Identification of esters by collisional charge inversion of their enolate ions

The collisional charge inversion and neutralization-reionization (^?NR) mass spectra of the enolate ions of m/z 115 derived from the four butyl acetates, the two propyl propionates, ethyl butyrate, ethyl isobutyrate, methyl valerate, methyl 2-methylbutyrate and methyl 3-methylbutyrate were recorded. The major primary fragmentation reactions of the unstable carbenium ion formed by charge inversion involve elimination of an alkoxy radical to form a ketene or alkylketene molecular ion and formation of an alkyl ion consisting of the R¹ group of RCOOR¹. A minor fragmentation reaction involves elimination of an alkyl radical by cleavage of a C? C bond α to the ether oxygen. The alkylketene ions fragment by β-cleavage eliminating an alkyl radical to form an olefinic acylium ion. In most cases the charge inversion mass spectra of the enolate ions allow identification of the ester.     

Study of the rate of methyl loss and the structure of the product ion as a function of the lifetime of the molecular ion of pent-3-en-2-ol

The normalized unimolecular rate constant for loss of a methyl radical from pent-3-en-2-ol molecular ions with lifetimes ranging from 10^?11 to 10^?9 s was studied by field ionization kinetics (FIK). The normalized rate curve shows maxima at molecular ion lifetimes of 10^?10.5 and 10^?10.1 s. Based on results for deuterium and ¹³C-labelled pent-3-en-2-ol, the maximum at 10^?10.5 s is ascribed to loss of the methyl group at the 1-position by a direct cleavage reaction. The maximum at 10^?10.1 s is attributed to a 1,2-H shift-initiated rearrangement of the molecular ion, which leads to loss of the methyl group at the 5- and 1-positions. The time dependence of the processes in the form of the maxima on the normalized rate curve is discussed qualitatively in terms of a lower critical energy and a tighter transition state of the 1,2-H shift than those of the direct cleavage reaction. Collision-induced dissociation of the [C₄H₇O]⁺ product ions in combination with FIK provides evidence that at molecular ion lifetimes corresponding to the first maximum on the rate curve protonated crotonaldehyde is formed, whereas protonated methyl vinyl ketone and the butyryl cation are formed at times corresponding to the second maximum.     

Hypervalent radical formation probed by electron transfer dissociation of zwitterionic tryptophan and tryptophan‐containing dipeptides complexed with Ca2+ and 18‐crown‐6 in the gas phase

The relationship between peptide structure and electron transfer dissociation (ETD) is important for structural analysis by mass spectrometry. In the present study, the formation, structure and reactivity of the reaction intermediate in the ETD process were examined using a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray ionization source. ETD product ions of zwitterionic tryptophan (Trp) and Trp‐containing dipeptides (Trp‐Gly and Gly‐Trp) were detected without reionization using non‐covalent analyte complexes with Ca²⁺ and 18‐crown‐6 (18C6). In the collision‐induced dissociation, NH₃ loss was the main dissociation pathway, and loss related to the dissociation of the carboxyl group was not observed. This indicated that Trp and its dipeptides on Ca²⁺(18C6) adopted a zwitterionic structure with an NH₃⁺ group and bonded to Ca²⁺(18C6) through the COO^? group. Hydrogen atom loss observed in the ETD spectra indicated that intermolecular electron transfer from a molecular anion to the NH₃⁺ group formed a hypervalent ammonium radical, R‐NH₃, as a reaction intermediate, which was unstable and dissociated rapidly through N–H bond cleavage. In addition, N–C_α bond cleavage forming the z₁ ion was observed in the ETD spectra of Trp‐GlyCa²⁺(18C6) and Gly‐TrpCa²⁺(18C6). This dissociation was induced by transfer of a hydrogen atom in the cluster formed via an N–H bond cleavage of the hypervalent ammonium radical and was in competition with the hydrogen atom loss. The results showed that a hypervalent radical intermediate, forming a delocalized hydrogen atom, contributes to the backbone cleavages of peptides in ETD. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reactivity in the gas phase. Behaviour of isoxazoles under negative ion chemical ionization conditions

[M ? H⁺]^? ions of isoxazole (la), 3-methylisoxazole (1b), 5-methylisoxazole (1c), 5-phenylisoxazole (1d) and benzoylacetonitrile (2a) are generated using NICI/OH^? or NICI/NH₂^? techniques. Their fragmentation pathways are rationalized on the basis of collision-induced dissociation and mass-analysed ion kinetic energy spectra and by deuterium labelling studies. 5-Substituted isoxazoles 1c and 1d, after selective deprotonation at position 3, mainly undergo N ? O bond cleavage to the stable α-cyanoenolate NC ? CH ? CR ? O^? (R = Me, Ph) that fragments by loss of R? CN, or R? H, or H₂O. The same α-cyanoenolate anion (R = Ph) is obtained from 2a with OH^?, or NH₂^?, confirming the structure assigned to the [M ? H⁺]^? ion of 1d, On the contrary, 1b is deprotonated mainly at position 5 leading, via N? O and C(3)? C(4) bond cleavages, to H? C ≡ C? O ^? and CH₃CN. Isoxazole (1a) undergoes deprotonation at either position and subsequent fragmentations. Deuterium labelling revealed an extensive exchange between the hydrogen atoms in the ortho position of the phenyl group and the deuterium atom in the α-cyanenolate NC ? CD = CPh ? O^?.     

On the mechanism of the ethyl elimination from the molecular ion of 6-methoxy-1-hexene

It is shown by ¹³C and D labelling that the ethyl radical elimination from the molecular ion of 6-methoxy-1-hexene is a very complex process involving at least two different channels. The major channel (80%) is induced by an initial 1,5-hydrogen shift in the molecular ion from C(5) to C(l) leading via a series of steps to methoxy-cyclohexnne, which then undergoes a ring contraction to 2-methyl-1-methoxycyclopentane, being the key intermediate for the ethyl loss. The same key intermediate is formed in the other, minor channel (20%) by ring closure directly following an initial 1,6-hydrogen shift in the molecular ion of 6-methoxy-1-hexene from C(6) to C(l). Collision-induced dissociation experiments on the [M ? ethyl]⁺ ion from 6-methoxy-1-hexene have further established that it has the unique structure of oxygen methyl cationized 2-methyIpropen-2-al. This ion is also generated by ethyl loss from the molecular ion of 2-methyl-1-methoxycyclopentane itself, as shown by collision-induced dissociation experiments, thus confirming the key role of the intermediate mentioned.     

Visible‐Light‐Induced Palladium‐Catalyzed Generation of Aryl Radicals from Aryl Triflates

A mild visible‐light‐induced Pd‐catalyzed intramolecular C?H arylation of amides is reported. The method operates by cleavage of a C(sp²)?O bond, leading to hybrid aryl Pd‐radical intermediates. The following 1,5‐hydrogen atom translocation, intramolecular cyclization, and rearomatization steps lead to valuable oxindole and isoindoline‐1‐one motifs. Notably, this method provides access to products with readily enolizable functional groups that are incompatible with traditional Pd‐catalyzed conditions.     

Stereoelectronic control of the retro diels–alder reaction in 8-(N-pyrrolidyl)bicyclo[4.3.0]nona-3,7-diene isomers

The cis- and trans-annulated isomers of 8-(N-pyrrolidyl)bicyclo[4.3.0]nona-3,7-diene show different propensities for the retro Diels–Alder fragmentation following electron impact ionization. Molecular ions of the cis-annulated isomer decompose predominantly via the retro Diels–Alder reaction to give [C₉H₁₃N] ⁺· fragments of the appearance energy (AE)=8.45±0.05eV and critical energy E_c=133±8kJ mol^?1. The trans-annulated isomer gives abundant [M–H]⁺ (AE=9.34±0.08eV) and [M–C₆H₆]⁺· fragments, in addition to [C₉H₁₃N]⁺· ions of AE=8.98±0.05eV and E_c=181±8kJ mol^?1. The ionization energies (IE) were determined as IE_cis=7.07±0.05 eV and IE_trans=7.10±0.06eV. The stereochemical information is much less pronounced in unimolecular decompositions of long-lived (metastable) molecular ions which show very similar fragmentation patterns for both geometrical isomers. Nevertheless, the isomers exhibit different kinetic energy release values in the retro Diels–Alder fragmentation; T_0.5=3.8±0.3 and 4.8±0.2 kJ mol^?1 for the cis and trans isomer respectively. Topological molecular orbital calculations indicate that the retro Diels–Alder reaction prefers a two-step path, with a subsequent cleavage of the C(5)? C(6) and C(1)? C(2) bonds. The open-ring distonic intermediate represents the absolute minimum on the reaction energy hypersurface. The cleavage of the C(1)? C(2) bond is the rate-determining step in the decomposition of the cis isomer, with the critical energy calculated as 137 kJ mol^?1. The cleavage of the C(5)? C(6) bond becomes the rate-determining step in the trans-annulated isomer because of stereoelectronic control. The difference in the energy barriers to this cleavage in the isomers (ΔE=95k Jmol^?1) provides a quantitative estimate of the magnitude of the stereoelectronic effect in cation radicals.     

Collision-induced decompositions of [M – H]− and [M + Li]+ ions from fast atom bombardment of dinucleoside phenylphosphonates

The collision-induced decompositions of the [M – H]^? and [M + Li]⁺ ions of a few dinucleoside phenylphosphonates were studied using fast atom bombardment and linked scanning at constant B/E. Deprotonation takes place on the base or sugar moieties. The [M – H]^? ion decomposes mainly by cleavage on either side of the phosphonate linkage, leading to the formation of mononucleotide fragment ions and also by cleavage of the basesugar bond. Rupture of the 3′-phosphonate bond is preferred. Unlike the normal charged nucleotides, these neutral nucleotides do not eliminate a neutral base from the [M – H]^? ion. However, the mononucleotide fragment ions which can have the charge on the phosphorus oxygen eliminate neutral bases by charge-remote fragmentation. The 4,4′-dimethoxytrityl (DMT)-protected nucleotides show the additional fragmentation of loss of DMT. Li⁺ attachment can occur at several sites in the molecule. As observed for the [M – H]^? ion, the major cleavage occurs on either side of the phosphonate bond in the fully deprotected nucleotides, cleavage of the ester bond on C(3′) being preferred. Cleavage of the 5′-phosphonate bond is not observed in the DMT-protected nucleotides. Many of the fragmentations observed can be explained as arising from charge-remote reactions.     

Effect of the structure of alkoxy radicals on the mass-spectral fragmentation of dialkyl alkylphosphonates

Basic fragmentation reaction of dialkyl alkylphosphinates under the conditions of electron ionization proceeds in two steps. In the first step occurs cleavage of C-O bond and splitting the olefin radical off. The intermediate ion formed therewith exerts further fragmentation by the similar way. Peaks of the intermediate ions occurs in the spectra of all dialkyl alkylphosphonates except O-methyl derivatives. In the case of branching at α-carbon atoms of alkoxy radicals cleavage of the first carbon-carbon bond of the alkoxy radical unlike the case of alkyl fluorophosphonates, in the intermediate ion rather than in molecular ion and accompanied by the elimination of alkane. These found regularities allow to explain principal fragmentation pathways of a wide series of phosphoric acids esters of general formula (RO) _n P(O)X _n?3 (where X is R, Hal, or OMe) with both linear and branched in α-position alkoxy radicals.     

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.     

Positive and negative ion mass spectra of Aryl-ONN-azoxy compounds containing electron withdrawing groups

The positive and negative ion mass spectra, at 70 eV, of p-RC₆H₄N(O)?NCOOCH₃ (R?H, Cl, Br, NO₂), C₆H₅N(O)?NCOOC₂H₅, p-RC₆H₄N(O)?NCONH₂ (R?H, Cl, Br, NO₂) and p-RC₆H₄N(O)?NCOC₆H₅ (R?H, Cl, Br, NO₂) are reported. The azoxyester derivatives show abundant molecular ions and a number of weak fragment and rearrangement ions in the positive ion mass spectra, whereas weak molecular ions and abundant low mass fragment ions are present in the negative ion mass spectra. Similar behaviour is observed in the mass spectra of the azoxyamides. Conversely, for the azoxycarbonyl compounds the positive molecular ion is absent. A ready cleavage of the N? CO bond occurs and only few fragments of low diagnostic value are formed, whereas the negative molecular ion is the base peak for all these compounds with the exception of the p-NO₂ derivative, where [M? O]^?? is the base peak and [M]^?? is the second major ion. The behaviour under electron impact of these classes of compounds is compared with that of azoxycyanides reported previously.     

Mass-spectrometric investigation of isatins

It is shown that in the mass spectra of N-alkylisatins with a normal C₁-C₁₀ chain the intensity of the [M-CO]⁺- and [M-(2CO)]⁺. peaks characteristic for isatin and N-methylisatin decreases as the alkyl radical is lengthened, whereas the intensity of the peak formed as a result of successive loss by the molecular ion of a CO group and a portion of the radical as a result of cleavage of the bond at the α-carbon atom increases. Fragments due to α,β,γ... cleavages, both without migration and with migration of the hydrogen atoms, appear in the spectra of N-alkylisatins commencing with chains containing more than two C atoms.     

The mass spectrometric fragmentation of n-alkanes

The fragmentation of n-hexane, n-nonane and n-tetradecane under electron impact has been investigated, using ¹³C labelled compounds. The mechanism of the formation of the alkyl radical ions is quantitatively explained by using a method of calculation developed in an earlier publication for n-heptane. It is assumed that these ions are formed either by a direct C-C bond cleaveage or by a secondary olefin loss from an alkyl radical ion. In the latter case the probability for a particular carbon to be lost in the neutral fragment is assumed to be random. The probability for a direct cleavage to an alkyl ion is about 80% for an ion containing at least half of the number of carbon atoms of the molecular ion and 15% for the smaller ions. The [M? H]⁺ ion seems to be a special case not yet clearly understood. Former results about the loss of methyl from the molecular ion are confirmed.     

Stereoelectronic effects on the retro-Diels-Alder fragmentation of ionized bicyclo[4.3.0]nona-3,7-dienes

The electron impact and collision-induced dissociation mass spectra of cis- and trans-annulated bicyclo[4.3.0]nona-3,7-dienes differ in their relative abundances of [C₅H₆]⁺˙ fragments formed by the retro-Diels-Alder decomposition. The formation of [C₅H₆]⁺˙ is not preceded by hydrogen migration in the short-lived and long-lived molecular ions. The appearance energy of [C₅H₆]⁺˙ from both annulation isomers is identical within experimental error: AE_cis([C₅H₆]⁺˙)=10.56±0.10 eV and AE_trans([C₅H₆]⁺˙)=10.54±0.15 eV. The barrier to the retro-Diels-Alder fragmentation lies 68–76 kJ mol^?1 above the thermo-chemical threshold corresponding to [C₅H₆]⁺˙ + C₄H₆. Investigation of the two-dimensional reaction coordinate by the Topological Molecular Orbital treatment shows that the lowest energy path for the retro-Diels-Alder reaction involves a two-step dissociation of the C(5)? C(6) and C(1)? C(2) bonds in the molecular ion, the latter step overcoming a barrier, calculated as 80 kJ mol^?1 above the thermochemical threshold. The stereochemical difference between the geometric isomers is due to stereoelectronic assistance of the π orbitals of the cis-annulated isomer in the cleavage of the C(5)? C(6) bond. Other mechanisms of the retro-Diels–Alder reaction are discussed.     

Photochemische Reaktionen. 103. Mitteilung [1]. Zur Photochemie konjugierter Epoxy-en-carbonylverbindungen der Jonon-Reihe: UV.-Bestrahlung α,β-ungesättigter ε-Oxo-γ, δ-epoxy-carbonylverbindungen und Untersuchung des Mechanismus der Epoxy-enon/Furan-Isomerisierung

The Photochemistry of Conjugated γ,δ-Epoxy-ene-carbonyl Compounds of the Ionone Series: UV.-Irradiation of α,β-Unsaturated ε-Oxo-γ,δ-epoxy Compounds and Investigation of the Mechanism of the Isomerization of Epoxy-enones to Furanes On ¹n, π*-excitation (λ ≥ 347 nm; pentane) of the enonechromophore of 3 , three different reactions are induced: (E/Z)-isomerization to give 13 (7%), isomerization by cleavage of the C(γ)–C(δ) bond to yield the bicyclic ether 14 (36%) and isomerization by cleavage of the C(γ)? O bond to give the cyclopentanones 15 (13%) and 16 (11%; s. Scheme 2). On ¹π, π*-excitation (λ = 254 nm; acetonitrile) 13 (14%), 15 (6%), and 16 (6%) are formed, but no 14 is detected. In contrast, isomerization by cleavage of the C(δ)? O bond to give the cyclopentanone 17 (23%) is observed. The reaction 3 → 17 appears to be the consequence of an energy transfer from the excited enone chromophore to the cyclohexanone chromophore, which then undergoes β-cleavage. Irradiation of 4 with light of λ = 254 nm (pentane) yields the analogous products 20 (18%), 21 (9%), 22 (7%), and 24 (7%; s. Scheme 2). Selective ¹n, π*-excitation (λ ≥ 280 nm) of the cyclohexanone chromophore of 4 induces isomerization by cleavage of the C(δ)? O bond to give the cyclopentanones 23 (9%) and 24 (44%). Triplet-sensitization of 4 by excited acetophenone induces (E/Z)-isomerization to provide 20 (12%) and isomerization by cleavage of the C(δ)? O bond to yield 21 (26%) and 22 (20%), but no isomerization via cleavage of the C(δ)? O bond. It has been shown, that the presence of the ε;-keto group facilitates C(γ)? C(δ) bond cleavage to give a bicyclic ether 14 , but hinders the epoxy-en-carbonyl compounds 3 and 4 from undergoing cycloeliminations. The activation parameters of the valence isomerization 13 → 18 , a thermal process, have been determined in polar and non-polar solvents by analysing the ¹H-NMR. signal intensities. The rearrangement proceeds faster in polar solvents, where the entropy of activation is about ?20 e.u. Opening of the epoxide ring and formation fo the furan ring are probably concerted.     

Ortho effect in the fragmentation of 2-acetoxychalcones under electron impact

2-Acetoxychalcones decompose under electron impact conditions by loss of an acetoxy fragment to form flavylium ions. The effect is restricted to the ortho position and is reduced after hydrogenation of the chalcone double bond. The intense flavylium ion originates—as shown by specific labelling with ¹⁸O—from two different fragmentation lines: (a) direct loss of an acetoxy radical by cleavage of the phenolic Ar? O bond and (b) sequential elimination of ketene and a hydroxy radical.     

The [CH5NO]+ ˙ potential energy surface: Distonic ions,lon-dipole complexes and hydrogen-bridged radical cations

By combining results from a variety of mass spectrometric techniques (metastable ion, collisional activation, collision-induced dissociative ionization, neutralization-reionization spectrometry, ²H, ¹³C and ¹⁸O isotopic labelling and appearance energy measurements) and high-level ab initio molecular orbital calculations, the potential energy surface of the [CH₅NO]^{+ ˙} system has been explored. The calculations show that at least nine stable isomers exist. These include the conventional species [CH₃ONH₂]^{+ ˙} and [HO? CH₂? NH₂]^{+ ˙}, the distonic ions [O? CH₂? NH₃]^{+ ˙}, [O? NH₂? CH₃]^{+ ˙}, [CH₂? O(H)? NH₂]^{+ ˙}, [HO? NH₂? CH₂]^{+ ˙}, and the ion-dipole complex CH₂?NH₂⁺ …? OH˙. Surprisingly the distonic ion [CH₂? O? NH₃]^{+ ˙} was found not to be a stable species but to dissociate spontaneously to CH₂?O + NH₃^{+ ˙}. The most stable isomer is the hydrogen-bridged radical cation [H? C?O …? H …? NH₃]^{+ ˙} which is best viewed as an immonium cation interacting with the formyl dipole. The related species [CH₂?O …? H …? NH₂]^{+ ˙}, in which an ammonium radical cation interacts with the formaldehyde dipole is also a very stable ion. It is generated by loss of CO from ionized methyl carbamate, H₂N? C(?O)? OCH₃ and the proposed mechanism involves a 1,4-H shift followed by intramolecular ‘dictation’ and CO extrusion. The [CH₂?O …? H …? NH₂]^{+ ˙} product ions fragment exothermically, but via a barrier, to NH₄^{+ ˙} HCO^…? and to H₃N? C(H)?O^{+ ˙} H˙. Metastable ions [CH₃ONH₂]^+…? dissociate, via a large barrier, to CH₂?O + NH₃⁺ + and to [CH₂NH₂]⁺ + OH˙ but not to CH₂?O^{+ ˙} + NH₃. The former reaction proceeds via a 1,3-H shift after which dissociation takes place immediately. Loss of OH˙ proceeds formally via a 1,2-CH₃ shift to produce excited [O? NH₂? CH₃]^{+ ˙}, which rearranges to excited [HO? NH₂? CH₂]^{+ ˙} via a 1,3-H shift after which dissociation follows.     

Mass spectrometry of systems containing a group IVB—transition metal bond : I. The phenyl- and pentafluorophenyl- silicon, -germanium and -tin derivatives of pentacarbonylmanganese

The 70 eV mass spectra of the series Ph_3?n(C₆F₅)_nMMn(CO)₅ (n = 0 to 3 and M = Si, Ge or Sn) and Ph₃PbMn(CO)₅ have been examined and the proposed fragmentation schemes are supported by the observance of the appropriate metastable ions. Most of the total ion current is carried by metal-containing ions, particularly those containing just a Group IV metal. In all cases the initial fragmentation is by the loss of one or more carbonyl groups from the molecular ion, followed, except in the case of the fully fluorinated silicon derivatives, by the cleavage of the metal—metal bond. The fragmentation of the remainder of the molecule is then controlled by the nature of M and the number of pentafluorophenyl groups, the silicon derivatives showing a greater abundance of ions formed by the cleavage of the CC, CH or CF bonds in the aromatic ring, in contrast to the tin and lead derivatives which fragment almost exclusively by the cleavage of the metal—carbon bond. The formation of metal fluoride species plays an important part in the fragmentation of the pentafluorophenyl derivatives and becomes more important as the Group IV metal becomes heavier, while except for Ph₃PbMn(CO)₅ the abundances of the ions resulting from the migration of a complete aromatic ring from one metal to the other remain essentially constant. However, some of the observed changes in the fragmentation modes are not readily predicted on the basis of the expected variation in the relative metal—carbon or metal—metal bond strengths since these appear to be more dependent on the stabilities of the radical species or on the ion species formed. The tin—metal molecular bond dissociation energies in Ph₃SnMn(CO)₅ and Ph₃SnFe(CO)₂Cp were found to be 61 ± 8 and 54 ± 9 kcal mol^?1, respectively.     

Negative-ion liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry of antiparallel N-carbamoylmorpholine-linked nucleic acid oligomers: Evidence for fragmentation from molecular radical ion precursors

N-Carbamoylmorpholine-linked nucleic acid oiigomers were analyzed by negative-ion liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry. Cleavage of the carbamate backbone in repeating fashion on both sides of the carbonyl groups gives two sequence ion series. The main fragment arises from cleavage of the base-morpholine bond. Important fragment ions are postulated to arise from cleavage of an M^?· radical ion precursor.