Infrared-enhanced multiphoton dissociation of iodobenzene cations

When gas-phase iodobenzene cations in an ion cyclotron resonance spectrometer are irradiated simultaneously with visible 610 nm and IR 977 cm⁻¹ photons, the visible two-photon process is enhanced by a factor of up to three. The experimental pressure and intensity dependences can be modeled using a set of rate equations for the evolution of the populations of different internal energy levels. Modeling suggests that the major mechanism for the mixed visible/IR process is the absorption of several IR photons, followed by the absorption of one visible photon which brings about dissociation: that the visible photoexcitation cross section decreases with increasing ion internal energy: that IR pumping does not compete successfully with relaxation processes near dissociation threshold: and that the IR radiative relaxation time is constant ≈ 500 ms.     

Infrared multiphoton dissociation of small-interfering RNA anions and cations

Infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) on a linear ion trap mass spectrometer is applied for the sequencing of small interfering RNA (siRNA). Both single-strand siRNAs and duplex siRNA were characterized by IRMPD, and the results were compared with that obtained by traditional ion trap-based collision induced dissociation (CID). The single-strand siRNA anions were observed to dissociate via cleavage of the 5′ P—O bonds yielding c- and y-type product ions as well as undergo neutral base loss. Full sequence coverage of the siRNA anions was obtained by both IRMPD and CID. While the CID mass spectra were dominated by base loss ions, accounting for ∼25% to 40% of the product ion current, these ions were eliminated through secondary dissociation by increasing the irradiation time in the IRMPD mass spectra to produce higher abundances of informative sequence ions. With longer irradiation times, however, internal ions corresponding to cleavage of two 5′ P—O bonds began to populate the product ion mass spectra as well as higher abundances of [a − Base] and w-type ions. IRMPD of siRNA cations predominantly produced c- and y-type ions with minimal contributions of [a − Base] and w-type ions to the product ion current; the presence of only two complementary series of product ions in the IRMPD mass spectra simplified spectral interpretation. In addition, IRMPD produced high abundances of protonated nucleobases, [G + H]⁺, [A + H]⁺, and [C + H]⁺, which were not detected in the CID mass spectra due to the low-mass cut-off associated with conventional CID in ion traps. CID and IRMPD using short irradiation times of duplex siRNA resulted in strand separation, similar to the dissociation trends observed for duplex DNA. With longer irradiation times, however, the individual single-strands underwent secondary dissociation to yield informative sequence ions not obtained by CID.     

Infrared multiphoton dissociation of tetramethoxygermane

Infrared multiphoton dissociation of Ge(OCH₃)₄ molecules by irradiation with a pulsed TEA CO₂ laser has been studied. The basic characteristics of the process have been experimentally investigated. The spectral characterization of the dissociation has been made. The product composition of the dissociation has been analyzed, and possible dissociation pathways have been proposed.     

15N isotope-selective infrared multiphoton dissociation of nitromethane by a free electron laser

Successful experiments on the isotope-selective infrared multiphoton dissociation (IR MPD) of nitromethane molecules in the region of stretching vibrations of the NO₂ group have been performed for the first time under IR free electron laser (FEL) irradiation in a mixture with the natural content of the¹⁵N isotope of 0.4%. The content of the¹⁵N isotope in the products of NO dissociation varies within 0.1–1.6% as a function of the laser radiation frequency. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 739–742, April, 1998.     

Infrared multiphoton dissociation of methyl nitrite

Methyl nitrite undergoes dissociation when irradiated with the focused output of a pulsed CO₂ TEA laser. Time resolved infrared emission is observed and attributed to vibrationally excited formaldehyde and methanol. These species are produced via reactions of methoxy radicals formed in the primary dissociation. Other products formed are NO and N₂O.     

Infrared multiphoton dissociation of CHFCl2

We have studied the dependence of the IR laser induced multiphoton dissociation of CHFCl₂ on laser wavelength and fluence, number of laser pulses and initial CHFCl₂ pressure. Multiphoton dissociation spectrum presents a broad maximum centered at 9.342 μm. Dissociation has a strongly dependence on initial CHFCl₂ pressure and laser fluence. There exists a pressure lower limit (≈ 0.4 mb) below which no significant dissociation occurs. Up to 2.1 J/cm² no unimolecular dissociation takes place in a significant proportion. The only radical we have been able to clearly detect by real time optical absorption technique is CFCl. This supports the mechanism reaction CHFCl₂ + nhν → CFCl + HCl.     

Electron capture dissociation and infrared multiphoton dissociation of oligodeoxynucleotide dications

We report electron capture dissociation (ECD) and infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) of doubly protonated and protonated/alkali metal ionized oligodeoxynucleotides. Mass spectra following ECD of the homodeoxynucleotides polydC, polydG, and polydA contain w or d "sequence" ions. For polydC and polydA, the observed fragments are even-electron ions, whereas radical w/d ions are observed for polydG. Base loss is seen for polydG and polydA but is a minor fragmentation pathway in ECD of polydC. We also observe fragment ions corresponding to w/d plus water in the spectra of polydC and d(GCATGC). Although the structure of these ions is not clear, they are suggested to proceed through a pentavalent phosphorane intermediate. The major fragment in ECD of d(GCATGC) is a d ion. Radical a- or z-type fragment ions are observed in most cases. IRMPD primarily results in base loss, but backbone fragmentation is also observed. IRMPD provides more sequence information than ECD, but the spectra are more complex due to extensive base and water losses. It is proposed that the smaller degree of sequence coverage in ECD, with fragmentation mostly occurring close to the ends of the molecules, is a consequence of a mechanism in which the electron is captured at a P=O bond, resulting in a negatively charged phosphate group. Consequently, at least two protons (or alkali metal cations) must be present to observe a w or d fragment ion, a requirement that is less likely for small fragments.     

Laser isotope separation and the multiphoton dissociation of formic acid using a pulsed HF laser

The focussed beam from a single line [P₂ (5)] of a pulsed HF laser has been used to stimulate the decomposition of formic acid. The yield (Y is the number of product molecules per pulse / formic acid pressure) of the non-condensable (77 K) products, hydrogen and CO, has been studied as a function of laser radiant energy (from 25-115 mJ) and pressure (from 0.4-2.7 kPa). The intensity dependence of Y suggests that each dissociating formic acid requires the equivalent of at least 6 HF P₂(5) photons (260 kJ/mole). For pressures above about 0.6 kPa, Y_H2 = (?0.6 ± 1.7) × 10¹² + (2.4 ± 1.0) × 10¹² P and Y_CO = (?0.5 ± 6.1) × 10¹³ × (8.7 ± 3.7) × 10¹³ P. The linear dependerrce of yields indicates that a collisionally assisted decomposition process is important at these pressures. The efficiency of the conversion of photon energy to reaction products at a pressure of 2.7 kPa is ? 7% for CO and ? 0.2% for hydrogen. Selective excitation of HCOOH in equimolar mixtures of HCOOH/HCOOD, at a total pressure of 0.6 kPa, has provided a physically separated product, hydrogen gas, which is isotopically enriched in H versus D 25 fold as compared to the formic acid mixture. The degree of enrichment decreases as the total pressure of the mixture is increased. A possible mechanism accounting for isotope enrichment and the collisionally assisted dissociation is outlined.     

Pulsed helium introduction into a quadrupole ion trap for reduced collisional quenching during infrared multiphoton dissociation of electrosprayed ions

Previous infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) experiments utilizing a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer yielded limited photodissociation efficiencies. Helium buffer gas continuously infused into the analyzer region at pressures of typically 1 x 10(-3) Torr to improve ion trap performance can collisionally quench photoexcited ions during the IRMPD process. Photodissociation experiments have indicated that uncorrected pressures below 2 x 10(-5) Torr are necessary to avoid collisional deactivation of photoexcited ions. This paper describes IRMPD in the quadrupole ion trap at reduced pressures utilizing a dual-pulsed introduction of helium buffer gas incorporated into the ion trap scan function. The pulsed introduction of helium buffer gas before ion injection allows the efficient trapping of ions injected from an electrospray source and the removal of helium before laser irradiation. A second pulse of helium directly before ion detection improves the intensity of the ion signal. The use of this dual-pulsed inlet of helium for improved IRMPD is demonstrated with the carbohydrate antibiotics neomycin and erythromycin. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Laser-induced multiphoton dissociation ofn-butyl ether

The pulsed CO₂-laser-induced multiphoton dissociation of n-butyl vinyl ether is studied. Comprehensive measurements have been performed for 9.6.μm and 10.6 μm irradiation. The corresponding dissociation product distributions show distinct differences for the two irradiation wavelengths, the most important finding being that acetylene is only produced at 9.6 μm.     

Mechanism of resonant multiphoton ionization dissociation of p-xylene

The mechanism of resonant multiphoton ionization dissociation (RMPID) of p-xylene is investigated theoretically based both on the quantum-mechanical MO calculation of the geometrical structures and dissociation energies of the fragments and on the computation of laser power-dependent mass spectra of the fragments produced by RMPID. The geometries and dissociation energies are calculated by using both the MNDO method and the ab initio method with the 6-31G basis set. The computation of the mass spectra is carried out in the absorption multiple fragmentation model. It is shown theoretically that the two-independent reaction sequence mechanism proposed by Takenoshita et al. upon measuring the laser power dependence can explain semi-quantitatively the mass spectra of the RMPID. From comparison of the measured mass spectra with the calculated ones it is suggested that the absorption multiple fragmentation model originally based on the product phase space theory can be applied to the RMPID involving transition states in the course of reactions such as the retro-Diels-Alder reaction C₅H⁺₅ → C₃H⁺₃ + C₂H₂ by taking into account the corresponding activation energy instead of the dissociation energy.     

Intense-field modulation of NO2 multiphoton dissociation dynamics

We report on the dynamics of multiphoton excitation and dissociation of NO(2) at wavelengths between 395 and 420 nm and intensities between 4 and 10 TW cm(-2). The breakup of the molecule is monitored by NO A (2)Sigma(+)n(')=1,0-->X (2)Pi(r)n(")=0 fluorescence as a function of time delay between the driving field and a probe field which depletes the emission. It is found that generation of n(')=0 and 1 NO A (2)Sigma(+) results in different fluorescence modulation patterns due to the intense probe field. The dissociation dynamics are interpreted in terms of nuclear motions over light-induced potentials formed by coupling of NO(2) valence and Rydberg states to the applied field. Based on this model, it is argued that the time and intensity dependences of A (2)Sigma(+)n(')=0-->X (2)Pi(r)n(")=0 fluorescence are consistent with delayed generation of NO A (2)Sigma(+)n(')=0 via a light-induced bond-hardening brought about by the transient coupling of the dressed A (2)B(2) and Rydberg 3ssigma (2)Sigma(g) (+) states of the parent molecule. The increasingly prompt decay of A (2)Sigma(+)n(')=1-->X (2)Pi(r)n(")=0 fluorescence with increasing intensity, on the other hand, is consistent with a direct surface crossing between the X (2)A(1) and 3ssigma (2)Sigma(g) (+) dressed states to generate vibrationally excited products.     

Coupling infrared multiphoton dissociation spectroscopy, mass-spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry for the determination of structures of angiotensin II cations

Gas-phase structures of mass-selected singly- and doubly charged angiotensin ions have been determined by means of infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy and ion mobility spectrometry. Simulation of IRMPD spectra at the DFT level provides the location of the proton on the Arg side-chain in the case of the singly charged species. Interpretation of the ion mobility data suggests that the structures of singly- and doubly charged species are rather similar except for an internal proton transfer.     

Isotopically selective infrared multiphoton dissociation of 2,3-dihydropyran

Oxygen isotopic selectivity on infrared multiphoton dissociation of 2,3-dihydropyran has been studied by the examination of the effects of excitation frequency, laser fluence, and gas pressure on the dissociation probability of 2,3-dihydropyran and isotopic composition of products. Oxygen-18 was enriched in a dissociation product: 2-propenal. The enrichment factor of 18O and the dissociation probability were measured at a laser frequency between 1033.5 and 1057.3 cm-1, the laser fluence of 2.2-2.3 J/cm2, and the 2,3-dihydropyran pressure of 0.27 kPa. The dissociation probability decreases as the laser frequency being detuned from the absorption peak of 2,3-dihydropyran around 1081 cm-1. On the other hand, the enrichment factor increases with detuning the frequency. The enrichment factor of 18O increases with increasing the 2,3-dihydropyran pressure at the laser fluence of 2.7 J/cm2 or less and the laser frequency of 1033.5 cm-1, whereas the yield of 2-propenal decreases with increasing the pressure. A very high enrichment factor of 751 was obtained by the irradiation of 0.53 kPa of 2,3-dihydropyran at 2.1 J/cm2. Collisional effect of vibrationally excited molecules with ambient molecules on isotopic selectivity is discussed on the basis of a rate equation model including a collisional vibrational de-excitation process.     

Application of parametric equations of motion to study the laser induced multiphoton dissociation of H2+ in intense laser field

We have applied parametric equations of motion (PEM) to study photodissociation dynamics of H(2)(+). The resonances are extracted using smooth exterior scaling method. This is the first application of PEM to non-Hermitian Hamiltonian that includes resonances and the continuum. Here, we have studied how the different resonance states behave with respect to the change in field amplitude. The advantage of this method is that one can easily trace the different states that are changing as the field parameter changes.     

Infrared multiphoton dissociation with one and two lasers

The dissociation of a diatomic molecule in the presence of one and two infrared lasers is studied. Classical mechanics is used to show that a diatomic molecule may be dissociated much more easily with two laser frequencies than with just one. A short discussion of overlap of resonance follows.     

Classical dynamics of multiphoton dissociation for a model system

A classical trajectory analysis of multiphoton dissociation on a model two-dimensional anharmonic potential surface is presented. Six categories of trajectory motion were found, and the degree of “instability” within each type was analyzed in terms of power spectra and exponential separation of neighboring phase points. The dissociation probability was studied as a function of laser intensity and frequency. In addition, the translational energy spectrum of the photofragments was analyzed on the basis of several statistical theories. Good agreement with RRKM theory was found for the final partitioning between translational and vibrational energy.     

Monochromatic two beam multiphoton dissociation of CF2HCl

Infrared multiphoton dissociation induced by monochromatic two-beam excitation has been carried out by controlling the time delay between the two laser beams. The maximum dissociation yield is found to occur at time delays around 5 μs, when the absorbed energy becomes largely stochastized and an equilibrium among the distinct processes of energy relaxation is manifested. It is shown that this behaviour essentially differs from that which occurs in dichromatic multiphoton dissociation.     

Sequential versus direct multiphoton absorption

We present results of exact calculations on a three-level Morse oscillator modeling HF which suggest that multiphoton absorption proceeds by sequential single-level transitions, transitions arising from coupling between non-adjacent states being dynamically negligible. The time-dependent Schrödinger equation is integrated in the Floquet formalism.