Abstract
To develop proper ionization methods for alkanes, the reactivity of bare or ligated transition metal ions toward alkanes has attracted increasing interests. In this study, the reactions of the gold cations with linear alkanes from ethane up to nonane (CnH2n+2, n = 2-9) under mild conditions have been characterized by mass spectrometry and density functional theory calculations. When reacting with Au(+), small alkanes (n = 2-6) were confirmed to follow specific reaction channels of dehydrogenation for ethane and hydride transfer for others to generate product ions characteristic of the original alkanes, which indicates that Au(+) can act as a reagent ion to ionize alkanes from ethane to n-hexane. Strong dependence of the chain length of alkanes was observed for the rate constants and reaction efficiencies. Extensive fragmentation took place for larger alkanes (n > 6). Theoretical results show that the fragmentation induced by the hydride transfer occurs after the release of AuH. Moreover, the fragmentation of n-heptane was successfully avoided when the reaction took place in a high-pressure reactor. This implies that Au(+) is a potential reagent ion to ionize linear and even the branched alkanes.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.