The role of mass spectrometric methods in ionic reaction mechanistic studies

The role of various mass spectrometric methods, including electron ionization, collisional activation, metastable peak shapes, analysis of neutrals from ionic unimolecular dissociations, field ionization kinetics, drift cell, and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance spectrometry, in ionic reaction mechanistic studies is described. This is illustrated by selected examples of research performed in the author’s group over the last three decades. They comprise inter alia intramolecular acid–base, anchimeric assistance, nucleophilic attack, isomerization, cycloaddition, S_N2, and hydride ion transfer reactions.     

Collision-Induced consecutive dissociation reactions of the monocarboxylate anions generated from the dimethyl and diethyl esters of glutaric acid and its 3,3-dimethyl analogue

The collision-induced dissociation reactions of the monocarboxylate anions, generated from the dimethyl and diethyl esters of glutaric acid and its 3,3-dimetbyl analogue in a chemical ionization source, were studied as a function of the potential applied to the collision cell in combination with ²H labelling experiments. It was shown that many of the product anions are formed in consecutive steps. The mechanisms associated with these steps appear to be initiated by a functional group interaction between the carboxylate anion and the ester group, 1,5-hydrogen migrations both to the carboxylate anion and the uncharged ester group and charge remote fragmentation. In one of the collision-induced dissociation channels a methyl anion is generated as a granddaughter product anion, which contains the hydrogen atoms exclusively originating from positions 2 and 4 as shown by the applied ²H labelling.     

Site of gas-phase methylation of l-phenyl-2-aminopropane

The regioselectivity of methyl cation transfer from (CH₃)₂F⁺, (CH₃)₂Cl⁺ and (CH₃)₃O⁺ to 1-phenyl-2-aminopropane was studied by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance in combination with collision-induced dissociation and neutralization-reionization mass spectrometry of the stable [M + CH₃]⁺ ions formed in a chemical ionization source. The (CH₃)₂F⁺ ion transfers a methyl cation to the NH₂ group and the phenyl ring with almost equal probability. Predominant CH₃⁺ transfer to the NH₂ group is observed for the (CH₃)₂Cl⁺ ion whereas the (CH₃)₃O⁺ ion reacts almost exclusively at the amino group. The preference for methylation at NH₂ is discussed in terms of a lower methyl cation affinity of the phenyl ring than of the amino group and the existence of an energy barrier for methylation of the phenyl moiety.     

Mass spectrometry of aralkyl compounds with a functional group—VII. On the structure of the ions C8H9+ from C6H5C2H4X- and C9H11+ from C6H5C3H6X-compounds

The C₈H₉⁺-ion, formed from the molecular ions of 2-phenyl-1-bromoethane, 1-phenyl-1-bromoethane and of 1-phenyl-1-nitroethane by loss of the bromine atom and of the nitro group, splits off a molecule of acetylene after an almost complete randomization of hydrogens, as proved by deuteration. An eight-membered ring structure for the C₈H₉⁺-ion is proposed to explain these results. By loss of the nitro group from the molecular ions of 1-phenyl-1-nitropropane and of 1-phenyl-2-nitropropane the well-known phenylated cyclopropane ion3 (C₉H₁₁)⁺ is generated. Mass spectra of analogues, specifically deuterated in the side-chain, show that in this ion a randomization of hydrogen atoms in the cyclopropane ring as well as a hydride transfer from the cyclopropane ring to the phenyl cation occur.     

On the loss of a benzyl radical from the molecular ion of α,ω -dibenzyloxyalkanes : Evidence for a benzyl cation transfer in an SNi-type reaction,revealed by a simultaneous D- and 18O-labelling

The molecular ions of the title compounds appear to lose a benzyl radical, which must be due to the presence of two benzyloxy groups, as benzylalkyl ethers do not exhibit such an expulsion upon electron impact. The results of the partition of the labels deuterium and ¹⁸O in the ions m/e 107 (protonated benzaldehyde) and [M-benzyl-benzaldehyde]⁺ put forward evidence that this process is initiated by a successive migration of a benzylic H atom to the opposite ether function and transfer of the benzyl cation from this protonated O atom to the uncharged O atom in an S_Ni-type reaction (cf Scheme 5).     

Peptide bond formation in gas-phase ion/molecule reactions of amino acids: a novel proposal for the synthesis of prebiotic oligopeptides

There is a general fascination with regard to the origin of life on Earth. There is an intriguing possibility that prebiotic precursors of life occurred in the interstellar space and were then transported to the early Earth by comets, asteroids and meteorites. It is probable that some part of the prebiotic molecules may have been generated by gas-phase ion/molecule reactions. Here we show experimentally that gaseous ion/molecule reactions of the amino acids, Glu and Met, may promote the synthesis of protonated dipeptides such as (Glu-Glu)H(+) and (Glu-Met)H(+) and their chemical growth to larger protonated peptides.     

Mass spectrometry of pyridine compounds—II: Hydrogen exchange in the molecular ions of isonicotinic—and nicotinic acid as a function of internal energy

From the mass spectra of site-specifically deuterated analogues of isonicotinic acid it appears that the molecular ion eliminates hydroxyl and water after an exchange between the hydroxylic and β-hydrogens. The percentage of exchange in these reactions depends on the internal energy of the molecular ion and is shown to be 53 to 57% in the ion source, 92 to 97% in the first and ∽ 100% in the second field free regions. Furthermore, the isotope effect i, operative in the loss of water, increases with decreasing internal energy of the molecular ion, being 1.6, 2.0 and 2.3 in the ion source, first- and second field free regions, respectively. In the molecular ions, losing successively hydroxyl and carbon monoxide as deduced from diffuse peaks in the first-and second field free regions, a substantially lower percentage of exchange (ca. 20%) is found, which is due to the higher internal energy of these molecular ions. In the molecular ion of nicotinic acid only one of the ortho hydrogens (α) is involved in the exchange of hydrogen. The percentage of exchange for loss of hydroxyl in the ion source is 66%. Molecular ions, which successively eliminate hydroxyl and carbon monoxide, show a 45% exchange of hydrogen as calculated from diffuse peaks in the first- and second field free regions.     

Methylene radical cation transfer from ionized oxirane to CH3SCH3 and C6H5SCH3 in the gas phase: Formation of sulphur distonic ions and/or insertion in a carbon–sulphur bond

The α-distonic sulphur-containing ion $ {}^ \cdot {\rm CH}_2 \mathop {\rm S}\limits^ + \left({{\rm CH}_3 } \right)_2 $ has been generated by transfer of CH from ionized oxirane to dimethyl thioether and distinguished from the molecular ion of ethyl methyl thioether by collision induced dissociation (CID) experiments. In particular, the α-distonic ion expels CH₂ to a minor extent following collision, whereas the molecular ion of ethyl methyl thioether does not undergo this reaction. The metastable C₃H₈S^+˙ ions formed by CH transfer to dimethyl thioether and ionization of ethyl methyl thioether decompose by competing losses of CH₃R˙, CH₄ and C₂H₄. The elimination of ethene is taken as evidence for isomerization of the α-distonic ion to the molecular ion of ethyl methyl thioether prior to spontaneous dissociation. Evidence for the formation of stable α-distonic sulphur-containing ions by transfer of CH from ionized oxirane to methyl phenyl thioether has not been obtained. The collision-induced and spontaneous reactions of the ions formed by CH transfer to methyl phenyl thioether indicate that a mixture of the radical cations of CH₃C₆H₄SCH₃, C₆H₅SCH₂CH₃ and C₆H₅CH₂SCH₃ is generated implying that attack on the phenyl group occurs in addition to a formal insertion of a methylene entity in a C? S bond.     

Energy-dependent reversal of secondary isotope effects on simple cleavage reactions: Tertiary amine radical cations with deuterium at remote positions

Deuterium substitution at remote sites gives rise to inverse secondary kinetic isotope effects on the α-cleavage of a number of tertiary amines in the ion source, but to normal isotope effects on reactions occurring in the field-free regions. The change from normal to inverse secondary isotope effects when the internal energy of the reacting ions increases is consistent with transition-state models that involve slight lowering of vibrational frequencies also for bonds well removed from the site of cleavage. The isotope effect on the reactions of ions of high internal energy is caused by the influence that even small changes of isotope-dependent frequencies have on the state sums (a statistical weight effect favouring loss of the labelled radical), whereas the behaviour of low-energy ions is determined by the zero-point energy changes which favour loss of the unlabelled fragment.