Charge-Reversal mass spectra of enolate ions of some open-chain and cyclic ketones for structure identification

The charge-reversal (CR) mass spectra of the enolate ions of heptanal and ten isomeric heptanones, of cyclohexanone, of cycloheptanone, of isomeric methylcyclohexanones, of isomeric ethylcyclohexanones and of the iso meric monoterpene ketones camphor, fenchone, pulegone and thujone were obtained by deprotonation using OH^? under chemical ionization conditions followed by collision of the [M ? H] ^? ions with helium in the second field-free region of a VG ZAB 2F mass spectrometer. The CR mass spectra were evaluated by similarity index (SI) values. Characteristic of the CR mass spectra of the open-chain enolates are fragment ions formed by α-cleavage. However, the CR mass spectra are dominated by peaks of small hydrocarbon ions, particularly in the case of cyclic and bicyclic enolates. The CR mass spectra of enolates of linear heptanones differing in the position of the carbonyl group can be easily correlated with the structure of the parent ketone. The CR mass spectra of enolates of isomeric heptan-2-ones differing only in the degree of branching of the alkyl group are similar, but can be distinguished by the SI values. The CR mass spectra of the enolates of the isomeric cyclic and bicyclic ketones studied are more or less identical and cannot be used for structural assignment.     

An attempt to distinguish between the components of a mixture of isomeric fragment ions

The [C₇H₁₀NO₃]⁺ ion in the normal mass spectrum of 2-ethoxycarbonyl-5-oxo-2-pyrrolidinepropanoic acid was shown to correspond to a mixture of two isomeric structures. By decreasing the ionizing electron energy, the one containing a CH₂CH₂COOH group becomes dominant. The proportion of the concentrations of the two isomeric ions was calculated by comparing their daughter ion spectra (obtained by linked scan at constant B/E) with the analogous spectra of a derivative partially labelled by deuterium at the carboxyl and amide groups.     

Negative ion electrospray ionization mass spectral study of dicarboxylic acids in the presence of halide ions

The negative ion electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectra of a series of dicarboxylic acids, a pair of isomeric (cis/trans) dicarboxylic acids and two pairs of isomeric (positional) substituted benzoic acids, including a pair of hydroxybenzoic acids, were recorded in the presence of halide ions (F(-), Cl(-), Br(-) and I(-)). The ESI mass spectra contained [M--H](-) and [M+X](-) ions, and formation of these ions is found to be characteristic of both the analyte and the halide ion used. The analytes showed a greater tendency to form adduct ions with Cl(-) under ESI conditions compared with the other halide ions used. The isomeric compounds yielded distinct spectra by which the isomers could be easily distinguished. The collision-induced dissociation mass spectra of [M+X](-) ions reflected the gas-phase basicities of both the halide ion and [M--H](-) ion of the analyte. However, the relative ordering of gas-phase basicities of all analyte [M--H](-) and halide ions could not account for the dominance of chloride ion adducts in ESI mass spectra of the analytes mixed with equimolar quantities of the four halides.     

Electron-impact-induced rearrangements of organic ions VIUnimolecular reactions of isomeric[C8H9]+ions

Metastable ion spectra and deuterium labelling have been used to investigate a series of gaseous [C₈H₉]+ ions of isomeric structures. The similarity of the intensities of their metastable loss of hydrogen, acetylene and ethylene molecules and metastable reactions of specifically labelled ions, suggests that the [C₈H₉]+ reacting ions, formed initially with different structures, isomerise to a common structure or mixture of structures via deep-seated rearrangement reactions which render all hydrogen atoms equivalent. The isomerisation process involved is controlled by a conversion of a vinyl bond into an allyl-type bond, thus destroying the aromatic moiety.     

Ion mobility-mass spectrometry analysis of isomeric carbohydrate precursor ions

The rapid separation of isomeric precursor ions of oligosaccharides prior to their analysis by mass spectrometry to the nth power (MS ⁿ ) was demonstrated using an ambient pressure ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) interfaced with a quadrupole ion trap. Separations were not limited to specific types of isomers; representative isomers differing solely in the stereochemistry of sugars, in their anomeric configurations, and in their overall branching patterns and linkage positions could be resolved in the millisecond time frame. Physical separation of precursor ions permitted independent mass spectra of individual oligosaccharide isomers to be acquired to at least MS³, the number of stages of dissociation limited only practically by the abundance of specific product ions. IMS–MS ⁿ analysis was particularly valuable in the evaluation of isomeric oligosaccharides that yielded identical sets of product ions in tandem mass spectrometry experiments, revealing pairs of isomers that would otherwise not be known to be present in a mixture if evaluated solely by MS dissociation methods alone. A practical example of IMS–MSⁿ analysis of a set of isomers included within a single high-performance liquid chromatography fraction of oligosaccharides released from bovine submaxillary mucin is described.     

Concerning the Beckmann rearrangement of aryl heteryl ketoxime ions

The possible Beckmann rearrangement of aryl heteryl ketoxime ions has been investigated by studies on the 70 eV mass spectra, metastable ion spectra and collision induced dissociation spectra of pairs of isomeric ketoximes and corresponding amides. Aryl cycloalkyl ketoximes were also studied, and the molecular ions of these and the corresponding amides showed no evidence of interconversion. The introduction of the heterocyclic moieties made little change to this situation although some novel rearrangements were observed.     

The [CH2 = CHOH/H2O]+˙ system: A theoretical study of distonic ions,hydrogen-bridged ions and ion–dipole complexes

Several isomeric forms of the vinyl alcohol/water radical cation have been investigated by high-level ab initio molecular orbital theory calculations, including electron correlation effects. Of the ions considered here, the anti form of the ? O ?H ?O? bridged complex is calculated to be the lowest in energy, having a stabilization energy of 100 kJ mol^?1 with respect to the dissociation products [CH₂CHOH]⁺˙ and H₂O. Although the isomeric ions may formally be represented as distonic ions, hydrogen-bridged ions and ion–dipole complexes, the only significant barrier separating the isomers appears to be the anti?syn isomerization barrier. However, in the ? O ?H ?O? bridged complex this barrier is found to be considerably lowered relative to the anti?syn isomerization barrier for the free vinyl alcohol radical cation.     

Formation of iminium ions by fragmentation of a2 ions

Tandem mass spectrometric experiments have been carried out on the protonated amides H-Gly-Ala-NH2, H-Ala-Gly-NH2, H-Ala-Val-NH2, H-Val-Ala-pNA, H-Leu-Phe-NH2, H-Phe-Leu-NH2, H-Phe-Tyr-NH2 and H-Tyr-Phe-NH2 with particular emphasis on the fragmentation of the isomeric a2 ions derived therefrom. Primary fragmentation reactions of the protonated amides involve formation of the y1" and b2 ions with further fragmentation of the b2 ion to form the a2 ion which fragments to form iminium ions. Collision-induced dissociation studies of the mass-selected a2 ions were carried out. For the Gly-Ala, Ala-Gly and Val-Ala a2 ions, weak signals were observed corresponding to loss of CO from the a2 ion. With the exception of the Gly-Ala, Ala-Gly and Val-Ala a2 ions, both possible iminium ions (a1 and the internal iminium ion) are observed with the most abundant being that formed by proton attachment to the imine of higher proton affinity. The results provide strong support for the recently proposed (El Aribi et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003; 125: 9229) mechanism of fragmentation of a2 ions which involves elimination of CO from the a2 ion to form a proton-bound complex of two imines. Based on this mechanism ab initio calculations of the total energies of the a2 ions and the transition states for fragmentation have been carried out giving the energy barrier for fragmentation of each a2 ion. The experimental results are interpreted in terms of these energetics data, unimolecular rate constants calculated by using the RRKM theory, and the imine proton affinities.     

PMR investigation of organic cations—I: Trithienyl methyl carbonium ions

PMR spectral parameters are reported for the isomeric trithienyl carbonium ions. The low field shifts, relative to the corresponding carbinols, are discussed in relation to the delocalization of the positive charge into the thiophene ring bonded in position 2 or 3. A linear correlation is found between chemical shifts and π-charge densities and the proportionality constant is higher than that previously found for benzene derivatives. Vicinal coupling constants in these systems are satisfactorily in agreement with the corresponding calculated π-bond order.     

Double-shift rearrangements of secondary ferrocenylcarbonium ions

In CF₃CO₂H solution, secondary ferrocenylcarbonium ions (Fc$\text{C}\text{+}$HCR¹R²R³) undergo a quantitative double-shift rearrangement to generate isomeric tertiary carbonium ions (Fc$\text{C}\text{+}$R¹CHR²R³).     

Collisional activation mass spectra of pentene and hexene molecular ions

The collisional activation spectra of the molecular ions from fourteen pentene and hexene isomers show substantial differences, some of which can be rationalized using known ion fragmentation mechanisms. These differences, and their negligible dependence on ion internal energy, are advantageous for the structural characterization of such isomeric ions, including those produced by fragmentation of larger molecules. The decompositions of metastable ions of the pentenes were nearly identical, but those of the hexenes showed some differences useful for structural charactrization.     

Do the aminopyridine molecular ions display aniline- or pyridine-type behaviour?

By means of collisionally induced dissociative ionization mass spectrometry it was shown that the three isomeric aminopyridine molecular ions display ion chemistry similar to aniline molecular ions; i.e. metastable HNC loss, rather than losing the more stable neutral species HCN, behaviour typical of ionized pyridine. The molecular ions do not isomerize to a common intermediate prior to fragmentation and can readily be distinguished from their collisional activation and charge-stripping mass spectra.     

Mass spectrometry and structure of ions of heterocyclic compounds activated by collision: Naphthiridines and benzazines

The dissociation and the structure at the isomeric [M — HCN]⁺ and [M — 2HCN]⁺ ions, formed during the fragmentation of naphthiridines and benzazines, were investigated by the collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) method. It was established that the stable [M — HCN]⁺ ions of 1,5- and 1,8-naphthiridines, 1,6-naphthiridine, quinoxaline, and quinazoline have different structures. The [M — 2HCN]⁺ ions can exist in two isomeric forms, one of which is characteristic of naphthiridines and the other of benzazines.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vo. 25, No. 5, pp. 626–629, September–October, 1989.     

Unimolecular and collision induced fragmentations of molecular ions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

The unimolecular and collision induced fragmentation reactions of 19 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have been investigated, using B/E linked scans, accelerating voltage scans, and measurements of appearance energies. From the point of view of simple analytical fingerprinting within isomeric series, B/E linked scans without collision gas offered the best compromise. Attempts to correlate trends observed in fragmentation intensities with various molecular parameters were generally unsuccessful, although some tentative conclusions have been drawn. The evidence concerning fragmentation mechanisms and ion structures is also discussed.     

Applications of charge stripping/charge exchange spectra of organic ions

The application of a new technique which involves the combination of charge stripping and charge exchange processes has been investigated. Ions are charge-stripped in the second field-free region of a triple-sector mass spectrometer (BEE geometry), and then subjected to a charge exchange reaction in the third field-free region. The resulting charge stripping/charge exchange (CS/CE) spectrum is free from interference, which is otherwise common in charge stripping spectra. Comparisons between charge stripping and CS/CE spectra are made in cases where both kinds of spectra are obtainable. In order to assess the applicability of this new technique to studies of isomeric ion structures, species for which charge stripping spectra have previously been unobtainable have been chosen. CS/CE spectra of [C₆H₆]⁺˙, [C₆H₅]⁺, [C₈H₁₀]⁺˙ and [C₇H₇O]⁺ ions from a variety of precursors are recorded: in most cases, sufficient differences are observed to permit distinction between isomeric structures (or mixtures of structures). Previous studies which have shown that stable doubly charged molecular ions of ethane cannot be formed by the charge stripping technique are confirmed from its CS/CE spectrum.     

A PMR investigation of organic cations—II: Mixed p-tolyl-thienyl carbonium ions

The PMR spectra of isomeric p-tolyl-thienyl carbonium ions and the corresponding carbinols were studied in order to compare the relative abilities of 2-thienyl, 3-thienyl and p-tolyl groups to stabilize a carbonium ion. The low field shifts in the ions relative to the neutral molecules are discussed in terms of positive charge delocalisation, as seen by a comparison with calculated π charge densities. Additionally, vicinal coupling constants fit a correlation with π bond order, but this applies only to the thienyl groups in the ionic species.     

The effect of methyl substituents on the properties of ions and radicals formed from propenyl- and isopropenyltoluenes

The Hückel MO method and the heteroatomic model for substituents have been used to calculate the quantum chemical properties of ions and radicals formed from the isomeric tolylpropenes. By comparing the calculated values between themselves and with the analogous quantities for phenylpropyl ions and radicals an estimate is made of the additional perturbation caused by the introduction of a substituent. The most favorable perturbations for substitution in the nucleus are observed in the ortho- and para-positions of the cations.     

Experimental investigation of the molecular ions of the xylenes

A mass spectrometric method of distinguishing between molecular ions of the three isomeric xylenes (dimethylbenzenes) was sought, in light of recent findigs that photoexcited ions could be distinguished via measurements of kinetic energy release accompanying expulsion of a methyl radical. Provided the molecular ions are formed with low internal energies, reproducible differences were found between relative intensities of collision induced reactions of higher critical energies, than for methyl expulsion. These differences exist both for collision energies in the kilovolt range (double focusing mass spectrometers) and in the range of a few tens of volts (triple quadrupole instrument). Though statistically significant, these differences were small. The mechanism of isomerization and fragmentation was investigated via isotopic labelling studies and measurements of kinetic energy release. Most of the present findings can be rationalized in terms of the most recent version of established mechanisms for reactions of ionized methylbenzenes.     

Isomers of the molecular ion of 2,3-diphenyl-1,4-benzodioxin. A comparative study with the different isomeric molecular ions of benzocyclobutenyl derivatives of 1,4-benzodioxin

From a study of the elimination of carbonylated radicals from 2,3-diphenyl-1,4-benzodioxin and certain specifically deuterated derivatives, it has been possible to calculate the relative abundances of the different isomeric molecular ions formed. A comparison with phenylbenzocyclobutenyl derivatives of 1,4-benzodioxin indicates that the isomerization schemes are similar.     

Mass spectrometry and structure of heterocyclic ions by collisional activation.

The fragmentation of isomeric dimethylnitroindolizines due to electron impact was studied by collisional activation and high resolution mass spectroscopy. The [M-OH]⁺ ion which is formed as a result of the ortho-effect was found to have a variable structure. In the case of 2,8-dimethyl-1-nitroindolizine, one of the main fragmentation processes of [M-OH]⁺ is the elimination of an H₂O molecule.For Communication 2, see [1].Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 3, pp. 331–336, March, 1989.