Mass spectrometric monitoring of oxidation of aliphatic C6–C8 hydrocarbons and ethanol in low pressure oxygen and air plasmas

Experimental and theoretical studies on the oxidation of saturated hydrocarbons (n‐hexane, cyclohexane, n‐heptane, n‐octane and isooctane) and ethanol in 28 Torr O₂ or air plasma generated by a hollow cathode discharge ion source were made. Ions corresponding to [M + 15]⁺ and [M + 13]⁺ in addition to [M ? H]⁺ and [M ? 3H]⁺ were detected as major ions where M is the sample molecule. The ions [M + 15]⁺ and [M + 13]⁺ were assigned as oxidation products, [M ? H + O]⁺ and [M ? 3H + O]⁺, respectively. By the tandem mass spectrometry analysis of [M ? H + O]⁺ and [M ? 3H + O]⁺, H₂O, olefins (and/or cycloalkanes) and oxygen‐containing compounds were eliminated from these ions. Ozone as one of the terminal products in the O₂ plasma was postulated as the oxidizing reagent. As an example, the reactions of C₆H₁₄^+? with O₂ and of C₆H₁₃⁺ (CH₃CH₂CH⁺CH₂CH₂CH₃) with ozone were examined by density functional theory calculations. Nucleophilic interaction of ozone with C₆H₁₃⁺ leads to the formation of protonated ketone, CH₃CH₂C(=OH⁺)CH₂CH₂CH₃. In air plasma, [M ? H + O]⁺ became predominant over carbocations, [M ? H]⁺ and [M ? 3H]⁺. For ethanol, the protonated acetic acid CH₃C(OH)₂⁺ (m/z 61.03) was formed as the oxidation product. The peaks at m/z 75.04 and 75.08 are assigned as protonated ethyl formate and protonated diethyl ether, respectively, and that at m/z 89.06 as protonated ethyl acetate. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chemical ionization mass spectrum of peroxyacetylnitrate

The chemical ionization mass spectrum of peroxyacetylnitrate, a major component of photochemical smog highly toxic to man and plants, was obtained using both methane and isobutane as reagent gas. The spectrum contains a [M + H]⁺ ion at m/e 122, intense fragment ions at m/e 43 [CH,CO]⁺ and m/e 46 [NO₂]⁺, and less intense ions at m/e 61 [CH,ONO]⁺, m/e 77 [CH30NOz]⁺ and m/e 88 [⁺O?CCH₂ONO] formed by internal rearrangements. These results confirm the commonly accepted structure for peroxyacetylnitrate, CH₃(CO)OONO₂.     

Z-discrimination avoidance in mass-analysed ion kinetic energy spectral studies performed on an unmodified ZAB-E mass spectrometer

A method is introduced by which mass-analysed ion kinetic energy spectra free from Z-discrimination can be obtained for both collisionally activated (CA) and metastable decomposition reactions. The method, performed on a ZAB-E instrument fitted with a collision cell, but applicable also to the ZAB-2F, involves summation of the ‘height resolved’ contributions (formed by beam collimation in the Z-axis and selected by electrostatic deflection of the incident beam) using the signal averaging facility normally available. Representative results (at 8 or 10 keV energy) are given for the CA (Ar target) reactions [CS₂]²⁺ → [CS]⁺; [CS₂]⁺ → S⁺ and [CH₃OH]⁺ → [m/z = 12–31]⁺, and for the metastable reaction [m/z 45]⁺ → [m/z 29]⁺ in ethanol.     

Dissociation of the diphenylnitrile imine radical cation into benzonitrile and [phenylnitrene]+˙

The collision induced dissociation/mass analysed ion kinetic energy mass spectra of 2,5-diphenyltetrazole demonstrate the decay sequence [diphenyltetrazole]^+˙→ [diphenylnitrile imine]^+˙→ m/z 91. The m/z 91 ion was shown to be identical to the ion formed by loss of N₂ from the phenyl azide radical cation, thus suggesting the phenylnitrene structure for the m/z 91 ion.     

Microbial Transformation of Curcumin to Its Derivatives with a Novel <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pichia kudriavzevii</Emphasis> ZJPH0802 Strain

Curcumin, a polyphenolic compound, has shown a wide range of pharmacological activities and has been widely used as a food additive. However, the clinical use of curcumin is limited to some extent because of its poor water solubility and low bioavailability. To overcome these problems, many approaches have been attempted and structural modification of curcumin by microbial transformation has been proven to be an alternative. In this study, we isolated a novel yeast strain Pichia kudriavzevii ZJPH0802 from a soil sample, which is capable of converting curcumin to its derivatives. The transformed products by this strain were evaluated by HPLC, (+) electrospray ionization (ESI)-MSⁿ, and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance methods. Compared with controls, two new peaks of the transformed broth appeared at retention times of 26 min (I) and 62 min (II) by HPLC analysis. The two transformed products were then further identified by (+) ESI-MSⁿ. The spectrum showed that compound I had an accurate [M+H+NH₃]⁺ ion at m/z 392, [M+H]⁺ ion at m/z 375, [M+H–H₂O]⁺ ion at m/z 357, and (+) ESI-MS³ spectrum showed that ion at m/z 357 could further form fragment ions at m/z 339, 177, and 163; compound II had an accurate [M+H]⁺ ion at m/z 373, [M+H–H₂O]⁺ ion at m/z 355, and (+) ESI-MS³ spectrum showed that ion at m/z 355 could further form fragment ions at m/z 219, 179, 177, 163, and 137. These two transformed products thereby were confirmed as hexahydrocurcumin (I) and tetrahydrocurcumin (II).     

Mass spectra of some α-substituted phenyl-α,α′-dimethoxyl ketones and their derivatives

The mass spectra of some α-substituted phenyl-α,α′-dimethoxyl ketones (compounds 1) and their 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazones (compounds 2) and semicarbazones (compounds 3) have been studied. The characteristic fragments at m/z (M ? 73) from compounds 1, m/z (M ? 253) from compounds 2 and m/z (M ? 130) from compounds 3 are abundant and proposed to be [ArCROCH₃]⁺. Fragmentations yielding [M⁺ ? 49] from compounds 2 are abnormal and probably involve the methoxyl and nitro groups. The intense peak at m/z 130 due to [CH₃OCH₂CNNHCONH₂]⁺ from compounds 3 corresponds to α-cleavage of the molecular ion. Some other fragments from these new compounds are interpreted in this paper.     

Organic reactions at surfaces: A study of carnitine by secondary ion mass spectrometry

Carnitine inner salt, (CH₃)₃N⁺ CH₂CH(OH)CH₂COO^?, and carnitine hydrochloride, (CH₃)₃N⁺CH₂CH (OH)CH₂COOH Cl^?, in the solid state undergo ion-beam-induced intermolecular methyl transfer reactions as shown by (CH₃)₃N⁺ CH₂CH(OH)CH₂COOCH₃ ions at m/z 176 in their positive ion spectra. In the case of carnitine HCl, the product ion is three times as abundant as the intact cation. For the inner salt however, the product is less than one-tenth as abundant as [M + H] ⁺. In both cases, the reaction can be precluded by dissolution of the sample, supporting an intermolecular mechanism. The negative ion spectra for these compounds contain no [M ? CH₃]^? ions, suggesting that simple transmethylation does not occur. Rather it is proposed that the inner salt abstracts a methyl group from the intact carnitine cation to yield [M + CH₃]⁺ and a neutral species, the driving force being a minimization of the total number of charges desorbed into the gas phase. Thermodynamic data favor this mechanism as do data for other carnitine salts. The reaction appears to be inhibited when one reactant is present in excess. This is the case for carnitine HNO₃ and CH₃SO₃H, which tend to liberate the intact cation since the anions are large and polarizable. It is also the case for small, hard anions like fluoride, which appear to favor release of the inner salt, hence the cation at m/z 162 is of low abundance and the transmethylation product (m/z 176) is absent. The extent of the reaction is also dependent on the methods of preparation of the sample, and deposition of the salts from solution greatly reduces the extent of methyl transfer. [M ? CH₃]^? is observed when glycerol is used as a matrix, possibly due to a matrix-analyte methyl transfer reaction.     

Unimolecular decomposition of ethoxytrimethylsilane

A study of the metastable spectra from ethoxytrimethylsilane and the mass shifts of the deuterium-labeled species permitted the rationalization of the fragmentation mechanism for forming all major ions in the mass spectrum. A new mechanistic pathway for the formation of [Si(CH₃)₃]⁺ (m/z 73) is demonstrated. A strong metastable ion for elimination of neutral acetaldehyde from the parent ion was observed despite the absence of a detectable daughter ion.     

Characterization of the Retro-[3+2] Reaction of Protonated 2,3′-Bisindolylmethanes by Electrospray Ionization–Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Twelve 2,3′-bisindolylmethanes with various substituents were investigated using electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry in positive ion mode. A retro-[3+2] reaction was observed in the collision-induced dissociation spectra of protonated 2,3′-bisindolylmethanes for the first time. The mechanism of retro-[3+2] reaction was concerted or stepwise. For the concerted pathway, carbon–carbon bonds of a protonated compound simultaneously cracked and the m/z 208 ion ([C₁₅H₁₀D₂N]⁺) was observed with hydrogen–deuterium exchange labeling. The stepwise pathway goes through 1,3-hydrogen migration twice and the m/z 208 ion ([C₁₅H₁₀D₂N]⁺) and m/z 207 ion ([C₁₅H₁₁DN]⁺) were detected with deuterium labeling. In the deuterium-labeled tandem mass spectrum for one compound, only the peak at m/z 208 was present at high abundance, suggesting that the concerted pathway is more likely. In addition, the substituents have no obvious trends on the ratios of the product intensity to the base intensity, further supporting the concerted pathway.     

The proton affinity of thioformaldehyde. Implications for the heat of formation of thioformaldehyde and thiolmethyl carbonium ion from ion cyclotron resonance investigations of the proton transfer reactions of [CH2SH]+

Ions at m/z 47 have been generated from a variety of organosulfur compounds both at 70 eV and near threshold. From observations of the energetics of proton transfer from m/z 47 to reference bases of known proton affinity, the species obtained in all cases has been shown to be [CH₂SH]⁺ rather than [CH₃S]⁺. This result is shown to be consistent with recent ab initio calculations on these two isomers and collisional activation experiments.     

Fast atom bombardment and secondary ion mass spectra of thiamine hydrochloride

The ratio of the fragment ions at m/z 122 and m/z 123 in the positive ion fast atom bombardment or secondary ion mass spectra of thiamine hydrochloride varies with sample preparation and experimental conditions. For all mass spectra that contained significant abundances of matrix (S) ions [S + H]⁺, the fragment at m/z 123 is the more abundant of the two ions. If [S + H]⁺ ions are not observed in the mass spectrum under the conditions selected, the ion at m/z 122 is more abundant. This correlation suggests that hydrogen transfer to the fragment ion occurs in the gas phase, with the composition of the ion-solvent cluster ions in the selvedge region being the key factor. The ratio of the fragment ions at m/z 123 and m/z 122 is thus an indicator of the extent of protonation in the selvedge, the region immediately above the solvent surface created by primary particle bombardment.     

Estimation of peptide N–Cα bond cleavage efficiency during MALDI‐ISD using a cyclic peptide

Matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization in‐source decay (MALDI‐ISD) induces N–C_α bond cleavage via hydrogen transfer from the matrix to the peptide backbone, which produces a c′/z? fragment pair. Subsequently, the z? generates z′ and [z + matrix] fragments via further radical reactions because of the low stability of the z?. In the present study, we investigated MALDI‐ISD of a cyclic peptide. The N–C_α bond cleavage in the cyclic peptide by MALDI‐ISD produced the hydrogen‐abundant peptide radical [M + 2H]⁺? with a radical site on the α‐carbon atom, which then reacted with the matrix to give [M + 3H]⁺ and [M + H + matrix]⁺. For 1,5‐diaminonaphthalene (1,5‐DAN) adducts with z fragments, post‐source decay of [M + H + 1,5‐DAN]⁺ generated from the cyclic peptide showed predominant loss of an amino acid with 1,5‐DAN. Additionally, MALDI‐ISD with Fourier transform‐ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry allowed for the detection of both [M + 3H]⁺ and [M + H]⁺ with two ¹³C atoms. These results strongly suggested that [M + 3H]⁺ and [M + H + 1,5‐DAN]⁺ were formed by N–C_α bond cleavage with further radical reactions. As a consequence, the cleavage efficiency of the N–C_α bond during MALDI‐ISD could be estimated by the ratio of the intensity of [M + H]⁺ and [M + 3H]⁺ in the Fourier transform‐ion cyclotron resonance spectrum. Because the reduction efficiency of a matrix for the cyclic peptide cyclo(Arg‐Gly‐Asp‐D‐Phe‐Val) was correlated to its tendency to cleave the N–C_α bond in linear peptides, the present method could allow the evaluation of the efficiency of N–C_α bond cleavage for MALDI matrix development. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The structure of the [C2H5O]+ ion in the mass spectrum of diethyl ether

The structure of the [C₂H₅O]⁺ ion in the spectrum of diethyl ether was examined by use of deuterated ether, CH₃CD₂OCH₂CH₃. The results show that, at all electron energies from threshold to 70 eV, the predominant ion is a rearrangement ion, probably protonated acetaldehyde, with very little of the [C₂H₅O]⁺ being formed by direct carbon-oxygen bond cleavage. Appearance potential measurements made on the m/e 45, m/e 46 and m/e 47 ions in the deuterated ether show that the threshold structure of the rearrangement ion is protonated acetaldehyde.     

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.     

Two competing fragmentation processes in dimethoxybenzenes depending on their positional isomers: Elimination of CH3 and CHnO (n = 1–3) and formation of methoxycyclopentadienyl and protonated phenol ions

All the metastable transitions observed above m/z 39 in the first field-free region were compared for the three positional isomers of dimethoxybenzene. The observed isomer-dependent fragmentation processes, in particular the formation and decomposition of the m/z 95 (C₆H₇O)⁺ ion, are discussed in terms of two competing fragmentations [elimination of CH₃ and CH_nO (n = 1–3) and formation of methoxycyclopentadienyl and protonated phenol ions] and the relative energies of several isomers of the C₆H₇O⁺ ion calculated with molecular orbital theory.     

Identification of some isomeric [C8H6O]+˙ ions generated from phenyl substituted cyclic ketones using collisional activation

[C₈H₆O]⁺˙ ions with o-quinonoid ketene, benzocyclobutenone, phenyl ketene and benzofuran structures have been generated from various precursors. Their collisionally induced decompositions in both field free regions of a double focusing mass spectrometer with so-called reversed geometry have been studied using mass analysed ion kinetic energy scans and B/E linked scans. In both cases the abovementioned [C₈H₆O]⁺˙ structures can be distinguished–except the benzocyclobutenone ion which gives very similar spectra to the o-quinonoid ion–on the basis of the intensity ratios [m/z 77]/[m/z 76] and [m/z 104]/[m/z 102]. The stable [C₈H₆O]⁺˙ ions generated from the molecular ions of 7 -phenylbicyclo[3.1.1]heptan-6-one appear to have the phenyl ketene structure, as was suspected from previous kinetic energy release measurements.     

Fragmentation of protonated O,O-dimethyl O-aryl phosphorothionates in tandem mass spectral analysis

A study was carried out on the fragmentation of 12 protonated O,O-dimethyl O-aryl phosphorothionates by tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry. Some of the studied compounds are used in agriculture as pesticides. Energy-resolved and pressure-resolved experiments were performed on the [M + H]⁺ ions to investigate the dissociation behavior of the ions with various amounts of internal energy. On collisionally activated dissociation, the [M + H]⁺ ions decompose to yield the [M + H ? CH₃OH]⁺, (CH₃O)₂PS⁺ (m/z 125), and (CH₃O)₂PO⁺ (m/z 109) ions as major fragments. The ions [M + H ? CH₃OH]⁺ and (CH₃O)₂PS⁺ probably arise from the [M + H]⁺ ions of the O,O-dimethyl O-aryl phosphorothionates with the proton on the sulfur or on the oxygen of the phenoxy group. The origin of the hydroxy proton of the methanol fragment was in many cases, surprisingly, the phenyl group and not the reagent gas. This was confirmed by using deuterated isobutane, C₄D₁₀, as reagent gas in Cl. The fragment ions (CH₃O)₂PO⁺ and [ZPhS]⁺ are the results of thiono-thiolo rearrangement reaction. The precursor ion for the ion (CH₃O)₂PO⁺ arises from most compounds upon chemical ionization, whereas the precursor ion for the ion [ZPhS]⁺ arises only from a few compounds upon chemical ionization. The observed fragments imply that several sites carry the extra proton and that these sites get the proton usually upon ionization. The stability order and some characteristics of three protomers of O,O-dimethyl O-phenyl phosphorothionate were investigated by ab initio calculations at the RHF/3-21G* level of theory.     

Further mass spectral studies of flavones

Further evidence supporting the structure of the [M ? 1]⁺ ion found in the mass spectrum of flavone as being the [dibenzo-β-tropolone ? H]⁺ species was obtained by comparison of linked scan measurements performed in flavone, 3-deuteroflavone, 5,6,7,8-tetradeuteroflavone, 2′,3′,4′,5′,6′-pentadeuteroflavone and dibenzo-β-tropolone. This fragmentation process has also been demonstrated in the case of 3-methoxyflavone by high-resolution measurements, deuterium labelling, metastable decompositions and evaluation of the subspectra of 9-methoxyfluorenol, fluorenone and biphenylene. The structure of the ion at m/z 181 in the spectrum of flavone was found to be the [2-phenylbenzoxetane ? 1]⁺ species.     

Reactions within and between adjacent dimethylamino groups: Collision-induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometric study of the 1,9-bis(dimethylamino)phenalenium cation

The electron impact (EI) ionization-induced fragmentation pathways of the new 1,9-bis(dimethylamino) phenalenium cation [1]⁺ were investigated. The peri-dimethylamino substituents of [1]⁺ are incorporated in a trimethine cyanine substructure and show strong steric interactions. A mechanism is proposed for the unusual elimination of CH₃N?CH₂, HN(CH₃)₂ and (CH₃)₃N from [1]⁺ and for the accompanying cyclizations to heterocyclic ions: prior to fragmentation, the intact cation [1]⁺ rearranges, by reciprocal CH₃ and H transfers, to new isomeric cations which decompose subsequently in a characteristic way. A wealth of consistent information on dissociation pathways and fragment structures is provided by collision-induced dissociation tandem mass spectra, collision-induced dissociation mass-analysed ion kinetic energy spectra and exact mass measurements of the salt cation and of its primary fragment ions. The liquid secondary ion mass spectrum of [1]⁺ is very similar to its EI mass spectrum.     

Amidine mass spectral fragmentation patterns

Electron impact mass spectrometry of a range of amidines (R′NC(R)NHR′) including formamidines, acetamidines, benzamidines and tert-butylamidine, has been undertaken, and comparisons made of the fragmentation pathways followed by the different families of compounds. Fragmentation of all the molecular ions is characterized by skeletal carbon-nitrogen bond cleavage to form [R′NCR]⁺ and [R′NH]⁺ fragments, both of which are observed. For formamidines (R?H), the positive charge remains with the [R′NH]⁺ fragment which leads to the base peak at m/z93 corresponding to [R′NH₂]⁺˙. In contrast, for acetamidines and benzamidines the charge prefers to remain with the [R′NCR]⁺ fragment which gives the base peak for these compounds. The spectra of unsubstituted amidines (HNC(R)NH₂) are characterized by cleavage of the carbon substituent from the NCN skeleton, [CN₂H₃]⁺ (m/z 43) being produced in all cases.