The study of C1?C3 monosubstituted alkyl benzenes by the inverse convolution of first differential ionization efficiency curves

The electron impact ionization efficiency curves for the parent ions and the [C₇H₇]⁺ fragment ion formed from monosubstituted alkyl benzenes (R?CH₃? n-C₃H₇) have been studied by applying the inverse convolution technique of Vogt and Pascual to the first derivative ionization efficiency curves of the ions. Ionization and appearance energies measured for the ions at threshold are in good agreement with recently published photoionization values. Structures in the ionization efficiency curves (higher energy processes) are also reported for about 4 e V above threshold. The heats of formation calculated for [C₇H₇]⁺ fragment ions obtained from toluene and ethyl benzene at threshold are equal to 864 and 865 kJ mol^?1 respectively, and are consistent with the tropylium structure. However, for the [C₇H₇]⁺ fragment ion obtained from n-propyl benzene at threshold the calculated heat of formation is equal to 923 kJ mol^?1 and probably corresponds to a benzyl structure.     

Hidden rearrangement processes in short-lived negative molecular ions

The study of resonant electron capture by nitrobenzene molecules showed that some fragmentary negative ions are unstable toward electron autodetachment. The measured appearance energy of the neutral component of an [M — H]⁻ ion beam does not agree with the energetics of direct dissociation in a molecular ion. The estimation calculations show that the low appearance energy of [M — H]⁰ neutral components is caused by isomerization of a molecular ion of nitrobenzene to the 2-nitrobenzene structure followed by the formation of a phenoxide ion in the autodetachment state. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 2, pp. 367–370, February, 2006.     

Formation of M+. ions under matrix fast atom bombardment conditions: Does charge exchange reaction occur?

The formation of molecular ions, M^+., under fast atom bombardment (FAB) conditions using a liquid matrix was examined by using a new type of synthesized compounds in which preferential M^+. peaks appear in their FAB spectra. The FAB spectra were compared with the corresponding mass spectra obtained by the electron impact (EI) ionization, chemical ionization (CI) and charge-exchange ionization (CEI) methods. All of the spectra showed preferential peaks of M^+. ion and a characteristic intense fragment ion peak originating from a β-fission. The FAB spectra were similar in the fragment ions appearing in the EI spectra and were very similar in the fragmentation pattern to the CEI spectra using Ar^+. and Xe^+. as the reagent ions. Further, the FAB spectra did not show any doubly charged ion peaks, while the 70 eV EI spectra showed the peaks of doubly charged molecular and/or fragment ions. The isobutane CI spectra of the synthesized compounds suggested that the formation of M^+. ions occurred through the CE reaction with isobutane ion, C₄H₁₀^+., and the CI spectra showed a marked intense fragment ion peak originating from the β-fission which seemed to occur characteristically in CEI processes. The results obtained suggested that the formation of M^+. ions under matrix FAB conditions occurred mainly by CE reactions between the analytes M and matrix molecular ions B^+. and/or fragment ions b^+..     

The fragmentation of 5-phenyl-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-ones. Mechanism for the formation of [M ? H]+

The fragmentations under electron impact of 5-phenyl-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-ones are investigated with the aid of high resolution, metastable decompositions and deuterium labeling. Based on our data a mechanism for the formation of the [M – H]⁺ ion is proposed. It is shown that the [M – CHO]⁺ ion is probably formed by two different pathways. Data on two minor fragment ions give support to the structure proposed for the [M – CHO]⁺ ion.     

A structural investigation of [C6H6]2+ and [C6H6]+˙ ions involved in charge exchange reactions

Mass-analysed ion kinetic energy spectra for collisional activation (CA) of [C₆H₆]⁺˙ formed via electron capture by [C₆H₆]²⁺ ions in collision with neutral benzene molecules have been compared for the C₆H₆ isomers benzene, 1,5-hexadiyne and 2,4-hexadiyne. Comparisons of fragment abundance and total CA fragment yields were also made for [C₆H₆]⁺˙ ions generated by electron ionization (EI). CA conditions of ion velocity and collision gas pressure were identical in these comparisons. In general the fragment abundance patterns for the ions formed by charge exchange were very similar to those for singly charged benzene ions generated by EI. However, significant variations in CA fragment yield (the ratio of the total CA fragment ion abundance to the abundance of the incident unfragmented ions) were observed. It is not clear from the results whether these variations reflect structurally different ions or ions of different internal energies. The CA spectra of [C₆H₆]⁺˙ ions derived from charge exchange reactions between the benzene dication and the target gases He, Ne, Ar, Kr and Xe have also been recorded and, once again, very similar fragment abundance patterns were observed along with large variations in total CA fragment yields. Charge exchange efficiency measurements are reported for reactions between the benzene dication and the targets He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe and C₆H₆ (benzene) and also for the doubly charged ions derived from the linear C₆H₆ isomers. In the latter case Xe and benzene targets were used. The energetics and efficiency measurements for the former reactions suggest that for targets such as He and Ne the processes probably involve excited states of the doubly charged ions. The efficiencies measured for the latter reactions were distinctly different for the three C₆H₆ isomers and may indicate a strong dependence of charge exchange cross-section on doubly charged ion structure.     

Bound Electron Enhanced Radiosensitisation of Nimorazole upon Charge Transfer

This novel work reports nimorazole (NIMO) radiosensitizer reduction upon electron transfer in collisions with neutral potassium (K) atoms in the lab frame energy range of 10–400 eV. The negative ions formed in this energy range were time-of-flight mass analyzed and branching ratios were obtained. Assignment of different anions showed that more than 80% was due to the formation of the non-dissociated parent anion NIMO^•− at 226 u and nitrogen dioxide anion NO₂⁻ at 46 u. The rich fragmentation pattern revealed that significant collision induced the decomposition of the 4-nitroimidazole ring, as well as other complex internal reactions within the temporary negative ion formed after electron transfer to neutral NIMO. Other fragment anions were only responsible for less than 20% of the total ion yield. Additional information on the electronic state spectroscopy of nimorazole was obtained by recording a K⁺ energy loss spectrum in the forward scattering direction (θ ≈ 0°), allowing us to determine the most accessible electronic states within the temporary negative ion. Quantum chemical calculations on the electronic structure of NIMO in the presence of a potassium atom were performed to help assign the most significant lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals participating in the collision process. Electron transfer was shown to be a relevant process for nimorazole radiosensitisation through efficient and prevalent non-dissociated parent anion formation.     

Influence of electronic and molecular structure on the fragmentation dynamic of even‐electron carbocationic triangulenes and helicenes in the gas phase

Stable, long‐lived organic cations are directly transferred by electrospray ionization (ESI) from solution into the gas phase where their collision‐induced dissociations (CID) are studied by tandem mass spectrometry. Three related types of triphenyl carbenium ions are investigated, in which the meta positions are either substituted by methoxy groups or tertiary nitrogen bridges, including tetramethoxyphenylacridinium (TMPA⁺), dimethoxyquinacridinium (DMQA⁺), and triazatriangulenium (TATA⁺) cations. These ions are triangular in shape with increasing degrees of planarity. Fragmentation occurs at the periphery of the triangular molecule, involving the methoxy groups and the substituent of the nitrogen bridge. Each initial precursor cation is an even electron (EE) system and shows competing dissociations into both even (EE) and odd electron (OE) fragment ions. The latter reaction is a breach of the classic ‘even‐electron rule’ in mass spectrometry. While the EE fragment dissociates similar to the precursor, the OE fragment ion shows a rich radical‐induced fragmentation pattern. Two driving forces direct the fragmentation of the EE precursor ion toward OE fragment ions, including the release of stabilized radicals and the extension of the π‐system by increasing planarization of the triangulene core. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Deuterium labelling and thermochemical studies of dissociative ionization of methyl substituted monosilacyclobutanes. Ring expansion in the molecular ion of 1,1,3-trimethyl-1-silacyclobutane

Dissociative ionization of 1,1-dimethyl-1-silacyclobutane, 1,1-bis(trideuteromethyl)-1-silacyclobutane, 1,1,3-trimethyl-1-silacyclobutane, 1,1-bis(trideuteromethyl)-3-methyl-1-silacyclobutane and 1,1,2-trimethyl-1-sila-cyclobutane have been studied. Low energy electron impact fragmentation of 1,1-bis(trideuteromethyl)-3-methyl-1-silacyclobutane results mainly in the loss of ethene with the involvement of the C-methyl group from the rearranged molecular ion. No fragment ions indicating rearrangement of the molecular ion have been detected in mass spectra of 1,1-bis(trideuteromethyl)-1-silacyclobutane. The ionization energies for 1,1,3-trimethyl-1-silacyclobutane, 1,1,2-trimethyl-1-silacyclobutane and 1,1-dimethyl-1-silacyclopentane, and also the appearance energies for the [M ? 28]^+˙ and [M ? 42]^+˙ ions, have been measured by photoioniza-tion mass spectrometry. The heats of formation of these ions and of 1,1,3-trimethyl-1-silacyclobutane and 1,1-dimethyl-1-silacyclopentene molecules have been calculated as have the enthalpies of the transformation processes.     

A mechanism for the loss of 60 u from peptides containing an arginine residue at the C-terminus

The loss of 60 u from protonated peptide ions containing an arginine residue at the C-terminus has been investigated by means of low energy tandem mass spectrometry. The lowest energy conformation of singly charged bradykinin is thought to involve a salt-bridge structure, which may lead to the formation of two isomeric forms. It is thought that one isomer retains the ionizing proton at the C-terminal end of the peptide, leading to the formation of the [b _n?1 + H + OH]⁺ fragment ion, and the other isomer retains the charge at the N-terminus, leading to the formation of the [M + H ? 60]⁺ fragment ion. It was found that the formation of the [M + H ? 60]⁺ ion occurs only from singly charged precursor ions. In addition, the loss of 60 u occurs from peptides in which the charge is localized at the N-terminus. These results indicate that the mechanism of formation of the [M + H ? 60]⁺ ion may be driven by a charge-remote process.     

Isomerization of hydrocarbon ions. VIII—The electron impact induced decomposition of n-dodecane

The literature on the mass spectrometry of ²H and ¹³C labelled higher alkanes is reviewed and the decomposition behaviour of both the molecular and the fragment ions of n-dodecane, n-dodecane-1, 12-[¹³C₂] and n-dodecane-1,1,1,12,12,12-[²H₆] studied with special emphasis on metastable decompositions. It is shown that the elimination of alkane molecules and alkyl radicals from the n-dodecane molecular ion occurs primarily by simple splitting of the C? C bond. In addition, both small alkane molecule and alkyl radicals are eliminated with low probability from centreal parts of the molecular ion. The alkane elimination is less specific than the alkyl elimination. The methyl elimination shows an exceptionally high non-specificity, but is of negligible abundance in the 70 e V electron impact spectrum. The metastable ion spectra suggest, but do not prove unambiguously, that those small alkyl ions (with up to four carbon atoms) originating directly from the molecular ion, may be formed both by direct cleavage of the terminal groups and from central parts of the molecular ion. However, the majority of the small alkyl fragment ions in the 70 eV spectrum are formed by secondary decomposition explaining their apparent non-specific formation. The strikingly different fragmentation behaviour of even electron, [C_nH_2n+1]⁺, and odd electron fragment ions, results from differences in the product stabilities. Using collisional activation and metastable ion spectra it is shown that the odd electron fragments have the structure of the linear alkene (most probably the 1-alkene) molecular ion. In contrast to the molecular ions, alkyl fragment ions decompose with complicated skeletal rearrangements, which lead to substantial, but not complete, carbon randomization. The terminal hydrogen atoms, however, show little scrambling.     

Dissociative double electron capture,dynamics of fragmentation of the water and hydrogen sulfide negative ions

The technique of ion kinetic energy spectrometry has been used to observe the unimolecular decompositions of H₂O^?? and H₂S^?? generated by charge exchange of the corresponding high velocity positive ions. The method involves dissociative double electron capture by a high velocity ion and allows the study of unstable negative ions that may be directly observable by conventional electron capture techniques. Information on the energetics of the reaction is obtained from the kinetic energy of the product ion. The reactions under consideration are shown in (1) and (2) where X = O or S.

The kinetic energy releases accompanying the reactions given in (1) and (2) have been measured and compared to those for the collision-induced reactions which produce the corresponding positive ions. The results have been used to deduce that the sequence of steps in the formation of the fragment negative ions is that given in (1) and (2). The cross section of OH^? formation is observed to be somewhat greater than for O^? production. This result is in contrast with dissociative electron capture cross sections from the neutral species and is interpreted on the basis of the energetic requirements for the reactions under consideration. H₂O^? reacts from different electronic states in yielding OH^? on the one hand and O^? on the other. The energy partitioning associated with reaction (2) suggests that the neutral productions 2H' rather than H₂. The kinetic energy losses accompanying excitation and kinetic energy releases upon fragmentation were similar for the corresponding reactions of the sulfur and oxygen-containing ions indicating related mechanisms in the two sets of reactions.     

Zero kinetic energy ions in dissociative attachment on triatomic molecules: S−/OCS,O−/CO2

The zero kinetic energy yield of S^? ions in OCS and O^? ions in CO₂, produced by dissociative electron attachment through the lowest shape resonance, has been measured in a quadrupole mass spectrometer with electrostatic filter for translational energy analysis. The relative cross sections for S^? and O^? ion formation associated with CO fragments excited up to the vibrational level υ = 4 are obtained.     

Electron impact study of C6H5+ fragment ion obtained from three molecules

C₆H₅ ⁺ fragment ion produced from toluene,n-propylbenzene and acetophenone have been studied using an electron impact technique. The ionization efficiency data have been treated by the inverse convolution first differential technique. First and higher appearance energies for ions produced from the three precursors are reported. The heats of formation for the ions obtained at threshold from the three molecules are calculated     

Negative Ion Formation by Thermal Surface Ionization of Sulfur Dioxide

The generation of negative ions from SO₂ in the gas phase was studied using the thermal surface ionization method. Six anion types were measured: O⁻, S⁻, SO⁻, and SO₂⁻ and anions with m/z=96 and m/z=128. The most abundant anion formed was S⁻ and the formation routes are discussed for each of the six anions. O⁻, S⁻, and SO⁻ are formed via dissociative electron attachment to the molecule, whereas the generation of SO₂⁻ and anions with m/z=96 and m/z=128 are probably associated with the formation of H₂SO₄ in the gas inlet system and the ion source. Using statistical thermodynamics the dissociation temperatures of SO₂ and SO in the gas phase are calculated and values of above 1800 °C are obtained for both molecules. We also estimated the optimal filament temperatures for the formation of all anions measured, indicating that for SO₂ the optimal temperature is related to the electron affinity of the molecules: the optimal temperature increases with decreasing value of the electron affinity for the molecule corresponding to the respective anion.     

The energetics of resonant dissociative electron attachment to molecules of five-membered heterocyclic compounds

The thermochemistry of resonant dissociative electron attachment processes for furan, thiophene, selenophene, and pyrrole molecules has been studied. The structures of the dissociation products originating from negative molecular ions at energies ranging from 2 to 6 eV have been established using the measured appearance energies of fragment ions and the known thermodynamic functions of radical and molecular dissociation products. Heats of formation and electron affinities for some radicals and molecules have been assessed by calculations and estimated experimentally. It has been concluded that the majority of the fragment ions are formedvia rearrangement processes in molecular or fragment ions.

     

Characterization of an exception to the ‘even‐electron rule’ upon low‐energy collision induced decomposition in negative ion electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

Electrospray‐generated precursor ions usually follow the ‘even‐electron rule’ and yield ‘closed shell’ fragment ions. We characterize an exception to the ‘even‐electron rule.’ In negative ion electrospray mass spectrometry (ES‐MS), 2‐(ethoxymethoxy)‐3‐hydroxyphenol (2‐hydroxyl protected pyrogallol) easily formed a deprotonated molecular ion (M‐H)^? at m/z 183. Upon low‐energy collision induced decomposition (CID), the m/z 183 precursor yielded a radical ion at m/z 124 as the base peak. The radical anion at m/z 124 was still the major fragment at all tested collision energies between 0 and 50 eV (E_lab). Supported by computational studies, the appearance of the radical anion at m/z 124 as the major product ion can be attributed to the combination of a low reverse activation barrier and resonance stabilization of the product ions. Furthermore, our data lead to the proposal of a novel alternative radical formation pathway in the protection group removal of pyrogallol. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

Gas phase behavior of radical cations of perfluoroalkyl‐1,2,4‐triazines: an experimental and theoretical study

Electron ionization mass spectrometry and low‐energy collision‐induced decomposition reactions occurring in a tridimensional ion trap, together with density functional theory (DFT) calculations on neutrals, even‐ and odd‐electron cations, have been used to study the gas‐phase ion chemistry of a series of perfluoroalkyl‐1,2,4‐triazines. Loss of oxygen, due to thermal degradation occurring before ionization, likely involving the hydroxylamino group, has been observed. Compounds having a carbonyl group at position 6 of the triazine ring fragment in the source by elimination of NO followed by HF or CO. The decomposition pathways occurring due to CID experiments have shown interesting features depending on the nature and structure of precursor ions. Most of them involve elimination of endocyclic atoms, thereby producing contraction of the original six‐membered ring or formation of acyclic structures. DFT (B3LYP/6‐31G(d,p)) calculations have been used for evaluating structure, stability and properties of neutral and ionic species involved in gas‐phase processes. In particular, it has been calculated that in the molecular ion the unpaired electron is mainly located on the exocyclic nitrogen, while the positive charge is on the C(6) carbon atom. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The structure ofO-arylmercury derivatives of dihydroxy-9,10-anthraquinones and their reactions with anions

The structure of mono- and di-O-arylmercury-derivatives of quinizarin (1,4-dihydroxy-9, 10-anthraquinone) and anthrarufin (1,5-dihydroxy-9, 10-anthraquinone) and their reactions with Br^–, Cl^–, OH^–, and^tBuO^– anions in the solid state and in aprotic solvents were examined by vibrational and electron spectroscopy. These reactions result in cleavage of the O-Hg bond. The formation of ions or contact ion pairs depends on the size and nature of the counterion; quinizarin dianions give very strong ion pairs with K⁺ cations, which do not cleave in DMSO. The electronic structure of mono- and dianions of the compounds studied is discussed.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2933–2940, December, 1996.     

Investigation of collision‐induced dissociations involving odd‐electron ion formation under positive electrospray ionization conditions using accurate mass

Collision induced dissociation (CID) has been extensively used for structure elucidation. CID in the electrospray ionization (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) modes has been found to generate mostly even‐electron fragment ions while it has been occasionally reported to form odd‐electron free radical ions. However, the structural requirements and the fragmentation mechanisms for free‐radical CIDs have not been well characterized in the literature. For this purpose, we studied a series of aromatic and non‐aromatic compounds such as sulfonamides, N‐aryl amides, tert‐butyl‐substituted aromatic compounds, aryl alkyl ethers, and O‐alkyl aryl oximes using the LTQ? and LTQ Orbitrap? linear ion trap mass spectrometers. The accurate measurement of the fragment ion masses established the unambiguous assignment of the fragment structures resulting from the test compounds. Our results showed that free radical fragmentation is structure dependent and is to a large extent correlated with the neighboring groups in the structures that stabilize the newly formed free radical ions. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.