)][carborane] have been prepared by protonating benzene, toluene, m-xylene, mesitylene, and hexamethylbenzene with the carborane superacid H(CB(11)HR(5)X(6)) (R = H, Me; X = Cl, Br). They have been characterized by elemental analysis, X-ray crystallography, NMR and IR methods. Solid-state (13)C NMR spectra are similar to those observed earlier in solution, indicating that lattice interactions are comparable to solution solvation effects. The acidic proton(s) of the arenium cations interact weakly with the halide substituents of the anion via ion pairing. This is reflected in the dependence of the C-H stretching frequency on the basicity of the carborane anion. Bond lengths in the arenium ions are consistent with predominant cyclohexadienyl cation character, but charge distribution within the cation is less well represented by this resonance form. Structural and vibrational comparison to theory is made for the benzenium ion (C(6)H(7)(+)) with density functional theory at B3LYP/6-31G and B3P86/6-311+G(d,p) levels. The stability of these salts elevates arenium ions from the status of transients (Wheland intermediates) to reagents. They have been used to bracket the solution-phase basicity of C(60) between that of mesitylene and xylene.     

Electronic absorption spectra of the protonated polyacetylenes HC2nH2+ (n=3,4) in the gas phase

A new approach has been developed for the purpose of measuring the electronic transitions to bound exited states for cations that have been collisionally relaxed to low vibrational and rotational temperatures. This has been used to obtain the first gas phase electronic spectra of the protonated polyacetylenes using a two-color ion-photodissociation approach. Specifically, the origin bands in the B (1)A(1)<-- X(1)A(1) transitions of HC(6)H(2) (+) and HC(8)H(2) (+) (C(2v) geometry) were observed at 26,403.3 and 21,399.8 cm(-1). Data on such cooled systems allow a direct comparison between laboratory and astrophysical measurements.     

Vibrational characterization of simple peptides using cryogenic infrared photodissociation of H2-tagged, mass-selected ions

We present infrared photodissociation spectra of two protonated peptides that are cooled in a ~10 K quadrupole ion trap and "tagged" with weakly bound H(2) molecules. Spectra are recorded over the range of 600-4300 cm(-1) using a table-top laser source, and are shown to result from one-photon absorption events. This arrangement is demonstrated to recover sharp (Δν ~6 cm(-1)) transitions throughout the fingerprint region, despite the very high density of vibrational states in this energy range. The fundamentals associated with all of the signature N-H and C=O stretching bands are completely resolved. To address the site-specificity of the C=O stretches near 1800 cm(-1), we incorporated one (13)C into the tripeptide. The labeling affects only one line in the complex spectrum, indicating that each C=O oscillator contributes a single distinct band, effectively "reporting" its local chemical environment. For both peptides, analysis of the resulting band patterns indicates that only one isomeric form is generated upon cooling the ions initially at room temperature into the H(2) tagging regime.     

Infrared photodissociation spectroscopy of protonated acetylene and its clusters

The protonated acetylene cation, C2H3+, (also known as the vinyl cation) and the proton-bound acetylene dimer cation (C4H5+) are produced by a pulsed supersonic nozzle/pulsed electrical discharge cluster source. The parent ions are also generated with weakly attached argon "tag" atoms, e.g., C2H3+Ar and C4H5+Ar. These ions are mass selected in a specially designed reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer and studied with infrared laser photodissociation spectroscopy in the 800-3600 cm-1 region. Vibrational resonances are detected for both ions in the C-H stretching region. C2H3+ has a strong vibrational resonance near 2200 cm-1 assigned to the bridged proton stretch of the nonclassical ion, while C4H5+ has no such free-proton vibration. Instead, C4H5+ has resonances near 1300 cm-1, consistent with a symmetrically shared proton in a di-bridged structure. Although the shared proton structure is not the lowest energy isomer of C4H5+, this species is apparently stabilized under the supersonic beam conditions. Larger clusters containing additional acetylene units are also investigated via the elimination of acetylene. These species have new IR bands indicating that rearrangement reactions have taken place to produce core C4H5+ ions with the methyl cyclopropane cation structure and/or the protonated cyclobutadiene isomer. Ab initio (MP2) calculations provide structures and predicted spectra consistent with all of these experiments.     

Infrared spectra of C(3)H(3)(+)-N(2) dimers: identification of proton-bound c-C(3)H(3)(+)-N(2) and H(2)CCCH(+)-N(2) isomers.

Mid-infrared photodissociation spectra of mass selected C(3)H(3)(+)-N(2) ionic complexes are obtained in the vicinity of the C-H stretch fundamentals (2970-3370 cm(-1)). The C(3)H(3)(+)-N(2) dimers are produced in an electron impact cluster ion source by supersonically expanding a gas mixture of allene, N(2), and Ar. Rovibrational analysis of the spectra demonstrates that (at least) two C(3)H(3)(+) isomers are produced in the employed ion source, namely the cyclopropenyl (c-C(3)H(3)(+)) and the propargyl (H(2)CCCH(+)) cations. This observation is the first spectroscopic detection of the important c-C(3)H(3)(+) ion in the gas phase. Both C(3)H(3)(+) cations form intermolecular proton bonds to the N(2) ligand with a linear -C-H...N-N configuration, leading to planar C(3)H(3)(+)-N(2) structures with C(2v) symmetry. The strongest absorption of the H(2)CCCH(+)-N(2) dimer in the spectral range investigated corresponds to the acetylenic C-H stretch fundamental (v(1) = 3139 cm(-1)), which experiences a large red shift upon N(2) complexation (Delta(v1) approximately -180 cm(-1)). For c-C(3)H(3)(+)-N(2), the strongly IR active degenerate antisymmetric stretch vibration (v4)) of c-C(3)H(3)(+) is split into two components upon complexation with N(2): v4)(a(1)) = 3094 cm(-1) and v4)(b(2)) = 3129 cm(-1). These values bracket the yet unknown v4) frequency of free c-C(3)H(3)(+) in the gas phase, which is estimated as 3125 +/- 4 cm(-1) by comparison with theoretical data. Analysis of the nuclear spin statistical weights and A rotational constants of H(2)CCCH(+)-N(2) and c-C(3)H(3)(+)-N(2) provide for the first time high-resolution spectroscopic evidence that H(2)CCCH(+) and c-C(3)H(3)(+) are planar ions with C(2v) and D(3h) symmetry, respectively. Ab initio calculations at the MP2(full)/6-311G(2df,2pd) level confirm the given assignments and predict intermolecular separations of R(e) = 2.1772 and 2.0916 A and binding energies of D(e) = 1227 and 1373 cm(-1) for the H-bound c-C(3)H(3)(+)-N(2) and H(2)CCCH(+)-N(2) dimers, respectively.     

Collision‐induced dissociation processes of protonated benzoic acid and related compounds: competitive generation of protonated carbon dioxide or protonated benzene

Upon activation in the gas phase, protonated benzoic acid (m/z 123) undergoes fragmentation by several mechanisms. In addition to the predictable water loss followed by a CO loss, the m/z 123 ion more intriguingly eliminates a molecule of benzene to generate protonated carbon dioxide (H ‐ O⁺ ═ C ≡ O , m/z 45), or a molecule of carbon dioxide to yield protonated benzene (m/z 79). Experimental evidence shows that the incipient proton ambulates during the fragmentation processes. For the CO₂ or benzene loss, protonated benzoic acid transfers the charge‐imparting proton initially to the ortho position and then to the ipso position to generate a transient species which dissociates to form an ion‐neutral complex between benzene and protonated CO₂. The formation of the m/z 45 ion is not a phenomenon unique to benzoic acid: spectra from protonated isophthalic acid, terephthalic acid, trans‐cinnamic acid and some aliphatic acids also displayed a peak for m/z 45. However, the m/z 45 peak is structurally diagnostic only for certain benzene polycarboxylic acids because the spectra of compounds with two carboxyl groups on adjacent ring carbons do not produce a peak at m/z 45. For the m/z 79 ion to be formed, an intramolecular reaction should take place in which protonated CO₂ within the ion‐neutral complex acts as the attacking electrophile to transfer a proton to benzene. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cyclization and rearrangement reactions of a(n) fragment ions of protonated peptides

a(n) ions are frequently formed in collision-induced dissociation (CID) of protonated peptides in tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) based sequencing experiments. These ions have generally been assumed to exist as immonium derivatives (-HN(+)═CHR). Using a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer, MS/MS experiments have been performed and the structure of a(n) ions formed from oligoglycines was probed by infrared spectroscopy. The structure and isomerization reactions of the same ions were studied using density functional theory. Overall, theory and infrared spectroscopy provide compelling evidence that a(n) ions undergo cyclization and/or rearrangement reactions, and the resulting structure(s) observed under our experimental conditions depends on the size (n). The a(2) ion (GG sequence) undergoes cyclization to form a 5-membered ring isomer. The a(3) ion (GGG sequence) undergoes cyclization initiated by nucleophilic attack of the carbonyl oxygen of the N-terminal glycine residue on the carbon center of the C-terminal immonium group forming a 7-membered ring isomer. The barrier to this reaction is comparatively low at 10.5 kcal mol(-1), and the resulting cyclic isomer (-5.4 kcal mol(-1)) is more energetically favorable than the linear form. The a(4) ion with the GGGG sequence undergoes head-to-tail cyclization via nucleophilic attack of the N-terminal amino group on the carbon center of the C-terminal immonium ion, forming an 11-membered macroring which contains a secondary amine and three trans amide bonds. Then an intermolecular proton transfer isomerizes the initially formed secondary amine moiety (-CH(2)-NH(2)(+)-CH(2)-NH-CO-) to form a new -CH(2)-NH-CH(2)-NH(2)(+)-CO- form. This structure is readily cleaved at the -CH(2)-NH(2)(+)- bond, leading to opening of the macrocycle and formation of a rearranged linear isomer with the H(2)C═NH(+)-CH(2)- moiety at the N terminus and the -CO-NH(2) amide bond at the C terminus. This rearranged linear structure is much more energetically favorable (-14.0 kcal mol(-1)) than the initially formed imine-protonated linear a(4) ion structure. Furthermore, the barriers to these cyclization and ring-opening reactions are low (8-11 kcal mol(-1)), allowing facile formation of the rearranged linear species in the mass spectrometer. This finding is not limited to 'simple' glycine-containing systems, as evidenced by the IRMPD spectrum of the a(4) ion generated from protonated AAAAA, which shows a stronger tendency toward formation of the energetically favorable (-12.3 kcal mol(-1)) rearranged linear structure with the MeHC═NH(+)-CHMe- moiety at the N terminus and the -CO-NH(2) amide bond at the C terminus. Our results indicate that one needs to consider a complex variety of cyclization and rearrangement reactions in order to decipher the structure and fragmentation pathways of peptide a(n) ions. The implications this potentially has for peptide sequencing are also discussed.     

Infrared fingerprint spectroscopy and theoretical studies of potassium ion tagged amino acids and peptides in the gas phase

Infrared multiple-photon dissociation spectroscopy is effected on the K(+) tagged aromatic amino acids tyrosine and phenylalanine, as well as the K(+) tagged peptides bradykinin fragment 1-5 and [Leu]-enkephalin. The fingerprint (800-1800 cm(-1)) infrared spectra of these species are compared to density-functional theory (DFT) calculated spectra to determine whether the complex is in the charge solvation (CS) or salt bridge (SB) (i.e. zwitterionic) configuration. For the aromatic amino acids the CS structure is favored and the tridentate N/O/ring structure is found to be the preferred binding geometry for K(+). The experimental and theoretical evidence for bradykinin fragment 1-5 tagged with K(+) suggests that the SB structure is favored; the calculations indicate a head-to-tail looped structure stabilized by a salt bridge between the protonated guanidine group and the deprotonated C-terminus, which allows K(+) to sit in a binding pocket with five C=O electrostatic interactions. For K(+) tagged [Leu]-enkephalin the spectroscopic evidence is not as clear. While the calculations clearly favor a CS structure and the observation of a weak carboxylic acid C=O stretching band in the infrared spectrum matches this finding, the prominence of a band at 1600 cm(-1) renders the analysis more ambiguous, and hence the presence of some salt bridge ions cannot be excluded. Another striking feature in the [Leu]-enkephalin spectrum is the high infrared activity of the tyrosine side-chain modes, which can be clearly identified from comparison to the [Tyr + K](+) experimental spectrum, but which is not reproduced by the DFT calculations.     

Infrared spectra of the protonated neurotransmitter histamine: competition between imidazolium and ammonium isomers in the gas phase

The infrared (IR) spectrum of protonated histamine (histamineH(+)) was recorded in the 575-1900 cm(-1) fingerprint range by means of IR multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy. The IRMPD spectrum of mass-selected histamineH(+) ions was obtained in a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer coupled to an electrospray ionization source and an IR free electron laser. A variety of isomers were identified and characterized by quantum chemical calculations at the B3LYP and MP2 levels of theory using the cc-pVDZ basis set. The low-energy isomers are derived from various favourable protonation sites--all of which are N atoms--and different orientations of the ethylamine side chain with respect to the heterocyclic imidazole ring. The measured IRMPD spectrum was monitored in the NH(3) loss channel and exhibits 14 bands in the investigated spectral range, which were assigned to vibrational transitions of the most stable isomer, denoted A. This imidazolium-type isomer A with protonation at the imidazole ring and gauche conformation of the ethylamine side chain is significantly stabilized by an intramolecular ionic Nπ-H(+)···Nα hydrogen bond to the ethylamino group. The slightly less stable ammonium-type isomer B with protonation at the ethylamino group is only a few kJ mol(-1) higher in energy and may also provide a minor contribution to the observed IRMPD spectrum. Isomer B is derived from A by simple proton transfer from imidazole to the ethylamino group along the intramolecular Nπ-H(+)···Nα hydrogen bond via a low barrier, which is calculated to be of the order of 5-15 kJ mol(-1). Significantly, the most stable structure of isolated histamineH(+) differs from that in the condensed phase by both the protonation site and the conformation of the side chain, emphasizing the important effects of solvation on the structure and function of this neurotransmitter. The effects of protonation on the geometric and electronic structure of histamine are evaluated by comparing the calculated properties of isomer A with those of the most stable structure of neutral histamine A(n).     

Infrared spectra of protonated neurotransmitters: serotonin

The gas-phase IR spectrum of the protonated neurotransmitter serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) was measured in the fingerprint range by means of IR multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy. The IRMPD spectrum was recorded in a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer coupled to an electrospray ionization source and an IR free electron laser. Quantum chemical calculations at the B3LYP and MP2 levels of theory using the cc-pVDZ basis set yield six low-energy isomers in the energy range up to 40 kJ/mol, all of which are protonated at the amino group. Protonation at the indole N atom or the hydroxyl group is substantially less favorable. The IRMPD spectrum is rich in structure and exhibits 22 distinguishable features in the spectral range investigated (530-1885 cm(-1)). The best agreement between the measured IRMPD spectrum and the calculated linear IR absorption spectra is observed for the conformer lowest in energy at both levels of theory, denoted g-1. In this structure, one of the three protons of the ammonium group points toward the indole subunit, thereby maximizing the intramolecular NH(+)-π interaction between the positive charge of the ammonium ion and the aromatic indole ring. This mainly electrostatic cation-π interaction is further stabilized by significant dispersion forces, as suggested by the substantial differences between the DFT and MP2 energies. The IRMPD bands are assigned to individual normal modes of the g-1 conformer, with frequency deviations of less than 29 cm(-1) (average <13 cm(-1)). The effects of protonation on the geometric and electronic structure are revealed by comparison with the corresponding structural, energetic, electronic, and spectroscopic properties of neutral serotonin.     

Doubly protonated benzene in the gas phase

Structural aspects and the unimolecular fragmentations of doubly protonated benzene are studied by means of tandem-mass spectrometry. The corresponding dications are generated by electron ionization (EI) of 1,3- and 1,4-cyclohexadienes, respectively. It is suggested that EI of 1,3-cyclohexadiene leads to the singlet state of doubly protonated benzene, whereas EI of 1,4-cyclohexadiene yields a mixture of singlet and triplet states. Unimolecular fragmentation of doubly protonated benzene exclusively proceeds via dehydrogenation leading to the benzene dication. The proton affinities (PAs) of protonated benzene amount to PA(C(6)H(7)(+))(meta) = 1.9 +/- 0.3 eV for protonation taking place at the meta-position, PA(C(6)H(7)(+))(ortho) = 1.5 +/- 0.2 eV, and PA(C(6)H(7)(+))(para) = 0.9 +/- 0.2 eV, respectively. Various facets of the experiments are compared with density functional theory calculations and generally good agreement is found.