Influence of d orbital occupation on the binding of metal ions to adenine

Threshold collision-induced dissociation of M(+)(adenine) with xenon is studied using guided ion beam mass spectrometry. M(+) includes all 10 first-row transition metal ions: Sc(+), Ti(+), V(+), Cr(+), Mn(+), Fe(+), Co(+), Ni(+), Cu(+), and Zn(+). For the systems involving the late metal ions, Cr(+) through Cu(+), the primary product corresponds to endothermic loss of the intact adenine molecule, whereas for Zn(+), this process occurs but to form Zn + adenine(+). For the complexes to the early metal ions, Sc(+), Ti(+), and V(+), intact ligand loss competes with endothermic elimination of purine and of HCN to form MNH(+) and M(+)(C(4)H(4)N(4)), respectively, as the primary ionic products. For Sc(+), loss of ammonia is also a prominent process at low energies. Several minor channels corresponding to formation of M(+)(C(x)H(x)N(x)), x = 1-3, are also observed for these three systems at elevated energies. The energy-dependent collision-induced dissociation cross sections for M(+)(adenine), where M(+) = V(+) through Zn(+), are modeled to yield thresholds that are directly related to 0 and 298 K bond dissociation energies for M(+)-adenine after accounting for the effects of multiple ion-molecule collisions, kinetic and internal energy distributions of the reactants, and dissociation lifetimes. The measured bond energies are compared to those previously studied for simple nitrogen donor ligands, NH(3) and pyrimidine, and to results for alkali metal cations bound to adenine. Trends in these results and theoretical calculations on Cu(+)(adenine) suggest distinct differences in the binding site propensities of adenine to the alkali vs transition metal ions, a consequence of s-dsigma hybridization on the latter.     

Experimental and theoretical studies of charge transfer and deuterium ion transfer between D2O+ and C2H4

The charge transfer and deuterium ion transfer reactions between D(2)O(+) and C(2)H(4) have been studied using the crossed beam technique at relative collision energies below one electron volt and by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Both direct and rearrangement charge transfer processes are observed, forming C(2)H(4) (+) and C(2)H(3)D(+), respectively. Independent of collision energy, deuterium ion transfer accounts for approximately 20% of the reactive collisions. Between 22 and 36 % of charge transfer collisions occur with rearrangement. In both charge transfer processes, comparison of the internal energy distributions of products with the photoelectron spectrum of C(2)H(4) shows that Franck-Condon factors determine energy disposal in these channels. DFT calculations provide evidence for transient intermediates that undergo H/D migration with rearrangement, but with minimal modification of the product energy distributions determined by long range electron transfer. The cross section for charge transfer with rearrangement is approximately 10(3) larger than predicted from the Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus isomerization rate in transient complexes, suggesting a nonstatistical mechanism for H/D exchange. DFT calculations suggest that reactive trajectories for deuterium ion transfer follow a pathway in which a deuterium atom from D(2)O(+) approaches the pi-cloud of ethylene along the perpendicular bisector of the C-C bond. The product kinetic energy distributions exhibit structure consistent with vibrational motion of the D-atom in the bridged C(2)H(4)D(+) product perpendicular to the C-C bond. The reaction quantitatively transforms the reaction exothermicity into internal excitation of the products, consistent with mixed energy release in which the deuterium ion is transferred in a configuration in which both the breaking and the forming bonds are extended.     

Fragmentation branching ratios of highly excited hydrocarbon molecules CnH and their cations CnH+ (n<or=4)

We have measured fragmentation branching ratios of neutral C(n)H and C(n)H(+) cations produced in high velocity (4.5 a.u) collisions between incident C(n)H(+) cations and helium atoms. Electron capture gives rise to excited neutral species C(n)H and electronic excitation to excited cations C(n)H(+). Thanks to a dedicated setup, based on coincident detection of all fragments, the dissociations of the neutral and cationic parents were recorded separately and in a complete way. For the fragmentation of C(n)H, the H-loss channel is found to be dominant, as already observed by other authors. By contrast, the H-loss and C-loss channels equally dominate the two-fragment break up of C(n)H(+) species. For these cations, we provide the first fragmentation data (n>2). Results are also discussed in the context of astrochemistry.     

A multicoincidence study of fragmentation dynamics in collision of γ-aminobutyric acid with low-energy ions

Fragmentation of the γ-aminobutyric acid molecule (GABA, NH(2)(CH(2))(3)COOH) following collisions with slow O(6+) ions (v≈0.3?a.u.) was studied in the gas phase by a combined experimental and theoretical approach. In the experiments, a multicoincidence detection method was used to deduce the charge state of the GABA molecule before fragmentation. This is essential to unambiguously unravel the different fragmentation pathways. It was found that the molecular cations resulting from the collisions hardly survive the interaction and that the main dissociation channels correspond to formation of NH(2)CH(2)(+), HCNH(+), CH(2)CH(2)(+), and COOH(+) fragments. State-of-the-art quantum chemistry calculations allow different fragmentation mechanisms to be proposed from analysis of the relevant minima and transition states on the computed potential-energy surface. For example, the weak contribution at [M-18](+), where M is the mass of the parent ion, can be interpreted as resulting from H(2)O loss that follows molecular folding of the long carbon chain of the amino acid.     

Gas-phase reactions of carbon dioxide with atomic transition-metal and main-group cations: room-temperature kinetics and periodicities in reactivity

The chemistry of carbon dioxide has been surveyed systematically with 46 atomic cations at room temperature using an inductively-coupled plasma/selected-ion flow tube (ICP/SIFT) tandem mass spectrometer. The atomic cations were produced at ca. 5500 K in an ICP source and allowed to cool radiatively and to thermalize by collisions with Ar and He atoms prior to reaction downstream in a flow tube in helium buffer gas at 0.35 +/- 0.01 Torr and 295 +/- 2 K. Rate coefficients and products were measured for the reactions of first-row atomic ions from K(+) to Se(+), of second-row atomic ions from Rb(+) to Te(+) (excluding Tc(+)), and of third-row atomic ions from Cs(+) to Bi(+). CO(2) was found to react in a bimolecular fashion by O atom transfer only with 9 early transition-metal cations: the group 3 cations Sc(+), Y(+), and La(+), the group 4 cations Ti(+), Zr(+), and Hf(+), the group 5 cations Nb(+) and Ta(+), and the group 6 cation W(+). Electron spin conservation was observed to control the kinetics of O atom transfer. Addition of CO(2) was observed for the remaining 37 cations. While the rate of addition was not measurable some insight was obtained into the standard free energy change, DeltaG(o), for CO(2) ligation from equilibrium constant measurements. A periodic variation in DeltaG(o) was observed for first row cations that is consistent with previous calculations of bond energies D(0)(M(+)-CO(2)). The observed trends in D(0) and DeltaG(o) are expected from the variation in electrostatic attraction between M(+) and CO(2) which follows the trend in atomic-ion size and the trend in repulsion between the orbitals of the atomic cations and the occupied orbitals of CO(2). Higher-order CO(2) cluster ions with up to four CO(2) ligands also were observed for 24 of the atomic cations while MO(2)(+) dioxide formation by sequential O atom transfer was seen only with Hf(+), Nb(+), Ta(+), and W(+).     

Solvent effects on the conformation of DNA dodecamer segment: a simulation study

Different solvent temperatures with five kinds of counterions are used to investigate solvent effects on the DNA microscopic structure. The dodecamer d (CGCGAATTCGCG) DNA segment is merged into the solvents and its conformation transition is studied with the molecular dynamics simulations in detail. For the simple point charge model of water molecule with Na(+) counterions, as temperature increases from 200 K to 343 K, the duplex DNA changes from stiff B form to a state between A form and B form, which we define as mixed (A-B) structure, with a double helix unwinding. To study the counterions effects, other four alkali cations, Li(+), K(+), Rb(+), or Cs(+) ions, are substituted for Na(+) ions at 298 K and 343 K, respectively. For the cases of Li(+), Rb(+), and Cs(+) ions, the duplex DNA becomes more flexible with sugar configuration changing form C2'-endo to C1'-endo type and the width and depth of minor groove at CpG and GpC steps moving towards A values, as the mass of the counterions decreasing. For the case of K(+) ions, DNA-K(+) interaction widens the width of minor and major grooves at ApA steps and TpT steps, respectively. It seems that the light ions (Li(+) or Na(+)) prefer to interact with the free phosphate oxygen atoms while the heavier ions (Rb(+) and Cs(+)) strongly interact with the base pairs.     

Fragmentation dynamics of condensed phase thymine by low-energy (10-200 eV) heavy-ion impact

We report measurements of the formation and desorption of ionic fragments induced by very low-energy (10-200 eV) Ar(+) irradiation of thymine (T) films, deposited on a polycrystalline Pt substrate. A multitude of dissociation channels is observed, among which the major cation species are identified as HNCH(+), HNC(3)H(4) (+), C(3)H(3) (+), OCNH(2) (+), [T-OCN](+), [T-OCNH(2)](+), [T-O](+), and [T+H](+) and the major anions as H(-), O(-), CN(-),and OCN(-). Cation fragment desorption appears at much lower threshold energies (near 15 eV) than anion fragment desorption, where the latter depends strongly on the film thickness. It is proposed that anion fragment formation and desorption results from projectile impact-induced excitation of either (1) a neutral thymine molecule, followed by fragmentation and charge exchange between the energetic neutral fragment and the substrate (or film) and/or (2) a deprotonated monoanionic thymine molecule to a dissociative state, followed by a unimolecular fragmentation of the excited thymine anion. The H(-) and O(-) fragment formations may have a further contribution from dipolar dissociation, e.g., formation of electronically excited neutral thymine, followed by dissociation into O(-)+[T-O](+), due to their reduced sensitivity to the film thickness. Positive-ion fragment desorption exhibits no significant dependence on film thickness before the emergence of surface charging, and originates from a kinetically assisted charge-transfer excitation. The results suggest that the potential energy of the incident ion plays a significant role in lowering the threshold energy of kinetic fragmentation of thymine. Measurements of the time-dependent film degradation yields for 100-eV Ar(+) suggest a quantum efficiency for degradation of about six thymine molecules per incident ion.     

Silylation of an OH-terminated self-assembled monolayer surface through low-energy collisions of ions: a novel route to synthesis and patterning of surfaces

Using a multi-sector ion-surface scattering mass spectrometer, reagent ions of the general form SiR(3) (+) were mass and energy selected and then made to collide with a hydroxy-terminated self-assembled monolayer (HO-SAM) surface at energies of approximately 15 eV. These ion-surface interactions result in covalent transformation of the terminal hydroxy groups at the surface into the corresponding silyl ethers due to Si--O bond formation. The modified surface was characterized in situ by chemical sputtering, a low-energy ion-surface scattering experiment. These data indicate that the ion-surface reactions have high yields (i.e. surface reactants converted to products). Surface reactions with Si(OCH(3))(3) (+), followed by chemical sputtering using CF(3) (+), yielded the reagent ion, Si(OCH(3))(3) (+), and several of its fragments. Other sputtered ions, namely SiH(OCH(3))(2)OH(2) (+) and SiH(2)(OCH(3))OH(2) (+), contain the newly formed Si--O bond and provide direct evidence for the covalent modification reaction. Chemical sputtering of modified surfaces, performed using CF(3) (+), was evaluated over a range of collision energies. The results showed that the energy transferred to the sputtered ions, as measured by their extent of fragmentation in the scattered ion mass spectra, was essentially independent of the collision energy of the projectile, thus pointing to the occurrence of reactive sputtering.A set of silyl cations, including SiBr(3) (+), Si(C(2)H(3))(3) (+) and Si(CH(3))(2)F(+), were similarly used to modify the HO-SAM surface at low collision energies. A reaction mechanism consisting of direct electrophilic attack by the cationic projectiles is supported by evidence of increased reactivity for these reagent ions with increases in the calculated positive charge at the electron-deficient silicon atom of each of these cations. In a sequential set of reactions, 12 eV deuterated trimethylsilyl cations, Si(CD(3))(3) (+), were used first as the reagent ions to modify covalently a HO-SAM surface. Subsequently, 70 eV SiCl(3) (+) ions were used to modify the surface further. In addition to yielding sputtered ions of the modified surface, SiCl(3) (+) reacted with both modified and unmodified groups on the surface, giving rise not only to such scattered product ions as SiCl(2)OH(+) and SiCl(2)H(+), but also to SiCl(2)CD(3) (+) and SiCl(2)D(+). This result demonstrates that selective, multi-step reactions can be performed at a surface through low-energy ionic collisions. Such processes are potentially useful for the construction of novel surfaces from a monolayer substrate and for chemical patterning of surfaces with functional groups.     

Ion-molecule reactions of [C,H(3), S](+) ions and evidence for long-lived triplet CH(3)S(+)

Gas-phase [C, H(3), S](+) ions obtained by electron impact from (CH(3))(2)S at 14 eV undergo two distinct low-pressure ion-molecule reactions with the parent neutral: proton transfer and charge exchange. The kinetics of these reactions studied by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) techniques clearly suggests the [C, H(3), S](+) species to be a mixture of isomeric ions. While proton transfer is consistent with reagent ions displaying the CH(2)SH(+) connectivity, the observed charge exchange strongly argues for the presence of thiomethoxy cations, CH(3)S(+), predicted to be stable only in the triplet state. Charge exchange reactions are also observed in the reaction of these same [C, H(3), S](+) ions with benzene, toluene and phenetole. For these substrates, the CH(2)SH(+) ions can promote proton transfer and electrophilic methylene insertion in the aromatic ring with elimination of H(2)S. The results obtained for the different substrates suggest that the fraction of long-lived fraction of thiomethoxy cations obtained at 14 eV by electron ionization of dimethyl sulfide amounts to ~(22 -/+ 4)% of the [C, H(3), S](+) fragments.     

Isomeric effects in the gas-phase reactions of dichloroethene, C2H2CL2, with a series of cations

A study of the reactions of a series of gas-phase cations (NH(4)(+), H(3)O(+), SF(3)(+), CF(3)(+), CF(+), SF(5)(+), SF(2)(+), SF(+), CF(2)(+), SF(4)(+), O(2)(+), Xe(+), N(2)O(+), CO(2)(+), Kr(+), CO(+), N(+), N(2)(+), Ar(+), F(+), and Ne(+)) with the three structural isomers of dichloroethene, i.e., 1,1-C(2)H(2)Cl(2), cis-1,2-C(2)H(2)Cl(2), and trans-1,2-C(2)H(2)Cl(2) is reported. The recombination energy (RE) of these ions spans the range of 4.7-21.6 eV. Reaction rate coefficients and product branching ratios have been measured at 298 K in a selected ion flow tube (SIFT). Collisional rate coefficients are calculated by modified average dipole orientation (MADO) theory and compared with experimental data. Thermochemistry and mass balance have been used to predict the most feasible neutral products. Threshold photoelectron-photoion coincidence spectra have also been obtained for the three isomers of C(2)H(2)Cl(2) with photon energies in the range of 10-23 eV. The fragment ion branching ratios have been compared with those of the flow tube study to determine the importance of long-range charge transfer. A strong influence of the isomeric structure of dichloroethene on the products of ion-molecule reactions has been observed for H(3)O(+), CF(3)(+), and CF(+). For 1,1-C(2)H(2)Cl(2) the reaction with H(3)O(+) proceeds at the collisional rate with the only ionic product being 1,1-C(2)H(2)Cl(2)H(+). However, the same reaction yields two more ionic products in the case of cis-1,2- and trans-1,2-C(2)H(2)Cl(2), but only proceeds with 14% and 18% efficiency, respectively. The CF(3)(+) reaction proceeds with 56-80% efficiency, the only ionic product for 1,1-C(2)H(2)Cl(2) being C(2)H(2)Cl(+) formed via Cl(-) abstraction, whereas the only ionic product for both 1,2-isomers is CHCl(2)(+) corresponding to a breaking of the C=C double bond. Less profound isomeric effects, but still resulting in different products for 1,1- and 1,2-C(2)H(2)Cl(2) isomers, have been found in the reactions of SF(+), CO(2)(+), CO(+), N(2)(+), and Ar(+). Although these five ions have REs above the ionization energy (IE) of any of the C(2)H(2)Cl(2) isomers, and hence the threshold for long-range charge transfer, the results suggest that the formation of a collision complex at short range between these ions and C(2)H(2)Cl(2) is responsible for the observed effects.     

Reaction of HOD+ with NO2: effects of OD and OH stretching, bending, and collision energy on reactions on the singlet and triplet potential surfaces

Integral cross sections and product recoil velocity distributions were measured for the reaction of HOD(+) with NO(2), in which the HOD(+) reactant was prepared in its ground state and with mode-selective excitation in the 001 (OH stretch), 100 (OD stretch), and 010 (bend) modes. In addition, we measured the 300 K thermal kinetics in a selected ion flow tube reactor and report product branching ratios different from previous measurements. Reaction is found to occur on both the singlet and triplet surfaces with near-unit efficiency. At 300 K, the product branching indicates that triplet → singlet transitions occur in about 60% of triplet-coupled collisions, which we attribute to long interaction times mediated by complexes on the triplet surface. Because the collision times are much shorter in the beam experiments, the product distributions show no signs of such transitions. The dominant product on the singlet surface is charge transfer. Reactions on the triplet surface lead to NO(+), NO(2)H(+), and NO(2)D(+). There is also charge transfer, producing NO(2)(+) (a(3)B(2)); however, this triplet NO(2)(+) mostly predissociates. The NO(2)H(+)/NO(2)D(+) cross sections peak at low collision energies and are insignificant above ~1 eV due to OH/OD loss from the nascent product ions. The effects of HOD(+) vibration are mode-specific. Vibration inhibits charge transfer, with the largest effect from the bend. The NO(2)H(+)/NO(2)D(+) channels are also vibrationally inhibited, and the mode dependence reveals how energy in different reactant modes couples to the internal energy of the product ions.     

UV and IR spectroscopy of cold 1,2-dimethoxybenzene complexes with alkali metal ions

We report UV photodissociation (UVPD) and IR-UV double-resonance spectra of 1,2-dimethoxybenzene (DMB) complexes with alkali metal ions, M(+)·DMB (M = Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs), in a cold, 22-pole ion trap. The UVPD spectrum of the Li(+) complex shows a strong origin band. For the K(+)·DMB, Rb(+)·DMB, and Cs(+)·DMB complexes, the origin band is very weak and low-frequency progressions are much more extensive than that of the Li(+) ion. In the case of the Na(+)·DMB complex, spectral features are similar to those of the K(+), Rb(+), and Cs(+) complexes, but vibronic bands are not resolved. Geometry optimization with density functional theory indicates that the metal ions are bonded to the oxygen atoms in all the M(+)·DMB complexes. For the Li(+) complex in the S(0) state, the Li(+) ion is located in the same plane as the benzene ring, while the Na(+), K(+), Rb(+), and Cs(+) ions are located off the plane. In the S(1) state, the Li(+) complex has a structure similar to that in the S(0) state, providing the strong origin band in the UV spectrum. In contrast, the other complexes show a large structural change in the out-of-plane direction upon S(1)-S(0) excitation, which results in the extensive low-frequency progressions in the UVPD spectra. For the Na(+)·DMB complex, fast charge transfer occurs from Na(+) to DMB after the UV excitation, making the bandwidth of the UVPD spectrum much broader than that of the other complexes and producing the photofragment DMB(+) ion.     

The significance of the alkene size and the nature of the metal ion in metal-alkene complexes: a theoretical study

Cation interactions with π-systems are a problem of outstanding contemporary interest and the nature of these interactions seems to be quite different for transition and main group metal ions. In this paper, we have systematically analyzed the contrast in the bonding of Cu(+) and main group metal ions. The molecular structures and energetics of the complexes formed by various alkenes (A = C(n)H(2n), n = 2-6; C(n)H(2n- 2), n = 3-8 and C(n)H(2n + 2), n = 5-10) and metal ions (M = Li(+), Na(+), K(+), Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Cu(+) and Zn(2+)) are investigated by employing ab initio post Hartree-Fock (MP2/6-311++G**) calculations and are reported in the current study. The study, which also aims to evaluate the effect of the size of the alkyl portion attached to the π-system on the complexation energy, indicates a linear relationship between the two. The decreasing order of complexation energy with various metal ion-alkene complexes follows the order Zn(2+)-A > Mg(2+)-A > Ca(2+)-A > Cu(+)-A > Li(+)-A > Na(+)-A > K(+)-A. The increased charge transfer and the electron density at (3,-1) intermolecular bond critical point corroborates well with the size of the π-system and the complexation energy. The observed deviation from the linear dependency of the Cu(+)-A complexes is attributed to the dπ→π* back bonding interaction. An energy decomposition analysis via the reduced variational space (RVS) procedure was also carried out to analyze which component among polarization, charge transfer, coulomb and exchange repulsion contributes to the increase in the complexation energy. The RVS results suggest that the polarization component significantly contributes to the increase in the complexation energy when the alkene size increases.     

Collision Energetics in a Tandem Time-of-Flight (TOF/TOF) Mass Spectrometer with a Curved-Field Reflectron

Collisions of fullerene ions (C(60) (+)) with helium and neon were carried out over a range of laboratory energies (3-20 keV) on a unique tandem time-of-flight (TOF/TOF) mass spectrometer equipped with a curved-field reflectron (CFR). The CFR enables focusing of product ions over a wide kinetic energy range. Thus, ions extracted from a laser desorption/ionization (LDI) source are not decelerated prior to collision, and collision energies in the laboratory frame are determined by the source extraction voltages. Comparison of product ion mass spectra obtained following collisions with inert gases show a time (and apparent mass) shift for product ions relative to those observed in spectra obtained by metastable dissociation (unimolecular decay), consistent with impulse collision models, in which interactions of helium with fullerene in the high energy range are primarily with a single carbon atom. In addition, within a narrow range of kinetic energies an additional peak corresponding to the capture of helium is observed for fragment ions C(50) (+), C(52) (+), C(54) (+), C(56) (+) and C(58) (+).     

Tandem mass spectra of ammonium ion,metal ion and ligated metal ion adducts of acyclic sugar derivatives

The tandem mass (MS/MS) spectra of ammonium ion, metal ion and ligated metal ion adducts of chain-extended acyclic nitro-containing deoxyglucose and deoxygalactose derivatives have been studied. The ammonium adducts fragment primarily by elimination of ammonia followed by acetic acid, thus not giving much structural information. In contrast, cationization of these compounds by metal ions and ligated metal ions gave structurally informative and useful fragment ions on MS/MS. The metal ions and ligated metal ions play an important role in controlling and directing fragmentation. Retro-aldol fragmentation is facilitated by metal ions such as Li(+), Na(+), Ag(+) and Cu(+), whereas the adducts with higher alkali metal ions such as Rb(+) and Cs(+) fragment to give only the corresponding metal ions. The divalent metal ions such as Cu(2+) and Ba(2+) also induce retro-aldol fragmentation. However, the charge is carried by the aldehyde fragment in the case of Cu(2+) adducts, whereas the nitroalkane fragment carries the charge in the case of Ba(2+) adducts. Ligated metal ions such as ZnCl(+), CuCl(+), InCl(2) (+) and BaCl(+) also behave similarly and induce retro-aldol fragmentation in these acyclic sugars. Both the metal ion and ligated metal ion adducts can fragment by elimination of metal-containing neutral molecules.     

Ionization and fragmentation of solid C60 by femtosecond laser ablation

Ionization and fragmentation of solid C(60) dispersed on a silicon plate are investigated by femtosecond laser ablation. Bimodal mass distribution with large fragment ions C(60-2n) (+) (0< or =n< or =11) and small fragment ions C(n) (+) (13< or =n< or =28), formation of dimer ion (C(60))(2) (+), and delayed ionization of C(60) have been observed as reported in gas phase experiments with nanosecond laser excitation. Metastable dissociation of small fragment ions C(n) (+) has been observed for the first time, which suggests different structures of fragment ions compared with those of well-studied carbon cluster ions. From these observations, strong coupling of laser energy to electronic degrees of freedom of solid C(60) has been revealed for femtosecond laser ablation as compared with excitation in the gas phase.     

Evidence of dissociative collision induced diatomic and triatomic hydrogen ion formation from hydrocarbon ion interaction with silicon surface

A singly charged hydrocarbon ion CH(x) (+) (x=0,1,2,3,4) was extracted from an electron bombardment type ion source using methane as the reagent gas and irradiated onto the Si(100) surface at glancing angle. Scattered ion spectrometry using an electrostatic energy analyzer revealed that H(+), H(2) (+), and H(3) (+) ions were clearly formed at the scattering angle of 15 degrees , associated with dissociative collisions of hydrocarbon ion species of incidence energy of 1000 eV. The formation of H(3) (+) was tentatively interpreted as resulting from combination of excited atomic hydrogen produced by dissociative collisions of CH(4) (+) ions with Si(100) surface.     

On the gas-phase reactivity of complexed OH+ with halogenated alkanes

OH(+) is an extraordinarily strong oxidant. Complexed forms (L--OH(+)), such as H(2)OOH(+), H(3)NOH(+), or iron-porphyrin-OH(+) are the anticipated oxidants in many chemical reactions. While these molecules are typically not stable in solution, their isolation can be achieved in the gas phase. We report a systematic survey of the influence on L on the reactivity of L--OH(+) towards alkanes and halogenated alkanes, showing the tremendous influence of L on the reactivity of L--OH(+). With the help of with quantum chemical calculations, detailed mechanistic insights on these very general reactions are gained. The gas-phase pseudo-first-order reaction rates of H(2)OOH(+), H(3)NOH(+), and protonated 4-picoline-N-oxide towards isobutane and different halogenated alkanes C(n)H(2n+1)Cl (n=1-4), HCF(3), CF(4), and CF(2)Cl(2) have been determined by means of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance measurements. Reaction rates for H(2)OOH(+) are generally fast (7.2x10(-10)-3.0x10(-9) cm(3) mol(-1) s(-1)) and only in the cases HCF(3) and CF(4) no reactivity is observed. In contrast to this H(3)NOH(+) only reacts with tC(4)H(9)Cl (k(obs)=9.2x10(-10)), while 4-CH(3)-C(5)H(4)N-OH(+) is completely unreactive. While H(2)OOH(+) oxidizes alkanes by an initial hydride abstraction upon formation of a carbocation, it reacts with halogenated alkanes at the chlorine atom. Two mechanistic scenarios, namely oxidation at the halogen atom or proton transfer are found. Accurate proton affinities for HOOH, NH(2)OH, a series of alkanes C(n)H(2n+2) (n=1-4), and halogenated alkanes C(n)H(2n+1)Cl (n=1-4), HCF(3), CF(4), and CF(2)Cl(2), were calculated by using the G3 method and are in excellent agreement with experimental values, where available. The G3 enthalpies of reaction are also consistent with the observed products. The tendency for oxidation of alkanes by hydride abstraction is expressed in terms of G3 hydride affinities of the corresponding cationic products C(n)H(2n+1) (+) (n=1-4) and C(n)H(2n)Cl(+) (n=1-4). The hypersurface for the reaction of H(2)OOH(+) with CH(3)Cl and C(2)H(5)Cl was calculated at the B3 LYP, MP2, and G3(m*) level, underlining the three mechanistic scenarios in which the reaction is either induced by oxidation at the hydrogen or the halogen atom, or by proton transfer.     

A guided-ion beam study of the reactions of Xe(+) and Xe(2+) with NH(3) at hyperthermal collision energies

We have measured the absolute cross sections for reactions of Xe(+) and Xe(2+) with NH(3) at collision energies in the range from near-thermal to ～34 and ～69?eV, respectively. For Xe(+), the cross section for charge transfer, the only exothermic channel, decreases from ～200A?(2) below 0.1 eV to ～12A?(2) at the highest energies studied. The production of NH(3) (+) is the only channel observed below 5 eV, above which a small amount of NH(2) (+) is also formed. In Xe(2+) reactions, the main products observed are NH(3) (+) and NH(2) (+). The charge transfer cross section decreases monotonically from ～80 to ～6A?(2) over the studied energy range. The NH(2) (+) cross section is similar to the charge transfer cross section at the lowest energies, and exhibits a second component above 0.4 eV, with a maximum of 65A?(2) at 0.7 eV, above which the cross section decreases to ～30A?(2) at the highest energies studied. At energies above 10 eV, a small amount of NH(+) is also observed in Xe(2+) collisions. Product recoil velocity distributions were determined at selected collision energies, using guided-ion beam time-of-flight methods.     

Reaction of C2H2(+) (n · ν2, m · ν5) with NO2: reaction on the singlet and triplet surfaces

Integral cross sections and product recoil velocity distributions were measured for reaction of C(2)H(2)(+) with NO(2), in which the C(2)H(2)(+) reactant was prepared in its ground state, and with mode-selective excitation in the cis-bend (2ν(5)) and CC stretch (n · ν(2), n = 1, 2). Because both reactants have one unpaired electron, collisions can occur with either singlet or triplet coupling of these unpaired electrons, and the contributions are separated based on distinct recoil dynamics. For singlet coupling, reaction efficiency is near unity, with significant branching to charge transfer (NO(2)(+)), O(-) transfer (NO(+)), and O transfer (C(2)H(2)O(+)) products. For triplet coupling, reaction efficiency varies between 13% and 19%, depending on collision energy. The only significant triplet channel is NO(+) + triplet ketene, generated predominantly by O(-) transfer, with a possible contribution from dissociative charge transfer at high collision energies. NO(2)(+) formation (charge transfer) can only occur on the singlet surface, and appears to be mediated by a weakly bound complex at low energies. O transfer (C(2)H(2)O(+)) also appears to be dominated by reaction on the singlet surface, but is quite inefficient, suggesting a bottleneck limiting coupling to this product from the singlet reaction coordinate. The dominant channel is O(-) transfer, producing NO(+), with roughly equal contributions from reaction on singlet and triplet surfaces. The effects of C(2)H(2)(+) vibration are modest, but mode specific. For all three product channels (i.e., charge, O(-), and O transfer), excitation of the CC stretch fundamental (ν(2)) has little effect, 2 · ν(2) excitation results in ～50% reduction in reactivity, and excitation of the cis-bend overtone (2 · ν(5)) results in ～50% enhancement. The fact that all channels have similar mode dependence suggests that the rate-limiting step, where vibrational excitation has its effect, is early on the reaction coordinate, and branching to the individual product channels occurs later.