A phenomenological approach to modeling chemical dynamics in nonlinear and two-dimensional spectroscopy

We present an approach for calculating nonlinear spectroscopic observables, which overcomes the approximations inherent to current phenomenological models without requiring the computational cost of performing molecular dynamics simulations. The trajectory mapping method uses the semi-classical approximation to linear and nonlinear response functions, and calculates spectra from trajectories of the system's transition frequencies and transition dipole moments. It rests on identifying dynamical variables important to the problem, treating the dynamics of these variables stochastically, and then generating correlated trajectories of spectroscopic quantities by mapping from the dynamical variables. This approach allows one to describe non-Gaussian dynamics, correlated dynamics between variables of the system, and nonlinear relationships between spectroscopic variables of the system and the bath such as non-Condon effects. We illustrate the approach by applying it to three examples that are often not adequately treated by existing analytical models--the non-Condon effect in the nonlinear infrared spectra of water, non-Gaussian dynamics inherent to strongly hydrogen bonded systems, and chemical exchange processes in barrier crossing reactions. The methods described are generally applicable to nonlinear spectroscopy throughout the optical, infrared and terahertz regions.     

Atmospheric Pressure Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

Atmospheric pressure ionization (API) mass spectrometry is a novel form of mass spectrometry in which the ionization process is carried out in a reaction chamber external to the mass analyzer region. The mass analyzer serves as a device to detect positive or negative ions present in the reaction chamber, which is maintained at atmospheric pressure.     

MALDI produced ions inspected with a linear ion trap-orbitrap hybrid mass analyzer

A MALDI source is interfaced to a modified LTQ Orbitrap XL instrument. This work gives insight into the MALDI source design and shows results obtained with the MALDI source coupled to an accurate mass, high-resolution hybrid mass spectrometer. MALDI-produced ions and fragment ions thereof produced in the mass spectrometer may be analyzed and detected by the Orbitrap analyzer at a maximum mass resolution of 100,000 (FWHM) at m/z 400 with high mass accuracy. An accuracy of ≤2 ppm is achieved by internal mass calibration using lock mass functionality; using external mass calibration, an accuracy of ≤3 ppm is routinely obtained. External mass calibration of the hybrid mass spectrometer is performed using a standard calibration mixture of different peptides and matrix components. The instrumental capabilities are demonstrated for analytical methodologies such as Protein ID using Peptide Mass Fingerprint (PMF) and MS/MS analyses of small molecule samples. Stability of mass accuracy and signal-to-noise ratio for low samples loads (on plates) are demonstrated as well as the experimental dynamic range using α-cyano-4-hydroxy cinnamic acid (CHCA) matrix.     

Energetics of retro-Diels–Alder fragmentation in limonene as characterized by surface-induced dissociation,and energy- and angle-resolved mass spectrometry

Ionized limonene and related isomeric compounds have been examined by collisional activation at both gaseous and solid targets. The gas-phase collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiments were performed as a function of collision energy and scattering angle and the surface-induced dissociation (SID) experiments as a function of collision energy, in order to vary systematically the internal energy deposited in the molecular ion. The virtual absence of retro-Diels–Alder (RDA) fragmentation upon conventional CID, as compared to its importance in the electron impact (EI) mass spectrum, the subject of a study by Boyd and coworkers, was confirmed. However, as the ion internal energy was increased by raising the collision energy or the scattering angle, RDA fragmentation was observed and it became a dominant mode of fragmentation for SID at collision energies in the range of 25–50 eV. The energy deposited into the colliding ion in the SID technique is compared with that deposited upon CID in the eV and keV energy ranges and upon EI. The order obtained is: SID > EI > low-energy, multiple-collision CID > high-energy, single-collision CID > low-energy, single-collision CID. The distribution of energies in SID is narrower than in the other techniques. High internal energies are accessible by increasing the scattering angle in CID; however, this is accompanied by an increase in the width of the internal energy distribution, and it is therefore not possible to channel fragmentation predominantly into RDA by this method. It is concluded that RDA fragmentation of limonene is a high-energy process and that this is the explanation for its behavior. Isomerization, occurring through 1,3-hydrogen migrations of the molecular ions of limonene, isolimonene, terpinolene and α-terpinene, was investigated and long-lived molecular ions of the first three compounds were found to maintain distinct structures.     

Spectral Asymptotics for Higher-Order Ordinary Differential Equations

This paper gives one-term componentwise asymptotics for theM and spectral matrices of a self-adjoint realisation of aneven-order ordinary differential expression. The underlyinginterval is assumed to have at least one regular endpoint, andthe boundary conditions are supposed to be separated. Furthermore,the weight function and the reciprocal of the highest-ordercoefficient are supposed to be of regular variation at the regularendpoint, in the sense of Bingham, Goldie and Teugels. 1991Mathematics Subject Classification: 34B24, 34E05.     

Dynamic range of mass accuracy in LTQ orbitrap hybrid mass spectrometer

Using a novel orbitrap mass spectrometer, the authors investigate the dynamic range over which accurate masses can be determined (extent of mass accuracy) for short duration experiments typical for LC/MS. A linear ion trap is used to selectively fill an intermediate ion storage device (C-trap) with ions of interest, following which the ensemble of ions is injected into an orbitrap mass analyzer and analyzed using image current detection and fast Fourier transformation. Using this technique, it is possible to generate ion populations with intraspectrum intensity ranges up to 10(4). All measurements (including ion accumulation and image current detection) were performed in less than 1 s at a resolving power of 30,000. It was shown that 5-ppm mass accuracy of the orbitrap mass analyzer is reached with >95% probability at a dynamic range of more than 5000, which is at least an order of magnitude higher than typical values for time-of-flight instruments. Due to the high resolving power of the orbitrap, accurate mass of an ion could be determined when the signal was reliably distinguished from noise (S/Np-p)>2...3).     

TRPM5-expressing microvillous cells in the main olfactory epithelium

Background  

The main olfactory epithelium (MOE) in the nasal cavity detects a variety of air borne molecules that provide information regarding the presence of food, predators and other relevant social and environmental factors. Within the epithelium are ciliated sensory neurons, supporting cells, basal cells and microvillous cells, each of which is distinct in morphology and function. Arguably, the least understood, are the microvillous cells, a population of cells that are small in number and whose function is not known. We previously found that in a mouse strain in which the TRPM5 promoter drives expression of the green fluorescent protein (GFP), a population of ciliated olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs), as well as a population of cells displaying microvilli-like structures is labeled. Here we examined the morphology and immunocytochemical properties of these microvillous-like cells using immunocytochemical methods.     

Femtosecond vibrational dynamics of self-trapping in a quasi-one-dimensional system

We have directly time resolved the lattice motions associated with the formation of the self-trapped exciton in the quasi-one-dimensional system [Pt(en)(2)] [Pt(en)2Br2];(PF6)(4) ( en = ethylene-diamine, C2H8N2), using femtosecond impulsive excitation techniques. A strongly damped, low-frequency wave packet modulation at approximately 110 cm(-1) accompanies the formation of the self-trapped exciton on a approximately 200 fs time scale following excitation of the intervalence charge-transfer transition. Coherent oscillations at the ground state vibrational frequency and its harmonics are also detected.