A glow discharge ion source with fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometric detection

A glow discharge (CD) ion source has been coupled to a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometer using a four-element electrostatic lens to accelerate and focus ions generated external to the instrument’s high magnetic field into its analyzer cell. Like other CD mass spectrometers, GD-FT-ICR can provide a quantitative measure of bulk analyte concentration with good precision and accuracy. Although detection limits currently attainable are several orders of magnitude higher than the commercially available magnetic sector-based instrument, CD-FT-ICR holds promise for ultrahigh resolving power elemental mass analysis. Several schemes are proposed to lower the detection limits of the technique while still providing high enough resolution to resolve isobaric interferences.     

Sensitivity of sample values to parameter changes

The effect of small changes in parameter values on the sample values is investigated further. The concept of linearity with respect to parameters is introduced, and the linear and the nonlinear cases are treated separately. The relation with the sample-path analysis is discussed.     

Infrared spectroscopy of gas-phase Cr+ coordination complexes: determination of binding sites and electronic states

Infrared spectra were recorded for a series of gas-phase Cr+ complexes using infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) in a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometer. The functionalized aromatic ligands (acetophenone, anisole, aniline, and dimethyl aniline) offer a choice of either aromatic ring-pi or n-donor-base binding sites. Use of the FELIX free electron laser light source allowed convenient, rapid scanning of the chemically informative wavelength range from approximately 500 to 1800 cm(-1), which in many cases characterized the preferred site of metal binding, as well as the electronic spin state of the complex. Mono-complex ions, Cr+(ligand), for anisole, aniline, and dimethyl aniline and bis-complex ions, Cr+(ligand)(2), for anisole, aniline, and acetophenone were produced by ligand attachment to laser-desorbed Cr+ ions in the FT-ICR cell. The photodissociation yields plotted as a function of wavelength were interpreted as approximations to the infrared absorption spectra and were compared with computed spectra of different possible geometries and spin states. Clear-cut diagnostic features in the spectra of the acetophenone, anisole, and aniline complexes showed the sites of Cr+ attachment to be the carbonyl oxygen site for acetophenone (bis-complex) and the ring-pi site for anisole and aniline (both mono- and bis-complexes). The bis-complexes of aniline and anisole are low-spin (probably doublet) states, while the mono-complexes of these same ligands are high-spin (sextet) states. The dimethyl aniline complex gave a cluttered spectrum in poor agreement with calculations, which may reflect a mixture of binding-site isomers in this case.     

Infrared multiphoton and collision-induced dissociation studies of some gaseous alkylamine ions

Collision-induced dissociation and infrared multiphoton dissociation of ions formed in di- and tri-ethylamine, di- and tri-n-propylamine, and di-isopropylamine were investigated by Fourier-transform ion-cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. Molecular ions of all amines except di-n-propylamine produced similar fragment ions when subjected to either dissociation technique. The initial fragmentation involved C_αC_β bond cleavage, loss of an alkyl radical, and formation of an immonium ions. Subsequent fragmentations of the immonium ions produced by both dissociation mechanisms involved McLafferty-type rearrangements and loss of alkenes. The molecular ion of di-n-propylamine fragmented by a different mechanism when subjected to infrared irradiation. Protonated molecules of di- and tri-n-propylamine yielded C₃H₆ and an ammonium ion upon infrared multiphoton dissociation, while protonated molecules of the other amines did not dissociate when this technique was applied. In contrast, collision-induced dissociation produced fragmentation for all protonated molecules. Explanation of the different fragmentations observed for the two dissociation techniques is given in terms of a mechanism involving a tight transition state for protonated di- and tri-n-propylamine dissociation.     

Determination of the Enthalpies of Vaporization of Cyclic Organic Peroxides by Correlation of Changes in Gas Chromatographic Retention Times

Liquid and solid cyclic peroxides derived from aliphatic ketones are explosive materials so their enthalpies of vaporization and other thermodynamic or condensed-phase properties cannot be measured directly. In this work the enthalpies of vaporization of peroxides at 298.15 K were estimated simply from gas chromatographic retention times measured at different temperatures. The technique correlates changes in the retention times of compounds whose enthalpies of vaporization are known (called the reference series), with those of the compounds of interest. If t _R′ is the adjusted retention time (retention time of each compound minus the retention time of unretained diethyl ether, used as solvent) a plot of ln t _R′ against 1/T for each compound (reference compounds and cyclic peroxides) results in a straight line (r ² > 0.99 for all compounds). The enthalpy of transfer from solution to the vapor state (Δ_sol^g H _m) can be obtained by multiplying the slope by the gas constant (R). A second plot correlates the enthalpies of transfer from solution to the vapor state (Δ_sol^g H _m), as measured by gas–liquid chromatography (GLC), with enthalpies of vaporization of reference materials (Δ_vap H _m at 298.15 K) available in the literature. C₉–C₁₅ fatty acid methyl esters and hydrocarbons were used as reference compounds. The enthalpies of vaporization of the cyclic organic peroxides were calculated from the equation of the line obtained in this second correlation, the slope of which was Δ_vap H _m (at 298.15 K)/Δ^g _sol H _m. The experiments were performed under isothermal conditions with a DB-5 capillary column, flame-ionization detection (FID), and nitrogen as carrier gas. The column temperature was varied over a range of at least 30–70 K between 403 and 473 K, with chromatograms being acquired at 10 K intervals. Enthalpies of vaporization of cyclic organic peroxides are not available in the literature, and the values given in this paper, obtained by gas chromatography, are the first to be reported.     

Long-range molecular resonances in a cold Rydberg gas

We present evidence for molecular resonances in a cold dense gas of rubidium Rydberg atoms. Single UV photon excitation from the 5s ground state to np Rydberg states (n=50-90) reveals resonances at energies corresponding to excited atom pairs (n-1)d+ns. We attribute these normally forbidden transitions to avoided crossings between the long-range molecular potentials of two Rydberg atoms. These strong van der Waals interactions result in avoided crossings at extremely long range, e.g., approximately 58 000 times the Bohr radius (a(0)) for n=70.     

Chirp-free nanosecond laser amplifier for precision spectroscopy

We describe a simple method for greatly reducing optical phase perturbations in a nanosecond pulsed dye amplifier. The laser dye mix is tailored to produce a susceptibility near zero at the operating wavelength. Frequency shifts are reduced to less than 3 MHz, and frequency chirping to less than 10 MHz, without significant loss of amplified power. This technique has been used to improve the accuracy of precision far-UV wavelength measurements in H(2) to ~7 parts in 10(9).     

Collisionally activated dissociation of some pyridinium cations: Novel fragmentation pathways

Three novel collisionally induced dissociation pathways, additional to the usual formation of pyridine or pyridinium cation, are described for laser-desorbed N-substituted pyridinium cations. Particularly prevalent is the formation of an ion of m/z 94, corresponding to [PyCH₃]⁺. Doubly charged pyridiniums tend to lose H⁺, and one example of the apparent formation of the neutral radical C₅H₆N˙ is reported.     

Sensitivity of Positive Ion Mode Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry in the Analysis of Thiol Metabolites

High signal intensities of glutathione (GSH), [GSH+H]⁺ (m/z 308), cysteine (CySH), [CySH+H]⁺ (m/z 122), and homocysteine (hCySH), [hCySH+H]⁺ (m/z 136), are observed in ESI MS with on‐line electrochemistry (EC). Dimers formed by H‐bonding, which are not electrochemical products, are detected as [2GSH+H]⁺ (m/z 615), [2CySH+H]⁺ (m/z 243) and [2hCySH+H]⁺ (m/z 271) together with disulfide dimers GSSG, CySSCy and hCySSCyh, [GSSG+H]⁺ (m/z 613), [CySSCy+H]⁺ (m/z 241) and [hCySSCyh+H]⁺ (m/z 269). When dopamine is present a thiol/dopamine quinone (DAQ) adduct is observed. Formation of this adduct is proposed to occur by an electrochemical mechanism during ESI. Catalysis of thiol oxidation and analysis of thiol mixtures is addressed.