Second hydrogen atom abstraction by molecular ions

We report the observation of a new physical phenomenon of the addition of 2 hydrogen atoms to molecular ions thus forming [M + 2H]⁺ ions. We demonstrate such second hydrogen atom abstraction onto the molecular ions of pentaerythritol and trinitrotoluene (TNT). We used both gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) with supersonic molecular beam (SMB) with methanol added into its make‐up gas and electron ionization (EI) liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC‐MS) with SMB with methanol as the LC solvent. We found that the formation of methanol clusters resulted upon EI in the formation of dominant protonated pentaerythritol ion at m/z = 137 plus about 70% relative abundance of pentaerythritol molecular ion with 2 additional hydrogen atoms at m/z = 138 which is well above the 5.7% natural C¹³ isotope abundance of protonated pentaerythritol. Similarly, we found an abundant protonated TNT ion at m/z = 228 and a similar abundance of TNT molecular ion with 2 additional hydrogen atoms at m/z = 229. Upon the use of deuterated methanol (CD₃OD) as the solvent, we observed an abundant m/z = 231 (M + 2D)⁺ of TNT with 2 deuterium atoms. We found such abundant second hydrogen atom abstraction with butylglycolate and at low abundances in dioctylphthalate, Vitamin K3, phenazine, and RDX. At this time, we are unable to report the magnitude and frequency of occurrence of this phenomenon in standard electrospray LC‐MS. This observation could have important implications on the provision of elemental formula from mass spectra that are involved with protonated molecules. Accordingly, while accurate mass measurements can serve for the generation of elemental formula, their further support and improvement via isotope abundance analysis are questionable. Consequently, if a given compound can be analyzed by both GC‐MS and LC‐MS, its GC‐MS analysis can be superior for the provision of accurate elemental formulae if its EI mass spectrum exhibits abundant molecular ions such as with GC‐MS with SMB (also known as cold EI).     

Charge migration in the molecular ions of isoxazole derivatives

The effect of charge migration in the molecular ion on the dissociative ionization of isoxazole derivatives was examined. It is shown that charge redistribution between the substituent in the 3 position and the oxygen atom of the heteroring precedes isomerization of the molecular ion and its disintegration. The intensity of the peaks of the RCO⁺ ions in the mass spectra of 5-R-3-arylisoxazoles increases as the acceptor effect of the aryl substituent becomes stronger. It is shown that the average internal energy with which the nitrobenzoyl ions are formed decreases as the probability of their formation increases, i.e., as the intensity of charge migration from the aryl substituent to the oxygen atom increases.     

Collison-induced dissociation and photodissociation of nitroaromatic molecular ions: A unique isomerization for p-nitrotoluene and p-ethylnitrobenzene ions

The photodissociation and low-energy collision-induced dissociation of p-nitrotoluene and p-ethylnitrobenzene molecular ions were studied using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. The dissociation of these ions is highly dependent on the time-scale of the experiment and the pressure of the nitroaromatic compound. Collisions of the ions with nitroaromatic neutral species increase the abundance of fragment ions due to NO elimination, while collisions with inert gases such as sulfur hexafluoride and argon have no effect. Evidence is presented for the occurrence of an ion–molecule reaction between p-alkylnitrobenzene ions and nitroaromatic neutral species that induces isomerization of the ion. This isomerization is proposed to involve a nitro-to-nitrite rearrangement. Although the mechanism of this process is unknown, isotopic labeling experiments have shown that it does not involve nitrogen atom transfer between the two reactants. The dissociations of o-nitrotoluene, m-nitrotoluene and nitrobenzene ions are also discussed. For these ions, no pressure- or time-scale-dependent behavior was observed, indicating that an isomerization did not occur.     

Adsorption of strontium ions from aqueous solution on Pakistani coal

Summary The adsorption of strontium ions from aqueous solution on a Pakistani coal powder has been studied as a function of shaking time, amount of adsorbent, pH, and strontium ion concentration. Conditions for the maximum adsorption of strontium ions have been established. Results reveal that the diffusion of strontium ions into the pores of coal powder occurs during the adsorption process and intra-particle diffusion controls the kinetics of the process. The Langmuir and D-R adsorption equations are valid over the entire range of studied concentration. The influence of different anions on the adsorption of strontium ions was also studied.     

Anomalously long‐lived molecular negative ions of duroquinone

The problem under investigation here is establishment of mechanisms of the resonant electron capture by molecules, using the example of duroquinone (2,3,5,6‐tetramethyl‐1,4‐benzoquinone). A solution is important because it will provide new insights into the fundamental physical laws and widespread applications in various fields like molecular nanoelectronics, touched upon herein too. Resonant electron capture (REC) in duroquinone was studied with negative ion mass spectrometry of the REC as the main method, and UV absorption and the photoelectron spectroscopy as the auxiliary ones. The latter were used to study the electronic structures of the various neutral molecular states that are the parent ones for the negative molecular ions formed by electron attachment to the molecules. B3LYP/6‐311 + G(d,p) calculations were widely used throughout the study. As a result, an intensive peak of the negative molecular ions with anomalously high lifetime (200 microseconds) was registered at the attached electron energy of 1.8 eV. The ions were determined to be quartets delaying the electron autodetachment because of spin prohibition and appearing via inter‐system crossing from the negative molecular ion doublets produced in the core‐excited Feshbach resonances. Finally, the pattern of the REC in duroquinone was obtained for the energy region of 1–4 eV which is presented by shape resonances, core‐excited Feshbach resonances and by mechanisms little‐known for molecules of inter‐shell resonances and the formation of ion quartets. The latter were proposed to be related to the negative differential resistance in molecular nanoelectronics. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Soft ionization mass spectrometry of chromanols produces radical cation molecular ions

Several chromanol drug substance candidates exhibit unconventional behavior under the soft ionization conditions of fast atom bombardment and electrospray ionization in the mass spectrometer. Under FAB, these compounds produce radical cation molecular ions rather than protonated molecular ions. Similarly, under acidic mobile phase conditions in an electrospray LC-MS experiment, they produce radial cation molecular ions. Upon changing to a neutral, ammonium acetate-containing mobile phase, the molecular ion species is an ammonium adduct. The two example compounds behave conventionally under negative ion detection, both being free carboxylic acids and forming abundant [M - H](-). Examination of structural analogs indicates that the chromanol, methoxyl and chroman compounds behave this way. Oxidation to a chromanone causes formation of a conventional [M + H](+). Oxidation to a chromene produces even more complex behavior-namely a mixture of [M - H](+), M(+') and [M + H](+). We propose that, for these compounds, elimination of a valence electron to form the radical cation is the more energetically favored reaction than attachment of a proton.     

Phase transitions and the stability of atomic and molecular ions

Quantum phase transitions at absolute zero temperature can take place as some parameter in the Hamiltonian of the system is varied. For such transitions, crossing the phase boundary means that the quantum ground state changes in some fundamental way. For the Hamiltonian of N-electron atoms, this parameter is taken to be the nuclear charge. As the nuclear charge reaches a critical point, the quantum ground state changes its characters from being bound to being degenerate or absorbed by a continuum. We describe here a method to calculate the critical nuclear charge for which an atom can bind an extra electron to form a stable negative ion. The estimate of the critical nuclear charge will be used to explain and predict the stability of atomic negative ions. The method can be generalized to predict the stability of molecular negative ions. A detailed calculation for the critical parameters for two center molecular ions is also included.     

Infrared spectroscopy of cold trapped molecular ions using He‐tagging

This review summarizes experimental activities to study the structure of molecular ions via He tagging. The method is based on the attachment of a weakly bound helium atom to a cold ion followed by laser‐induced predissociation (LIP). Since my early involvements (it started in 1977 with a letter from Y.T. Lee), radio frequency (rf) ion traps and ion guides have been important elements in instruments dedicated to ion spectroscopy. Accumulating ions in a ring electrode trap (RET) and confining them together with the laser‐induced photofragments in a long octopole has been demonstrated in 1978 in Berkeley via photodissociation of metastable O₂⁺ ions. In the early stage of this instrument, as well as in various further developments, supersonic expansions have been used to create weakly bound complexes. An important step forward for ion spectroscopy was to push the conditions of cryogenic ion traps so far that, finally, He atoms could be attached to almost any mass‐selected ion of interest, including multiply charged ions and C₆₀⁺. Currently, modern ion storage instruments reach temperatures below 3 K and can be operated at helium densities above 10¹⁶ cm⁻³, opening up many avenues of application in spectroscopy, reaction dynamics, and analytical chemistry. In addition to a personal historical review, I discuss recent progress made with new cryogenic ion traps, especially in the field of He tagging. He‐M⁺ ions have been formed via ternary association for all kind of M⁺ ions ranging from atoms such as He⁺, N⁺, or Fe⁺ via molecules N₂⁺, VO⁺, and H₃⁺ to various polyatomic ions. The in situ synthesis of tagged ions made unique discoveries possible, such as determining the structure of doubly charged benzene, the first identification of a carrier of diffuse interstellar bands, or the characterization of the fundamental 4 electron 4 center system He–H₃⁺. In the conclusions, hints to additional applications will be given, emphasizing on the versatility of temperature‐variable ion traps.     

The formation of [CH5O]+ and ions from the molecular ions of isobutyl alcohol

On the basis of field ionization kinetic and deuterium labelling experiments, it is shown that the molecular ions of isobutyl alcohol generate [CH₅O]⁺ ions at 10^?11 s via a 1,4-shift of a hydrogen atom from one of the methyl groups to the oxygen atom, followed by a 1,2-elimination of protonated methanol with a hydrogen atom of the other methyl group. At times > 10^?11 s two distinct interchange processes between hydrogen atoms appear to compete with this reaction, as shown from field ionization kinetic experiments and metastable decompositions. Ion cyclotron resonance experiments on the long-lived [CH₅O]⁺ ions further demonstrate that they are protonated methanol ions. Arguments are put forward that the ions, generated by a specific 1,3-elimination of a molecule of water from metastable decomposing molecular ions, have an isobutene structure.     

Effect of structural factors on the disintegration of the molecular ions of nitrophenylisoxazoles during electron impact

The dissociative ionization of some nitrophenylisoxazoles was investigated. The effect of the energy of the ionizing electrons and the temperature of the inlet system on the elimination of NO by the molecular ion is examined. On the basis of a comparison of the intensities of the peaks of the (M-NO)⁺ ions, the presence of a correlation between the probability of detachment of NO from the molecular ion and the stability of the cyclic conjugated structures with localization of the charge on the oxygen atom is demonstrated.     

The metastable formation of di-ethylchloronium ions from ethylchloride dimer ions in a seeded molecular beam

Cluster ions of ethylchloride and their dissociation products have been produced in a supersonic expansion of ethylchloride seeded in Ar and energy selected by the threshold photoelectron photoion coincidence (TPEPICO) method. The peak widths of the ion time of flight distribution indicate that all of the clusters are produced by dissociative photoionization of higher order clusters. Thus, trimer ions dissociate to form dimer ions and an ethylchloride monomer. This dimer ion was found to be metastable with respect to the formation of the di-ethylchloronium ion and a chlorine atom. The measured dissociation rate as a function of the dimer ion internal energy was compared to the calculated rates based on the statistical RRKM/QET theory. Good agreement was found when the dimer adiabatic IP was assumed to be 10.2 eV. The Cl loss from the ethylchloride dimer ion is associated with a reverse activation energy of about 0.32 eV.     

Cyclopropane intermediates in the rearrangement and fragmentation of olefinic molecular ions

Methyl loss from deuterium-labelled molecular ions of 4-methyl-2-pentene, 2-methyl-2-pentene and 1,1,2-trimethylcyclopropane has been investigated for metastable molecular ions and for molecular ions formed by charge exchange with COS⁺˙, XE⁺˙ and CO⁺˙. For metastable ion fragmentation reactions all three compounds exhibit very similar behavior and show specific and essentially equal loss of each of the original methyl groups as well as specific loss of a methyl where the hydrogens derive exclusively from the non-methyl hydrogens of the original molecules. The former results are interpreted in terms of interconversion of the three molecular ions through a ring-opened form of the trimethylcyclopropane molecular ion. The loss of the non-methyl hydrogens as CH₃ is interpreted in terms of isomerization to the 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene structure. With increasing internal energy direct allylic cleavage of the unrearranged methylpentene molecular ions increases in importance while the trimethylcyclopropane molecular ion shows an increased preference for loss of the C(2) methyl group. With increasing internal energy loss of the original non-methyl hydrogens as CH₃ decreases markedly in importance.     

Dissociative Excitation of Strontium upon e–SrCl2Collisions

Dissociative excitation of the strontium atom and singly charged ion in collisions of slow, monoenergetic electrons with strontium dichloride molecules was experimentally studied. The efficiency of excitation of the SrI resonance line is much lower than that in electron–atom collisions. The greatest cross sections of dissociative excitation were found for spectral lines of the singly charged strontium ion. Possible reactions responsible for the formation of excited atoms and singly charged ions of strontium in e–SrCl₂collisions are discussed.     

Photodissociation of state-selected cluster ions studied by mass-selective, pulsed-field threshold ionization spectroscopy

Delayed pulsed-field ionization of long-lived high Rydberg states yields vibrationally and partly rotationally resolved spectra of polyatomic molecular ions and of cluster ions when the resulting threshold ions are measured as a function of the excitation energy. The field ionized threshold ions are monitored and separated from the non-energy-selected ions in a reflecting field mass spectrometer with high mass resolution. The decay of the molecular or cluster ion core is monitored by the appearance of threshold ions at the daughter ion mass as a function of the selectively excited vibrational state. In this way, upper limits for dissociation thresholds of neutral and ionized dimers are obtained which are smaller than recent theoretical values from the literature. The appearance of daughter fragment ions after delayed pulsed-field ionization indicates that high Rydberg orbits are not destroyed by the dissociation of the core. Possible applications of our technique for the production of state-selected ions are discussed.     

Trapping molecular ions formed via photo-associative ionization of ultracold atoms

The formation of (40)Ca(2)(+) molecular ions is observed in a hybrid (40)Ca magneto-optical and ion trap system. The molecular ion formation process is determined to be photo-associative ionization of ultracold (40)Ca atoms. A lower bound for the two-body rate constant is found to be beta ≥ 2 ± 1 × 10(-15) cm(3) Hz. Ab initio molecular potential curves are calculated for the neutral Ca(2) and ionic Ca(2)(+) molecules and used in a model that identifies the photo-associative ionization pathway. As this technique does not require a separate photo-association laser, it could find use as a simple, robust method for producing ultracold molecular ions.     

Methods for generating protein molecular ions in ToF-SIMS

One of the greatest challenges in mass spectrometry lies in the generation and detection of molecular ions that can be used to directly identify the protein from the molecular weight of the molecular ion. Typically, proteins are large (MW > 1000), nonvolatile, and/or thermally labile, but the vaporization process produced by many mass spectrometry techniques including time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is inherently limited to generating ions from smaller compounds or fragments of the parent molecule, making the identification of proteins complex. The application of specific molecules to aid in the generation of high molecular weight ions in ToF-SIMS has been recognized for some time. In this study we have developed a matrix-SAM substrate preparation technique based on the self-assembly of a matrix-like molecule, mercaptonicotinic acid (MNA), on gold. We then compare this substrate with two existing ToF-SIMS sample preparation techniques, cationized alkane thiol and matrix-enhanced SIMS (MESIMS). The results of this study illustrate that while there is a range of methods that can be used to improve the molecular ion yield of proteins in ToF-SIMS, their efficacy and reproducibility vary considerably and crucially are linked to the sample preparation and/or protein application methods used. Critically, the MNA modified substrate was able to simultaneously induce molecular ions for each protein present in a multicomponent solution, suggesting that this sample preparation technique may have future application in proteomics and DNA analysis.     

The dichotomy of methyl loss from 2-methylalkane molecular ions

The kinetic energy release for methyl loss from the molecular ion of 2-methylpentane increases c. twofold over the time-range 1–15 μs. This result from a mixture of secondary and tertiary pentyl cations. The appearance energy showed that at threshold (and long times) only tertiary ions are formed. The molecular ion of 2-methylhexane produces tertiary hexyl ions by loss of methyl at threshold, but in the μs time-frame only secondary hexyl ions appear to be formed, because the kinetic energy release is small and independent of the observation time.     

Rearrangement and predissociation processes in negative molecular ions of nitrobenzenes

The reactions of resonant electron capture by the molecules of benzene nitroderivatives has been studied in the gas phase. Some fragment negative ions were found to be unstable with respect to electron autodetachment. This circumstance has been used for the determination of their structure. In particular, it has been established that the low measured appearance energy of neutral component of [M? H]^? ion beam is a result of isomerization of nitrobenzenes' molecular ion, leading to the 2‐nitrosophenol structure with the subsequent formation of the phenoxide anion in the autodetaching state. The effective yield curves of some types of fragment ions demonstrate fine vibrational structures, testifying the predissociation mechanism of ion formation. For all detected ions, the absolute cross sections of formation have been measured. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rearrangement reactions of the molecular ions of some substituted aliphatic oxiranes

The fragmentation reactions of glycidic methyl ester (1) and of its derivatives (2–6) substituted by one, two and three methyl groups, respectively, at the oxirane ring, of the corresponding glycidols (7–12), and of the glycidyl ethers (13–16) in the 70 eV mass spectra have been studied using isotopic labelling and mass-analysed ion kinetic energy spectrometry. It is shown that the typical reaction of these aliphatic oxirane radical cations carrying a nucleophilic methoxy group and hydroxy group, respectively, at the side chain corresponds under high-energy conditions to a rearrangement by a methoxy group or a hydroxy group migration to the β-carbon atom of the oxirane moiety. This rearrangement is very likely mediated by the isomerization of the molecular ions into distonic ions via C? C bond cleavage within the oxirane ring.     

Magnetic molecular materials with paramagnetic lanthanide ions

The diverse magnetic properties of lanthanide-based magnetic molecular materials are introduced in the following organization. First, the general aspects of magnetic molecular materials and electronic states of lanthanide ions are introduced. Then the structures and magnetic properties are described and analyzed for molecules with one lanthanide ion, 4f-4f, 4f-3d and 4f-p magnetic coupling interactions. In each section, magnetic coupling, magnetic ordering and magnetic relaxation phenomenon are briefly reviewed using some examples. Finally, some possibilities of developing magnetic molecular materials containing lanthanide ions are discussed in the outlook part.