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Chemistry Publications

Chemistry

Mass spectrometry

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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

From Neutral Aniline To Aniline Trication: A Computational And Experimental Study, G. L. Gutsev, H. A. López Peña, S. L. Mcpherson, Derrick Ampadu Boateng, B. R. Ramachandran, L. G. Gutsev, Katharine M. Tibbetts Jan 2020

From Neutral Aniline To Aniline Trication: A Computational And Experimental Study, G. L. Gutsev, H. A. López Peña, S. L. Mcpherson, Derrick Ampadu Boateng, B. R. Ramachandran, L. G. Gutsev, Katharine M. Tibbetts

Chemistry Publications

We report density functional theory computations and photoionization mass spectrometry measurements of aniline and its positively charged ions. The geometrical structures and properties of the neutral, singly, doubly, and triply positively charged aniline are computed using density functional theory with the generalized gradient approximation. At each charge, there are multiple isomers closely spaced in total energy. Whereas the lowest energy states of both neutral and cation have the same topology C6H5–NH2, the dication and trication have the C5NH5–CH2 topology with the nitrogen atom in the meta and para positions, …


Dissociation Of Singly And Multiply Charged Nitromethane Cations: Femtosecond Laser Mass Spectrometry And Theoretical Modeling, G. L. Gutsev, S. L. Mcpherson, Hugo A. López Peña, Derrick Ampadu Boateng, L. G. Gutsev, B. R. Ramachandran, Katharine M. Tibbetts Jan 2020

Dissociation Of Singly And Multiply Charged Nitromethane Cations: Femtosecond Laser Mass Spectrometry And Theoretical Modeling, G. L. Gutsev, S. L. Mcpherson, Hugo A. López Peña, Derrick Ampadu Boateng, L. G. Gutsev, B. R. Ramachandran, Katharine M. Tibbetts

Chemistry Publications

Dissociation pathways of singly- and multiply charged gas-phase nitromethane cations were investigated with strong-field laser photoionization mass spectrometry and density functional theory computations. There are multiple isomers of the singly charged nitromethane radical cation, several of which can be accessed by rearrangement of the parent CH3–NO2 structure with low energy barriers. While direct cleavage of the C–N bond from the parent nitromethane cation produces NO2+ and CH3+, rearrangement prior to dissociation accounts for fragmentation products including NO+, CH2OH+, and CH2NO+. Extensive Coulomb explosion in fragment ions observed at high laser intensity indicates that rapid dissociation of multiply charged nitromethane cations …


Conserved Vibrational Coherence In The Ultrafast Rearrangement Of 2-Nitrotoluene Radical Cation, Derrick Ampadu Boateng, Mi'kayla D. Word, Lavrenty Gutsev, Puru Jena, Katharine M. Tibbetts Jan 2019

Conserved Vibrational Coherence In The Ultrafast Rearrangement Of 2-Nitrotoluene Radical Cation, Derrick Ampadu Boateng, Mi'kayla D. Word, Lavrenty Gutsev, Puru Jena, Katharine M. Tibbetts

Chemistry Publications

2-Nitrotoluene (2-NT) is a good model for both photolabile protecting groups for organic synthesis and the military explosive 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT). In addition to the direct C−NO2 bond-cleavage reaction that initiates detonation in TNT, 2-NT undergoes an H atom attack reaction common to the photolabile 2-nitrobenzyl group, which forms the aci-nitro tautomer. In this work, femtosecond pump−probe measure- ments with mass spectrometric detection and density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that the initially prepared vibrational coherence in the 2-NT radical cation (2- NT+) is preserved following H atom attack. Strong-field adiabatic ionization is used to prepare 2-NT+, which can overcome a …


Probing Coherent Vibrations Of Organic Phosphonate Radical Cations With Femtosecond Time-Resolved Mass Spectrometry, Derrick Ampadu Boateng, Mi'kayla D. Word, Katharine M. Tibbetts Jan 2019

Probing Coherent Vibrations Of Organic Phosphonate Radical Cations With Femtosecond Time-Resolved Mass Spectrometry, Derrick Ampadu Boateng, Mi'kayla D. Word, Katharine M. Tibbetts

Chemistry Publications

Organic phosphates and phosphonates are present in a number of cellular components that can be damaged by exposure to ionizing radiation. This work reports femtosecond time-resolved mass spectrometry (FTRMS) studies of three organic phosphonate radical cations that model the DNA sugar-phosphate backbone: dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP), diethyl methylphosphonate (DEMP), and diisopropyl methylphosphonate (DIMP). Upon ionization, each molecular radical cation exhibits unique oscillatory dynamics in its ion yields resulting from coherent vibrational excitation. DMMP has particularly well-resolved 45 fs (732 ± 28 cm−1) oscillations with a weak feature at 610–650 cm−1, while DIMP exhibits bimodal oscillations with a period of ∼55 fs …


Coherent Vibrational And Dissociation Dynamics Of Polyatomic Radical Cations, Katharine M. Tibbetts Jan 2019

Coherent Vibrational And Dissociation Dynamics Of Polyatomic Radical Cations, Katharine M. Tibbetts

Chemistry Publications

The ultrafast dynamics of polyatomic radical cat- ions contribute to important processes including energy transfer in photovoltaics, electron transfer in photocataly- sis, radiation-induced DNA damage, and chemical reac- tions in the upper atmosphere and space. Probing these dynamics in the gas phase is challenging due to the rapid dissociation of polyatomic radical cations following elec- tron removal, which arises from excess electronic excita- tion of the molecule during the ionization process. This Concept article introduces the reader to how the pump- probe technique of femtosecond time-resolved mass spectrometry (FTRMS) can overcome this challenge to capture coherent vibrational dynamics on the …