Mapping the complex metastable fragmentation pathways of excited 3-aminophenol+

Abstract

This work applies the technique of mapping ion detection using a reflectron mass spectrometer against flight-time and reflection voltage to elucidate the complex metastable fragmentation pattern of the biomolecular ion 3-aminophenol+ (3-AP+, C6H7NO+). Multi-photon ionization experiments revealed the excited ion's fragmentation routes for the first time and comparisons with calculated flight-times enabled 18 different μs-timescale dissociations to be assigned. These included the rare observation of a double hydrogen loss channel from a fragment ion. DFT calculations provided further insights into the most prominent apparent fragmentation sequence: 3-AP+ (m/z 109) → HCO + C5H6N+ (m/z 80) → CNH + C4H5+ (m/z 53) → C2H2 + C2H3+ (m/z 27).