What ion is generated when ionizing acetonitrile?

It has long been assumed that ionizing neutral acetonitrile produces ions with the same atomic connectivity, CH(3)CN(+*). Recent calculations on the C(2)H(3)N(+*) potential energy surface have suggested that it may be difficult to generate pure CH(3)CN(+*) when ionizing acetonitrile. We have probed the interconversion of CH(3)CN(+*) and its lower energy isomer CH(2)CNH(+*) by calculation, collision-induced dissociation mass spectrometry and ion-molecule reaction. The latter ion, ionized ketenimine, is co-generated upon electron or chemical ionization of neutral acetonitrile in the ion source of a mass spectrometer. An estimate of the ratio of the two isomers can be obtained from their respective ion-molecule reactions with CO(2) or COS. CH(3)CN(+*) reacts by proton-transfer with CO(2) and charge transfer with COS, whereas CH(2)CNH(+*) is unreactive.     

Gas phase reactions between acetylene radical cation and water. energies, structures and formation mechanism of C2H3O+ and C2H4O+* ions

Reactions of the acetylene radical cation (C2H2(+*)) with H2O were investigated using ion mobility mass spectrometry. The primary products are the C2H3O(+) and C2H4O(+*) ions, produced with an overall rate coefficient k(300 K) = 2(+/-0.6) x 10(-11) cm(3) s(-1) that increases with decreasing temperature. The C2H4O(+*) (adduct) vs C2H3O(+) (H loss) ratio also increases with decreasing temperature, and with increasing third-body pressure. Ab initio calculations on the products showed seven stable C2H3O(+) isomers and eleven stable C2H4O(+*) isomers. In the C2H4O(+*) adduct channel, the reactivity and energetics suggest that the adduct is the H2C=CHOH(+*) (vinyl alcohol) ion. In the C2H3O(+) channel, the H loss occurs exclusively from water. The C2H3O(+) product ion undergoes slow deprotonation by water to form H(+)(H2O)n clusters. The reactivity, combined with energetics, suggests that the protonated ketene CH2COH(+) is the most likely observed C2H3O(+) ion probably with some contribution from the cyclic c-CH2CHO(+) ion.     

Unimolecular dissociation reactions of methyl benzoate radical cation

The blackbody infrared radiation induced dissociation of methyl benzoate (C8H8O2(+*)) radical cation was investigated by using a Fourier transfer ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer equipped with a resistively heated (wire temperatures of 400-1070 K) wire ion guide. We observed product ion branching ratios that are strongly dependent upon wire temperature. At low temperatures (670-890 K) the major product ion C7H8 (+*) (m/z 92), which is formed by loss of CO2, and at higher temperatures (above 900 K), loss of methoxy radical ((*)OCH3) competes with loss of CO2. The energies of the various reactant ions and transition states for product ion formation were estimated by using density functional theory molecular orbital calculations, and a proposed mechanism for the dissociation chemistry of C8H8O2 (+*) involving a multistep rearrangement reaction is tested using the Master Equation formalism.     

Water-assisted interconversions and dissociations of the acetaldehyde ion and its isomers. An experimental and theoretical study

The gas-phase reactions of the ion [CH(3)CHO/H(2)O](+*) have been investigated by mass spectrometry. The metastable ion (MI) mass spectrum reveals that this ion-molecule complex decomposes spontaneously by the losses of H(2)O, CO, and (*)CH(3). The structures of stable complexes and transition states involved in the potential energy surface (PES) have been studied by the G3//B3-LYP/6-31+G(d) computational method. Hydrogen-bridged water complexes have been found to be the major products of the losses of CO and (*)CH(3). The CO loss produces the [(*)CH(3)...H(3)O(+)] ion and involves a "backside displacement" mechanism. The products corresponding to (*)CH(3) loss have been assigned by theory to be [OC...H(3)O(+)] and [CO...H(3)O(+)], and their 298 K enthalpy values, calculated at the G3 level of theory, are Delta(f)H[OC...H(3)O(+)] = 420 kJ/mol and Delta(f)H[CO...H(3)O(+)] = 448 kJ/mol. The PES describing the interconversions among water-solvated CH(3)CHO(+*), CH(3)COH(+*), and CH(2)CHOH(+*) have been shown to involve proton-transport catalysis (PTC), catalyzed 1,2 H-transfer, and an uncatalyzed H-atom transfer mechanism, respectively.     

Isotope labeling and theoretical study of the formation of a3* ions from protonated tetraglycine

Extensive 13C, 15N, and 2H labeling of tetraglycine was used to investigate the b3+ --> a3* reaction during low-energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) in a quadrupole ion-trap mass spectrometer. The patterns observed with respect to the retention or elimination of the isotope labels demonstrate that the reaction pathway involves elimination of CO and NH3. The ammonia molecule includes 2 H atoms from amide or amino positions, and one from an alpha-carbon position. The loss of NH3 does not involve elimination of the N-terminal amino group but, instead, the N atom of the presumed oxazolone ring in the b3+ ion. The CO molecule eliminated is the carbonyl group of the same oxazolone ring, and the alpha-carbon H atom is transferred from the amino acid adjacent to the oxazolone ring. Quantum chemical calculations indicate a multistep reaction cascade involving CO loss on the b3 --> a3 pathway and loss of NH=CH2 from the a3 ion to form b2. In the postreaction complex of b2 and NH=CH2, the latter can be attacked by the N-terminal amino group of the former. The product of this attack, an isomerized a3 ion, can eliminate NH3 from its N-terminus to form a3*. Calculations suggest that the ammonia and a3* species can form various ion-molecule complexes, and NH3 can initiate relay-type mobilization of the oxazolone H atoms from alpha-carbon positions to form a new oxazolone isomer. This multiple-step reaction scheme clearly explains the isotope labeling results, including unexpected scrambling of H atoms from alpha-carbon positions.     

Metastable decompositions of gem-dialkoxyalkanes upon electron impact. III. Diethoxymethane (CH(2)(OCH(2)CH(3))(2))

Unimolecular metastable decomposition of diethoxymethane (CH(2)(OCH(2)CH(3))(2), 1) upon electron impact has been investigated by means of mass-analyzed ion kinetic energy (MIKE) spectrometry and theD-labeling technique in conjunction with thermochemistry. The m/z 103 ion ([M - H](+) : CH(OCH(2)CH(3)) = O(+)CH(2)CH(3)) decomposes into the m/z 47 ion (protonated formic acid, CH(OH) = O(+)H) by consecutive losses of two C(2)H(4) molecules via an m/z 75 ion. The resulting product ion at m/z 47 further decomposes into the m/z 29 and 19 ions by losses of H(2)O and CO, respectively, via an 1,3-hydroxyl hydrogen transfer, accompanied by small kinetic energy release (KER) values of 1.3 and 18.8 meV, respectively. When these two elimination reactions are suppressed by a large isotope effect, however, another 1,1-H(2)O elimination with a large KER value (518 meV) is revealed. The m/z 89 ion ([M - CH(3)](+) : CH(2)(OCH(2)CH(3))O(+) = CH(2)) decomposes into the m/z 59 ion (CH(3)CH(2)O(+) = CH(2)) by losing CH(2)O in the metastable time window. The source-generated m/z 59 ion ([M - OCH(2)CH(3)](+) : CH(2) = O(+)CH(2)CH(3)) decomposes into the m/z 41 (CH(2) = CH(+)CH(2)) and m/z 31 (CH(2) = O(+)H) ions by losses of H(2)O and C(2)H(4), respectively, with considerable hydrogen scrambling prior to decomposition. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Isomerization of the protonated acetone dimer in the gas phase

Mass spectrometry-based methods have been employed in order to study the reactions of non- (h(6)/h(6)), half (d(6)/h(6)), and fully (d(6)/d(6)) deuterium labeled protonated dimers of acetone in the gas phase. Neither kinetic nor thermodynamic isotope effects were found. From MIKES experiments (both spontaneous and collision-induced dissociations), it was found that the relative ion yield (m/z 65 vs m/z 59) from the dissociation reaction of half deuterium labeled (d(6)/h(6)) protonated dimer of acetone is dependent on the internal energy. A relative ion yield (m/z 65 vs m/z 59) close to unity is observed for cold, nonactivated, metastable ions, whereas the ion yield is observed to increase (favoring m/z 65) when the pressure of the collision gas is increased. This is in striking contrast to what would be expected if a kinetic isotope effect were present. A combined study of the kinetics and the thermodynamics of the association reaction between acetone and protonated acetone implicates the presence of at least two isomeric adducts. We have employed G3(MP2) theory to map the potential energy surface leading from the reactants, acetone and protonated acetone, to the various isomeric adducts. The proton-bound dimer of acetone was found to be the lowest-energy isomer, and protonated diacetone alcohol the next lowest-energy isomer. Protonated diacetone alcohol, even though it is an isomer hidden behind many barriers, can possibly account for the observed relative ion yield and its dependence on the mode of activation.     

First generation and characterization of the enol of glycine, H(2)N--CH=C(OH)(2), in the gas phase

The enol of glycine, H(2)N-CH&dbond;C(OH)(2), is generated in the gas phase by neutralization of the corresponding radical cation, which is available by dissociative electron ionization of isoleucine. Reionization approximately 0.6 micros later shows that the isolated enol (2) exists and does not isomerize to the significantly more stable glycine molecule, H(2)N--CH(2)--COOH (1); hence the intramolecular tautomerization 2-->1 must be associated with high barriers. The neutralization-reionization reactivity of 1(+*) further confirms that neutral glycine has a canonical structure (1) and is not a zwitterion. The unimolecular chemistry of 1(+*) is dominated by C--C bond cleavage to the immonium ion (+)H(2)NCH(2); in sharp contrast, 2(+*) primarily loses H(2)O. The ylide ion (+)H(3)N--CH(*)--COOH, an intermediate in the water loss from 2(+*), is found to readily equilibrate to 2(+*) prior to dissociation. Tautomers 1(+*) and 2(+*) differ in their charge-stripping behavior, with only 2(+*) forming a stable dication. The radical anions 1(-*) and 2(-*), formed by charge reversal of 1(+*) and 2(+*), respectively, dissociate extensively to (mainly) different closed-shell fragment anions. An important channel is H(*) loss; 1(-*) yields the carboxylate ion H(2)N--CH(2)--COO(-) whereas 2(-*) yields the enolate ion H(2)N--CH=C(OH)O(-).     

Dissociation of ionized benzophenones investigated by the kinetic method: effective temperature, steric effects and gas-phase CO+* affinities of phenyl radicals

Ionized benzophenones ([PhC(O)PhY](+*); Y = 4 - NO(2), 4 - CF(3), 4-F, 4-Br, 4-Me, 3,4-diMe, 4-OH, 4-OMe, 2-Cl, 2-Me, 2-OH, 2,6-diMe) undergo competitive dissociation upon collision-induced dissociation (CID) at 20 eV collision energy to generate benzoyl cations ([PhCO](+) and [YPhCO](+)) and phenyl radicals (Ph(*) and YPh(*)). For the para-substituted benzophenones, the natural logarithm of the abundance ratio of the benzoyl cations [ln([PhCO(+)]/[YPhCO(+)])] is found to correlate linearly with the calculated CO(+*) affinities of the phenyl radicals Ph(*) and YPh(*). A deviation from linearity is observed for the ortho-substituted isomers. This is probably due to a significant intramolecular steric interaction between the carbonyl group and the ortho substituent which prevents the formation of a stable planar system. An observed shift in the intercept relative to the origin is interpreted as the result of a systematic error in the calculated CO(+*) affinities and this effect is minimized by calculations at a higher level. The dissociation of ionized para-substituted benzophenones is associated with a relatively high effective temperature of 1816 +/- 41 K, calculated from the slope of the kinetic method plot, a value that is consistent with a covalent bond in the activated ion. In addition, Delta(DeltaS(CO(+) )), the dissociation entropy of the benzoyl cations to form CO(+*) and the aryl radical, is found to be about 4 J mol(-1) K(-1) by employing the extended version of the kinetic method.     

Deuterium kinetic isotope effects in microsolvated gas-phase E2 reactions

This work describes the first experimental studies of deuterium kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) for the gas-phase E2 reactions of microsolvated systems. The reactions of F(-)(H(2)O)(n) and OH(-)(H(2)O)(n), where n = 0, 1, with (CH(3))(3)CX (X = Cl, Br), as well as the deuterated analogs of the ionic and neutral reactants, were studied utilizing the flowing afterglow-selected ion flow tube technique. The E2 reactivity is found to decrease with solvation. Small, normal kinetic isotope effects are observed for the deuteration of the alkyl halide, while moderately inverse kinetic isotope effects are observed for the deuteration of the solvent. Minimal clustering of the product ions is observed, but there are intriguing differences in the nature and extent of the clustering process. Electronic structure calculations of the transition states provide qualitative insight into these microsolvated E2 reactions.     

Gas-phase bimolecular reactions between (.)CH(2)-(CH(2))(n)-C(+)=O distonic ions and pyridine: a combined experimental and theoretical study

The gas-phase reactivities of the well-known (.)CH(2)CH(2)C(+)=O and (.)CH(2)CH(2)CH(2)C(+)=O distonic ions towards neutral pyridine were studied both experimentally (six sector hybrid mass spectrometer) and theoretically (density functional theory and M?ller-Plesset ab initio calculations). Competitively to the charge exchange and protonation processes, both radical cations react with pyridine by an initial bonding between the positive charge site of the ion and the lone electron pair of the neutral molecule. At variance with previously reported studies in which such a nucleophilic interaction was proposed to play only a transient catalytic role, the initial C-N bond is likely to remain in the observed ion-molecule reaction products. The structures of the ion-molecule reactions products were probed by collisional activation at high kinetic energy and the reaction pathways were tentatively proposed on the basis of labeling experiments and ab initio molecular orbital calculations.     

Tunneling in the loss of hydrogen chloride from isopropyl chloride cation

The unimolecular dissociation of isopropyl chloride cation has been investigated using mass-analyzed ion kinetic energy spectrometry. The C3H6*+ ion was the only product ion in the metastable dissociation. The kinetic energy release distribution for the HCl loss was determined. Ab initio molecular orbital calculations were performed at the MP2/6-311++G(d,p) level together with single point energy calculations at the QCSID(T)/6-311++G(2d,2p) level. The calculations show that the molecular ion rearranges to an ion-dipole complex prior to loss of HCl via a transition state containing a four-membered ring. The rearrangement involves H atom transfer. On the basis of the potential energy surface obtained for the loss of HCl and Cl*, the rate constants were calculated by transition-state statistical theories with considering tunneling effect. From the calculated result, it is proposed that the observed HCl loss would occur via tunneling through the barrier for isomerization to the ion-dipole complex, CH3CHCH2*+...HCl.     

Associative charge transfer reactions. Temperature effects and mechanism of the gas-phase polymerization of propene initiated by a benzene radical cation

In associative charge transfer (ACT) reactions, a core ion activates ligand molecules by partial charge transfer. The activated ligand polymerizes, and the product oligomer takes up the full charge from the core ion. In the present system, benzene(+*) (Bz(+*)) reacts with two propene (Pr) molecules to form a covalently bonded ion, C(6)H(6)(+*) + 2 C(3)H(6) --> C(6)H(12)(+*) + C(6)H(6). The ACT reaction is activated by a partial charge transfer from Bz(+*) to Pr in the complex, and driven to completion by the formation of a covalent bond in the polymerized product. An alternative channel forms a stable association product (Bz.Pr)(+*), with an ACT/association product ratio of 60:40% that is independent of pressure and temperature. In contrast to the Bz(+*)/propene system, ACT polymerization is not observed in the Bz(+*)/ethylene (Et) system since charge transfer in the Bz(+*)(Et) complex is inefficient to activate the reaction. The roles of charge transfer in these complexes are verified by ab initio calculations. The overall reaction of Bz(+*) with Pr follows second-order kinetics with a rate constant of k (304 K) = 2.1 x 10(-12) cm(3) s(-1) and a negative temperature coefficient of k = aT(-5.9) (or an activation energy of -3 kcal/mol). The kinetic behavior is similar to sterically hindered reactions and suggests a [Bz(+*) (Pr)]* activated complex that proceeds to products through a low-entropy transition state. The temperature dependence shows that ACT reactions can reach a unit collision efficiency below 100 K, suggesting that ACT can initiate polymerization in cold astrochemical environments.     

The mechanism for elimination of acetic acid from 1-acetoxy- and 2-acetoxytetralin

By employing deuterium substitution and metastable ion defocusing methods, it has been determined that 1-acetoxytetralin undergoes a highly regiospecific (>98%) 1,4-elimenation of acetic acid. The mechanism closely parallels that for loss of water from 1-tetralol in terms of specificity. However, unlike the water loss, which shows a significant kinetic isotope effect (K_H/K_D = 2.0) and a large release of translational energy (270 meV), the expulsion of acetic acid occurs without an isotope effect and with release of only 10 meV of kinetic energy. Competitive with acetic acid loss is the elimination of ketene which has been shown to occur by a 4-centered transition state. The 2-acetoxytetralin exhibits the more traditional 1,2-elimination of acetic acid which contrasts with a 1,3-elemination of water for the corresponding alcohol.     

Circumvention of orbital symmetry restraints by 1,3-H-shifts of enolic radical cations

The reaction coordinates of 1,3-H-shifts across double bonds are traced by theory for three reactions, CH(3)C(OH)CH(2)(+*) (1) --> CH(3)C(O(+*))CH(3) (2), CH(2)C(OH)(2)(+*) (3) --> CH(3)CO(2)H(+*) (4) and CH(3)C(OH)CH(2)(+*) (1) --> CH(2)C(OH)CH(3)(+*) (1'), to explore how the need to conserve orbital symmetry influences the pathways for these reactions. In the first and second reactions, prior to the start of the H-transfer the methylene rotates from being in the skeletal plane to being bisected by it. Thus these reactions are neither antarafacial nor suprafacial, but precisely between those possibilities. This stems from a counterbalancing between the need to conserve orbital symmetry and the large distorting forces required to attain an allowed antarafacial transition state. In contrast to the first two reactions, 1 --> 1' follows a suprafacial pathway. However, this pathway does not violate conservation of orbital symmetry, as it utilizes lower lying orbitals of appropriate symmetry rather than the antisymmetric uppermost occupied allyl-type orbital. Changes in geometry which presumably produce asymmetric vibrational excitation and the unequal losses of methyl that follow 1 --> 2, i.e., nonergodic behavior, are also characterized.     

Isotope effects on the unimolecular dissociation of ionized 3-methyl-2-butanol: reactions via a long-lived C-H-C hydrogen-bridged ion-neutral complex

A pronounced isotope effect causes metastable CD3CHOHCH(CH3)2+* ions to expell C3H6D2 in preference to C3H7D in a ratio of approximately 33:1; a number of related compounds show similar effects. High-level ab initio calculations suggest that the reactant alcohol molecular ion possesses an extraordinarily long alpha-carbon-carbon bond and that the reaction proceeds via the formation of an intermediate hydrogen-bridged complex of propane and ionized vinyl alcohol, in which the bridging hydrogen atom is almost midway between the two carbon termini. The isotopic preference reflects the difference between the zero-point vibrational energies of the isotopically different product pairs rather than kinetic isotope effects on the hydrogen atom transfer reactions that precede dissociation.     

Investigation of the mechanism of alkane reductive elimination and skeletal isomerization in Tp'Rh(CNneopentyl)(R)H complexes: the role of alkane complexes

Experiments are described that provide indirect evidence for the involvement of alkane sigma-complexes in oxidative addition/reductive elimination reactions of Tp'Rh(L)(R)H complexes (Tp' = tris-3,5-dimethylpyrazolylborate, L = CNCH(2)CMe(3)). Reductive elimination rates in benzene-d(6) were determined for loss of alkane from Tp'Rh(L)(R)H, where R = methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, and hexyl, to generate RH and Tp'Rh(L)(C(6)D(5))D. The isopropyl hydride complex Tp'Rh(L)(CHMe(2))H was found to rearrange to the n-propyl hydride complex Tp'Rh(L)(CH(2)CH(2)CH(3))H in an intramolecular reaction. The sec-butyl complex behaves similarly. These same reactions were studied by preparing the corresponding metal deuteride complexes, Tp'Rh(L)(R)D, and the scrambling of the deuterium label into the alpha- and omega-positions of the alkyl group monitored by (2)H NMR spectroscopy. Inverse isotope effects observed in reductive elimination are shown to be the result of an inverse equilibrium isotope effect between the alkyl hydride(deuteride) complex and the sigma-alkane complex. A kinetic model has been proposed using alkane complexes as intermediates and the selectivities available to these alkane complexes have been determined by kinetic modeling of the deuterium scrambling reactions.     

Structure and unimolecular chemistry of protonated sulfur betaines, (CH3)2S(+)(CH2)(n)CO2H (n = 1 and 2)

The fixed charge zwitterionic sulfur betaines dimethylsulfonioacetate (DMSA) (CH(3))(2)S(+)CH(2)CO(2)(-) and dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) (CH(3))(2)S(+)(CH(2))(2)CO(2)(-) have been synthesized and the structures of their protonated salts (CH(3))(2)S(+)CH(2)CO(2)H···Cl(-) [DMSA.HCl] and (CH(3))(2)S(+)(CH(2))(2)CO(2)H···Pcr(-) [DMSP.HPcr] (where Pcr = picrate) have been characterized using X-ray crystallography. The unimolecular chemistry of the [M+H](+) of these betaines was studied using two techniques; collision-induced dissociation (CID) and electron-induced dissociation (EID) in a hybrid linear ion trap Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer. Results from the CID study show a richer series of fragmentation reactions for the shorter chain betaine and contrasting main fragmentation pathways. Thus while (CH(3))(2)S(+)(CH(2))(2)CO(2)H fragments via a neighbouring group reaction to generate (CH(3))(2)S(+)H and the neutral lactone as the most abundant fragmentation channel, (CH(3))(2)S(+)CH(2)CO(2)H fragments via a 1,2 elimination reaction to generate CH(3)S(+)=CH(2) as the most abundant fragment ion. To gain insights into these fragmentation reactions, DFT calculations were carried out at the B3LYP/6-311++G(2d,p) level of theory. For (CH(3))(2)S(+)CH(2)CO(2)H, the lowest energy pathway yields CH(3)S(+)=CH(2)via a six-membered transition state. The two fragment ions observed in CID of (CH(3))(2)S(+)(CH(2))(2)CO(2)H are shown to share the same transition state and ion-molecule complex forming either (CH(3))(2)S(+)H or (CH(2))(2)CO(2)H(+). Finally, EID shows a rich and relatively similar fragmentation channels for both protonated betaines, with radical cleavages being observed, including loss of ˙CH(3).     

Metastable ion study of organosilicon compounds. Part XIV-trimethylsilylacetic acid, (CH(3))(3)SiCH(2)COOH, and its methyl ester, (CH(3))(3)SiCH(2)COOCH(3)

The unimolecular metastable decompositions of trimethylsilylacetic acid, (CH(3))(3)SiCH(2)COOH (1), and its methyl ester, (CH(3))(3)SiCH(2)COOCH(3) (2), were investigated by mass-analyzed ion kinetic energy (MIKE) spectrometry in conjunction with thermochemical data. The abundance of the molecular ions of both compounds, generated by electron ionization, is extremely low. However, the abundance of the ions generated by the loss of (.)CH(3) and observed at m/z 117 and 131 is moderate. These fragment ions further decompose to form the most abundant m/z 75 and 89 ions, respectively, by the loss of CH(2)CO through a (CH(3))(2)Si group migration. The loss of CH(2)CO is also observed to occur from 2(+.) and its fragment ion at m/z 115 generated by the loss of (.)OCH(3). The former reaction is proposed to occur via an ion-radical complex.     

Co(+)-assisted decomposition of h6-acetone and d6-acetone: acquisition of reaction rate constants and dynamics of the dissociative mechanism

Reaction rate constants have been acquired for the gaseous unimolecular decomposition reaction of the Co(+)(OC(CH(3))(2)) cluster ion and its deuterium labeled analog. Each rate constant is measured at a well resolved cluster internal energy within the range 12,300-16,100 cm(-1). The weighted, averaged kinetic isotope effect (KIE), k(H)/k(D) = 1.54 ± 0.05, is about three times smaller than the KIE measured for the rate-determining rate constants in the similar Ni(+)(OC(CH(3))(2)) decomposition reaction. These reactions likely follow the same oxidative addition-reductive elimination mechanism. Thus, this unexpected change in the KIE magnitudes is not due to differences in the dissociative reaction coordinates. Rather, we propose that the unique dissociation dynamics of these two similar systems is due to differences in the low-lying electronic structure of each transition metal ion.