Multiphoton ionization of molecules: A comparison between femtosecond and nanosecond laser pulse ionization efficiency

Multiphoton ionization mass spectra of nonvolatile molecules laser desorbed into a supersonic beam are recorded. It is shown by indirect measurements that the laser desorption of neutrals is not mass limited, but lead to the formation of neutrals with intesities large enough for intense signals. To investigate the efficiency of the multiphoton ionization process with varying laser pulse durations, simultaneous laser pulses of 500 fs and 5 ns or 100 fs and 5 ns have been applied to the neutral beam. The energies of both femtosecond and nanosecond laser pulses are held in a comparable magnitude, and thus produce, in the resulting ion intensity, very large differences up to 4 orders of magnitude. For larger evaporated molecules (> 500 u) the ionization efficiency from nanosecond laser pulses drops significantly in comparison to femtosecond laser pulse excitation. A variety of possible reasons for the different ionization and dissociation behavior in femtosecond and nanosecond laser pulse excitations are discussed in this paper. It is rationalized that even with very short laser pulses and large molecules the “ladder switching model” for ionization and fragmentation is valid.     

Analytical time-resolved laser enhanced ionization spectroscopy I. Collisional ionization and photoionization of the Hg Rydberg states in a low pressure gas

The temporal behavior of the laser enhanced ionization signal of mercury was studied in a quartz cell under low buffer gas pressure. Using fast electronics and a short (34 ns) laser pulse, it was possible to distinguish, in one single time-resolved ionization waveform, the non-selective photoionization component of the signal from that which was due to collisional ionization from selected levels. Experimental results were shown to agree with those obtained by computer simulation, and optimal conditions for deconvolution of the two components were studied.     

Photoionization thresholds of melanins obtained from free electron laser-photoelectron emission microscopy, femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance measurements of oxygen photoconsumption

Free electron laser-photoelectron emission microscopy (FEL-PEEM), femtosecond absorption spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements of oxygen photoconsumption were used to probe the threshold potential for ionization of eumelanosomes and pheomelanosomes isolated from human hair. FEL-PEEM data show that both pigments are characterized by an ionization threshold at 282 nm. However, pheomelanosomes exhibit a second ionization threshold at 326 nm, which is interpreted to be reflective of the benzothiazine structural motif present in pheomelanin and absent in eumelanin. The lower ionization threshold for pheomelanin is supported by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. Unlike photolysis at 350 nm, following excitation of solubalized synthetic pheomelanin at 303 nm, the transient spectrum observed between 500 and 700 nm matches that for the solvated electron, indicating the photoionization threshold for the solubalized pigment is between 350 and 303 nm. For the same synthetic pheomelanin, EPR oximetry experiments reveal an increased rate of oxygen uptake between 338 nm and 323 nm, narrowing the threshold for photoionization to sit between these two wavelengths. These results on the solubalized synthetic pigment are consistent with the FEL-PEEM results on the human melanosomes. The lower ionization potential observed for pheomelanin could be an important part of the explanation for the greater incidence rate of UV-induced skin cancers in red-haired individuals.     

Filament-driven impulsive Raman spectroscopy

Vibrational Raman spectroscopy is performed in the gas phase using a femtosecond laser pulse undergoing filamentation as an impulsive excitation source. The molecular coherence induced by the filamentary pulse is subsequently probed using a narrowband, sub-picosecond laser pulse to produce Raman spectra of gas phase species in a few tens of milliseconds (~10 laser shots). Pulse shortening with concomitant spectral broadening during filamentation results in a pulse that is both sufficiently short and of sufficient spectral power density to impulsively excite the highest energy ground state vibrations (up to 4158 cm(-1) corresponding to H(2)). Gas phase detection of chloroform, methylene chloride, cyclohexane, toluene, pentane, triethylamine, ammonia, nitromethane, and gasoline is performed.     

Observation of Photoelectron Circular Dichroism Using a Nanosecond Laser

Photoelectron circular dichroism (PECD) is a fascinating phenomenon both from a fundamental science aspect but also due to its emerging role as a highly sensitive analytic tool for chiral recognition in the gas phase. PECD has been studied with single-photon as well as multi-photon ionization. The latter has been investigated in the short pulse limit with femtosecond laser pulses, where ionization can be thought of as an instantaneous process. In this contribution, we demonstrate that multi-photon PECD still can be observed when using an ultra-violet nanosecond pulse to ionize chiral showcase fenchone molecules. Compared to femtosecond ionization, the magnitude of PECD is similar, but the lifetime of intermediate molecular states imprints itself in the photoelectron spectra. Being able to use an industrial nanosecond laser to investigate PECD furthermore reduces the technical requirements to apply PECD in analytical chemistry.     

Ultraviolet femtosecond laser ionization mass spectrometry

For this study, multiphoton ionization/mass spectrometry using an ultraviolet (UV) femtosecond laser was employed for the trace analysis of organic compounds. Some of the molecules, such as dioxins, contain several chlorine atoms and have short excited-state lifetimes due to a "heavy atom" effect. A UV femtosecond laser is, then, useful for efficient resonance excitation and subsequent ionization. A technique of multiphoton ionization using an extremely short laser pulse (e.g., <10 fs), referred to as "impulsive ionization," may have a potential for use in fragmentation-free ionization, thus providing information on molecular weight in mass spectrometry.     

Three‐peak Autler‐Townes splitting in the photoelectron spectrum of Li2 molecules caused by femtosecond laser pulses

Three‐peak Autler‐Townes (A‐T) splitting in the resonant multiphoton ionization photoelectron spectrum for a rotating Li₂ molecular system in femtosecond pulse laser fields is studied by using two‐dimension time‐dependent quantum wave packet method. The A‐T splitting results from rapid Rabi oscillation caused by intense femtosecond laser pulses. Because of the effects of molecular rotation and alignment, the Rabi oscillation in the population distribution will be damped in a certain degree. The three‐peak A‐T splitting can only be observed for a strongly aligned molecule with rapid Rabi oscillation. The three‐peak A‐T splitting dynamics can be affected by intensity, duration, temporal profile of laser pulse, and initial molecular rotational temperature. The conditions to observe the A‐T splitting are discussed in detail. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2010     

On-line capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry using dopant-assisted atmospheric pressure photoionization: setup and system performance

The on-line coupling of capillary electrophoresis (CE) and mass spectrometry (MS) via atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) is demonstrated. To achieve CE-APPI-MS, an adapted coaxial sheath-flow interface was combined with an ion-trap mass spectrometer equipped with an APPI source originally designed for liquid chromatography-MS. Effective photoionization of test compounds was accomplished after optimization of several interface and MS parameters, and of the composition and flow rate of the sheath liquid. Further enhancement of the ionization efficiency could be achieved by adding a dopant, such as acetone or toluene, to the sheath liquid to aid indirect ionization. Acetone significantly increased the ionization of the polar test compounds by proton transfer, while toluene was more useful for the enhanced formation of molecular ions from nonpolar compounds. The effect of several common CE background electrolytes (BGEs) on the APPI-MS response of the analytes was also studied. It appeared that in contrast with electrospray ionization, nonvolatile BGEs do not cause suppression of analyte signals using APPI. Therefore, in CE-APPI-MS, a variety of buffers can be chosen, which obviously is a great advantage during method development. Remarkably, also sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) did not affect the photoionization of the test compounds, indicating a strong potential of APPI for the on-line coupling of micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) and MS.     

GC–MS with photoionization of cold molecules in supersonic molecular beams—Approaching the softest ionization method

A new type of photoionization ion source was developed for the ionization of cold molecules in supersonic molecular beams (named Cold PI). The system was based on a GC–MS with supersonic molecular beams and its fly‐through EI of cold molecules ion source (Cold EI) plus quadrupole mass analyzer. A continuously operated deuterium VUV photoionization lamp was added and placed above and between the supersonic nozzle and skimmer whereas the Cold EI ion source served only as a portion of the ion transfer ion optics. The supersonic nozzle and skimmer were voltage biased and the VUV light crossed the supersonic expansion about 10 mm from the nozzle. We obtained over three orders of magnitude enhancement in the relative abundance of the molecular ion of squalane in Cold PI versus in photoionization of this compound as a thermal compound. Accordingly, we also proved that standard photoionization is not as soft ionization method as previously perceived for large compounds. We found that Cold PI is as soft as and possibly softer than field ionization; thus, it could be the softest known ionization method. The ionization yield was about 200–300 times weaker than with Cold EI yet our limit of detection was about 200 femtogram in SIM mode for cholesterol and pyrene which is reasonable. Practically, all hydrocarbons gave only molecular ions with rather uniform response whereas alcohols gave some molecular ions plus major fragment ions particularly with a loss of water (similarly to field ionization). We tested Cold PI in the GC–MS analysis of diesel fuels and analyzed the time averaged data for group type information. We also found that we can analyze the diesel fuels by fast under 20‐s flow injection analysis in which the generated averaged mass spectrum of molecular ions only could serve for the characterization of fuels.     

Supersonic Jet/Time-of-flight mass spectrometry of adenine using nanosecond and femtosecond lasers

Mass spectra and ionization efficiencies of adenine were measured with nanosecond (15 ns) and femtosecond (500 fs) laser pulses at identical energy levels. A molecular ion is clearly observed in both spectra, but the efficiency is improved 10-fold when a femtosecond laser is used, indicating the distinct advantage of ultrashort laser pulses for multiphoton ionization of nucleobases in supersonic jet spectrometry.     

用质谱和光电子能谱研究飞秒强场中的电离动力学

报导了用自制飞秒激光器通过飞秒多光子电离质谱和光电子能谱对飞秒强激光场与分子（氨、苯）相互作用的研究。飞秒激光脉宽约100fs,二倍频中心波长407.5nm,聚焦后脉冲功率密度达到1012W/cm2。氨的光电子能谱显示了（2+2）REMPI和（2+2）+1ATI、（2+2）+2ATI三组电子峰,每组峰又包括伸缩振动v1的带系,ATI峰的振动布居出现反转。随着光强增加,谱峰加宽而且振动能级出现平移。这些强场效应可用PonderomotivePotential解释。苯的飞秒质谱图与纳秒情况不同,分子离子为主,碎片峰很少。     

Rovibrational photoionization dynamics of methyl and its isotopomers studied by high-resolution photoionization and photoelectron spectroscopy

High-resolution photoionization and pulsed-field-ionization zero-kinetic-energy photoelectron spectra of CH(3), CH(2)D, CHD(2), and CD(3) have been recorded in the vicinity of the first adiabatic ionization threshold following single-photon excitation from the ground neutral state using a narrow-bandwidth vacuum-ultraviolet laser. The radicals were produced from the precursor molecules methyl-bromide, methyl-iodide, dimethyl-thioether, acetone, and nitromethane by 193 nm excimer photolysis in a quartz capillary and were subsequently cooled to a rotational temperature T(rot) approximately equal to 30 K in a supersonic expansion. Nitromethane was identified as a particularly suitable photolytic precursor of methyl for studies by photoionization and threshold photoelectron spectroscopy. Thanks to the cold rotational temperature reached in the supersonic expansion, the rotational structure of the threshold ionization spectra could be resolved, and the photoionization dynamics investigated. Rydberg series converging on excited rotational levels of CH(3) (+) could be observed in the range of principal quantum number n=30-50, and both rotational autoionization and predissociation were identified as decay processes in the threshold region. The observed photoionization transitions can be understood in the realm of an orbital model for direct ionization but the intensity distributions can only be fully accounted for if the rotational channel interactions mediated by the quadrupole of the cation are considered. Improved values of the adiabatic ionization thresholds were derived for all isotopomers [CH(3): 79 356.2(15) cm(-1), CH(2)D: 79 338.8(15) cm(-1), CHD(2): 79 319.1(15) cm(-1), and CD(3): 79 296.4(15) cm(-1)].     

A first principles approach to optimal control

This article shows that by using ab initio or first principle calculations it is possible to obtain reliable ingredients needed to simulate pump-probe and optimal control experiments. Our experimental challenge is to elucidate the reaction mechanism behind an optimal pulse tailored to maximize ionization in the system CpMn(CO)₃, while avoiding CO dissociation. Starting from MRCI/CASSCF potential energy curves calculated along the relevant CO fragmentation channel, we use the resulting MRCI wave function to estimate non-adiabatic couplings, as well as neutral-to-neutral and neutral-to-ionic dipole couplings. The state-of-the-art potentials and couplings serve to perform wave packet propagations which simulate the femtosecond pump-probe spectra that explain the features shown in the experimental optimal pulse.     

Spectroscopy and structures of copper complexes with ethylenediamine and methyl-substituted derivatives

Copper complexes of ethylenediamine (en), N-methylethylenediamine (meen), N,N-dimethylethylenediamine (dmen), N,N,N'-trimethylethylenediamine (tren), and N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine (tmen) are synthesized in laser-vaporization supersonic molecular beams and studied by pulsed-field ionization zero electron kinetic energy (ZEKE) and photoionization efficiency spectroscopies and second-order Moller-Plesset perturbation theory. Precise ionization energies and vibrational frequencies of Cu-en, -meen, and -dmen are measured from the ZEKE spectra, and ionization thresholds of Cu-tren and -tmen are estimated from the photoionization efficiency spectra. The measured vibrational modes span a frequency range of 35-1646 cm(-1) and include metal-ligand stretch and bend, hydrogen-bond stretch, and ligand-based torsion. A number of low-energy structures with Cu binding to one or two nitrogen atoms are predicted for each complex by the ab initio calculations. The combination of the spectroscopic measurements and ab initio calculations has identified a hydrogen-bond-stabilized monodentate structure for the Cu-en complex and bidentate cyclic structures for the methyl-substituted derivatives. The change of the Cu binding from the monodentate to the bidentate mode arises from the competition between copper coordination and hydrogen bonding.     

Coherent control of bond breaking in amino acid complexes with tailored femtosecond pulses

Intense femtosecond laser pulses, judiciously tailored in an adaptive, optimal control feedback loop were used to break preferentially the acyl-N ("peptide") bond of Ac-Phe-NHMe that may be regarded as a dipeptide model. We show that coherent excitation of complex wave packets in the strong-field regime allows to cleave strong backbone bonds in the molecular system preferentially, while keeping other more labile bonds intact. These results show the potential of pulse shaping as a powerful complementary analytical tool for protein sequencing of large biopolymers in addition to the well-known mass spectrometry and chemical analysis.     

Elucidating the initial dynamics of electron photodetachment from atoms in liquids using variably-time-delayed resonant multiphoton ionization

We study the photodetachment of electrons from sodium anions in room temperature liquid tetrahydrofuran (THF) using a new type of three-pulse pump-probe spectroscopy. Our experiments use two variably-time-delayed pulses for excitation in what is essentially a resonant 1+1 two-photon ionization: By varying the arrival time of the second excitation pulse, we can directly observe how solvent motions stabilize and trap the excited electron prior to electron detachment. Moreover, by varying the arrival times of the ionization (excitation) and probe pulses, we also can determine the fate of the photoionized electrons and the distance they are ejected from their parent Na atoms. We find that as solvent reorganization proceeds, the second excitation pulse becomes less effective at achieving photoionization, and that the solvent motions that stabilize the excited electron following the first excitation pulse occur over a time of approximately 450 fs. We also find that there is no spectroscopic evidence for significant solvent relaxation after detachment of the electron is complete. In combination with the results of previous experiments and molecular dynamics simulations, the data provide new insight into the role of the solvent in solution-phase electron detachment and charge-transfer-to-solvent reactions.     

Effect of eluent on the ionization process in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

The most widely used ionization techniques in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) are electrospray ionization (ESI), atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI). All three provide user friendly coupling of LC to MS. Achieving optimal LC-MS conditions is not always easy, however, owing to the complexity of ionization processes and the many parameters affecting mass spectrometric sensitivity and chromatographic performance. The selection of eluent composition requires particular attention since a solvent that is optimal for analyte ionization often does not provide acceptable retention and resolution in LC. Compromises must then be made between ionization and chromatographic separation efficiencies. The review presents an overview of studies concerning the effect of eluent composition on the ionization efficiency of ESI, APCI and APPI in LC-MS. Solvent characteristics are discussed in the light of ionization theories, and selected analytical applications are described. The aim is to provide practical background information for the development and optimization of LC-MS methods.     

Femtosecond quantum control of molecular dynamics in the condensed phase

We review the progress in controlling quantum dynamical processes in the condensed phase with femtosecond laser pulses. Due to its high particle density the condensed phase has both high relevance and appeal for chemical synthesis. Thus, in recent years different methods have been developed to manipulate the dynamics of condensed-phase systems by changing one or multiple laser pulse parameters. Single-parameter control is often achieved by variation of the excitation pulse's wavelength, its linear chirp or its temporal subpulse separation in case of pulse sequences. Multiparameter control schemes are more flexible and provide a much larger parameter space for an optimal solution. This is realized in adaptive femtosecond quantum control, in which the optimal solution is iteratively obtained through the combination of an experimental feedback signal and an automated learning algorithm. Several experiments are presented that illustrate the different control concepts and highlight their broad applicability. These fascinating achievements show the continuous progress on the way towards the control of complex quantum reactions in the condensed phase.     

汽油/氧气预混火焰中烯丙基自由基的真空紫外光电离研究

The allyl radical has been observed in a low-pressure premixed gasoline/oxygen/argon flame by using tunable vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry. The ionization potential of the allyl radical is derived to be (8.13 + 0.02) eV from photoionization efficiency curve. In addition, a high level ab initio Gaussian-3(G3) method was used to calculate the energies of the radical and its cation. The calculated adiabatic ionization potential is 8.18 eV, which is in excellent agreement with the experimental value. The result is helpful for identifying the allyl radical formed from other flames and for understanding the mechanism of soot formation.     

Angular distribution of photoelectrons in small molecules: a molecular quantum defect calculation

The molecular quantum defect orbital (MQDO) method, previously used in the determination of molecular photoionization cross sections, is applied here to calculate the angular distribution of photoelectrons arising from the molecular photoionization. Calculations are performed for the ionization from outer valence orbitals of HF, H(2)O, NH(3), N(2)O, and H(2)CO molecules. The results are compared with previous measurements and with theoretical curves found in the literature. Profiles of the angular distribution parameter as a function of photoelectron energy covering a range from the photoionization threshold to 120 eV are presented for the above molecules. The energy dependence of the angular distributions predicted by the MQDO calculations agrees fairly well with predictions from more sophisticated theories and with observed results.