Potassium Cation Affinities of Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Matrices Determined by Threshold Collision-Induced Dissociation: Application to Benzoic Acid Derivatives

Abstract

Threshold collision-induced dissociation of K+(xBA) complexes with xenon is studied using guided ion beam mass spectrometry. The xBA ligands studied include benzoic acid and all of the mono- and dihydroxy-substituted benzoic acids: 2-, 3-, and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and 2,3-, 2,4-, 2,5-, 2,6-, 3,4-, and 3,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid. In all cases, the primary product corresponds to endothermic loss of the intact xBA ligand. The cross section thresholds are interpreted to yield 0 and 298 K bond dissociation energies (BDEs) for K+-xBA after accounting for the effects of multiple ion-neutral collisions, the kinetic and internal energy distributions of the reactants, and dissociation lifetimes. Density functional theory calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G* level of theory are used to determine the structures of the xBA ligands and their complexes with K+. Theoretical BDEs are determined from single-point energy calculations at the B3LYP/6-311+G(2d,2p) and MP2(full)/6-311+G(2d,2p) levels using B3LYP/6-31G* optimized geometries. Four favorable binding modes for the K+(xBA) complexes are found. In all complexes to an xBA ligand that does not have a 2-hydroxyl substituent, the most favorable binding mode corresponds to a single interaction with the carbonyl oxygen atom. Formation of a 4-membered ring via chelation interactions with both oxygen atoms of the carboxylic acid group is found to be the most favorable binding mode for all of the 2-hydroxy-substituted systems except K+(2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid). In these complexes, a hydrogen-bonding interaction between the hydrogen atom of the carboxylic acid moiety and the oxygen atom of the 2-hydroxy substituent provides additional stabilization. Formation of a 5-membered chelation ring via interaction of K+ with the oxygen atoms of adjacent hydroxyl substituents is also favorable and corresponds to the ground-state geometry for the K+(23DHBA) complex. Formation of a 6-membered chelation ring via interaction of K+ with the carbonyl and 2-hydroxyl oxygen atoms is also quite favorable but does not correspond to the ground-state geometry for any of the systems examined here. The experimental BDEs determined here are in very good agreement with the calculated values.