Non-statistical Dissociation Research Articles

Vacuum UV studies of protonated serine clusters

In a recent work, we have shown that photon absorption can cause a chemical bond to be created between the two monomers within a protonated serine dimer, a process known as intra-cluster bond formation, despite this process not occurring following thermal excitation via low energy collision-induced dissociation (LE-CID). Here we show further evidence for non-statistical photon-induced dissociation (PID) of the protonated serine dimer. In addition we discuss LE-CID and PID studies of the protonated serine octamer, showing that in this case as well, PID leads to non-statistical fragmentation and to the formation of two bonds between three neighboring monomers.

Collision-induced dissociation of homodimeric and heterodimeric radical cations of 9-methylguanine and 9-methyl-8-oxoguanine: correlation between intra-base pair proton transfer originating from the N1-H at a Watson-Crick edge and non-statistical dissociation.

It has been shown previously in protonated, deprotonated and ionized guanine-cytosine base pairs that intra-base pair proton transfer from the N1-H at the Watson-Crick edge of guanine to the complementary nucleobase prompts non-statistical dissociation of the base-pair system, and the dissociation of a proton-transferred base-pair structure is kinetically more favored than that of the starting, conventional base-pair structure. However, the fundamental chemistry underlying this anomalous and intriguing kinetics has not been completely revealed, which warrants the examination of more base-pair systems in different structural contexts in order to derive a generalized base-pair structure-kinetics correlation. The purpose of the present work is to expand the investigation to the non-canonical homodimeric and heterodimeric radical cations of 9-methylguanine (9MG) and 9-methyl-8-oxoguanine (9MOG), i.e., [9MG·9MG]˙+, [9MOG·9MG]˙+ and [9MOG·9MOG]˙+. Experimentally, collision-induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry coupled with an electrospray ionization (ESI) source was used for the formation of base-pair radical cations, followed by detection of dissociation product ions and cross sections in the collisions with Xe gas under single ion-molecule collision conditions and as a function of the center-of-mass collision energy. Computationally, density functional theory and coupled cluster theory were used to calculate and identify probable base-pair structures and intra-base pair proton transfer and hydrogen transfer reactions, followed by kinetics modeling to explore the properties of dissociation transition states and kinetic factors. The significance of this work is twofold: it provides insight into base-pair opening kinetics in three biologically-important, non-canonical systems upon oxidative and ionization damage; and it links non-statistical dissociation to intra-base pair proton-transfer originating from the N1-H at the Watson-Crick edge of 8-oxoguanine, enhancing understanding towards the base-pair fragmentation assisted by proton transfer.

To roam or not to roam, that is the question for the methyl group in isopropanol cations

Isopropanol (2-propanol) dissociatively photoionizes primarily into the CH2CHOH+, CH3CHOH+, CH3CHCH3+ fragment ions, and, as a minor product, into (CH3)2COH+ in the 10.0–13.1 eV photon energy range as shown by Imaging Photoelectron Photoion Coincidence (iPEPICO) spectroscopy. At internal energies of below 0.3 eV, the loss of CH4 dominates via a roaming pathway, in which the leaving CH3 abstracts a hydrogen atom from the other methyl group. At higher energies, the kinetically favored direct loss of a methyl radical quickly takes over as its transition state is looser. We use the measured CH3-loss appearance energy of 10.44 ± 0.01 eV to confirm the heat of formation of protonated acetaldehyde, CH3CHOH+, as ΔfH° = 608 ± 1 kJ mol−1 at 0 K. The highest-energy dissociation observed leads to CH3CHCH3+ + OH, which corresponds to C–O bond scission. This process is the premier example of a non-statistical dissociation which can be modeled using a statistical model, albeit with a physically meaningless appearance energy. This channel is shown to be non-statistical due to preferential OH loss from the first electronically excited ion state.

Mass spectrometry and computational study of collision-induced dissociation of 9-methylguanine-1-methylcytosine base-pair radical cation: intra-base-pair proton transfer and hydrogen transfer, non-statistical dissociation, and reaction with a water ligand.

A combined experimental and theoretical study is presented on the collision-induced dissociation (CID) of 9-methylguanine-1-methylcytosine base-pair radical cation (abbreviated as [9MG·1MC]˙+) and its monohydrate ([9MG·1MC]˙+·H2O) with Xe and Ar gases. Product ion mass spectra were measured as a function of collision energy using guided-ion beam tandem mass spectrometry, from which cross sections and threshold energies for various dissociation pathways were determined. Electronic structure calculations were performed at the DFT, RI-MP2 and DLPNO-CCSD(T) levels of theory to identify product structures and map out reaction potential energy surfaces. [9MG·1MC]˙+ has two structures: a conventional structure 9MG˙+·1MC (population 87%) consisting of hydrogen-bonded 9-methylguanine radical cation and neutral 1-methylcytosine, and a proton-transferred structure [9MG - H]˙·[1MC + H]+ (less stable, population 13%) formed by intra-base-pair proton transfer from the N1 of 9MG˙+ to the N3 of 1MC within 9MG˙+·1MC. The two structures have similar dissociation energies but can be distinguished in that 9MG˙+·1MC dissociates into 9MG˙+ and 1MC whereas [9MG - H]˙·[1MC + H]+ dissociates into neutral [9MG - H]˙ radical and protonated [1MC + H]+. An intriguing finding is that, in both Xe- and Ar-induced CID of [9MG·1MC]˙+, product ions were overwhelmingly dominated by [1MC + H]+, which is contrary to product distributions predicted using a statistical reaction model. Monohydration of [9MG·1MC]˙+ reversed the populations of the conventional structure (43%) vs. the proton-transferred structure (57%) and induced new reactions upon collisional activation, of which intra-base-pair hydrogen transfer produced [9MG + H]+ and the reaction of the water ligand with a methyl group in [9MG·1MC]˙+ led to methanol elimination from [9MG·1MC]˙+·H2O.

Is non-statistical dissociation a general feature of guanine-cytosine base-pair ions? Collision-induced dissociation of a protonated 9-methylguanine-1-methylcytosine Watson-Crick base pair, and comparison with its deprotonated and radical cation analogues.

A guided-ion beam tandem mass spectrometric study was performed on collision-induced dissociation (CID) of a protonated 9-methylguanine-1-methylcytosine Watson-Crick base pair (designated as WC-[9MG·1MC + H]+), from which dissociation pathways and dissociation energies were determined. Electronic structure calculations at the DFT, RI-MP2 and DLPNO-CCSD(T) levels of theory were used to identify product structures and delineate reaction mechanisms. Intra-base-pair proton transfer (PT) of WC-[9MG·1MC + H]+ results in conventional base-pair conformations that consist of hydrogen-bonded [9MG + H]+ and 1MC and proton-transferred conformations that are formed by PT from the N1 of [9MG + H]+ to the N3' of 1MC. Two types of conformers were distinguished by CID in which the conventional conformers produced [9MG + H]+ product ions whereas the proton-transferred conformers produced [1MC + H]+. The conventional conformers have a higher population (99.8%) and lower dissociation energy than the proton-transferred counterparts. However, in contrast to what was expected from the statistical dissociation of the equilibrium base-pair conformational ensemble, the CID product ions of WC-[9MG·1MC + H]+ were dominated by [1MC + H]+ rather than [9MG + H]+. This finding, alongside the non-statistical CID reported for deprotonated guanine-cytosine (Lu et al.; PCCP, 2016, 18, 32222) and guanine-cytosine radical cation (Sun et al.; PCCP, 2020, 22, 14875), reinforces that non-statistical dissociation is a distinctive feature of singly-charged Watson-Crick guanine-cytosine base pairs. It implies that intra-base-pair PT facilitates the formation of proton-transferred conformers in these systems and the ensuing conformers have loose transition states for dissociation. The monohydrate of WC-[9MG·1MC + H]+ preserves non-statistical CID kinetics and introduces collision-induced methanol elimination via the reaction of the water ligand with a methyl group.

Spectroscopic Evidence for Peptide-Bond-Selective Ultraviolet Photodissociation.

We study the photodissociation induced by ultraviolet excitation of amide bonds in gas-phase protonated peptides. Jointly, mass spectrometry and cold ion spectroscopy provide evidence for a selective nonstatistical dissociation of specific peptide bonds in the spectral region of the formally forbidden n → π* transition of amide groups. Structural analysis reveals that the activation of this transition, peaked at 226 nm, originates from the nonplanar geometry of the bond. In contrast, the statistical dissociation in the electronic ground state appears to be the main outcome of the π → π* excitation of the peptide bonds at 193 nm. We propose a tentative model that explains the difference in the fragmentation mechanisms by the difference in localization of the electronic transitions and the higher amount of vibrational energy released in the electronic excited state upon absorption at 193 nm.

Angular and Energy Distributions of K+ and I– Ions in Dissociation of KI Molecules at a Diamond Surface

Scattering of K+ and I– ions in surface-induced dissociation of KI molecules at a diamond (110) target has been studied using the molecular beam techniques. The angular and energy distributions of the positive and negative ions were measured by a time-of-flight detector with a retarding field energy analyzer. The incident KI beam energy was equal to 12 eV while the target surface temperature was 250°C. The angular distributions of the K+ ions we observed exhibited maxima at scattering angles smaller than the specular reflection ones, in contrast to the I– ion distributions where the maxima were shifted to larger angles. The intensities of scattering of both the ions at the maxima of the distributions increased as the incident angles of the beam grew. The energy distributions of the positive and negative ions have turned out to be identical which may indicate the mechanism of rapid non-statistical dissociation of the molecules upon an impact on the target surface.

Dissociative photoionization of chromium hexacarbonyl: A round-trip ticket to non-statisticality and a detective story in thermochemistry

The fragmentation processes of internal energy selected chromium hexacarbonyl cations, Cr(CO)6+, were investigated by imaging photoelectron photoion coincidence (iPEPICO) spectroscopy at the VUV beamline of the Swiss Light Source. In the 9.3–21.5 eV photon energy range, Cr(CO)6+ dissociates by six sequential carbonyl ligand losses. The fragment ion fractional abundances, plotted in the breakdown diagram, along with the time-of-flight mass spectra for the first three metastable CO-loss channels were modeled using a statistical approach. Between 12 and 16 eV, the statistical model overestimates the degree of fragmentation, which is explained by enhanced kinetic energy release in impulsive CO loss on repulsive electronic states of the parent ion Cr(CO)6+, as confirmed by TD-DFT calculations. This is the first reported example for an embedded non-statistical unimolecular dissociation regime, bracketed by statistical regimes at low and at high energies. The statistical model was employed to derive 0 K appearance energies for Cr(CO)n+ (n = 0–5). The Cr(CO)5+ appearance energy and the literature COCr(CO)5+ bond dissociation energy yield an adiabatic Cr(CO)6+ ionization energy of 8.195 ± 0.120 eV, independent of photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. The 0 K appearance energy of Cr+ is 61 kJ mol–1 higher than predicted based on literature enthalpies of formation, which we suggest is most likely due to an error in the enthalpy of formation of Cr(CO)6, and propose a revised ΔfH[Cr(CO)6, g] = –972.1 ± 4.1 and –968.9 ± 4.1 kJ mol–1 at 0 and 298 K, respectively, and ΔfH298K[Cr(CO)6, c] = –1040.6 ± 4.2 kJ mol–1 for the crystalline state, based on the known enthalpy of sublimation. The measured CrCO bond dissociation energies in [(CO)nCrCO]+ (n = 0–5), and the enthalpies of formation of the chromium carbonyl ion series are also reported.

Nonstatistical Dissociation Dynamics of Nitrobenzene and ortho-Nitrophenol

Nonstatistical Dissociation Dynamics of Nitrobenzene and ortho-Nitrophenol

Cl-Loss Dynamics of Vinyl Chloride Cations in the B2A″ State: Role of the C2A' State.

The dissociative photoionization of vinyl chloride (C2H3Cl) in the 11.0-14.2 eV photon energy range was investigated using threshold photoelectron photoion coincidence (TPEPICO) velocity map imaging. Three electronic states, namely, A2A', B2A″, and C2A', of the C2H3Cl+ cation were prepared, and their dissociation dynamics were investigated. A unique fragment ion, C2H3+, was observed within the excitation energy range. TPEPICO three-dimensional time-sliced velocity map images of C2H3+ provided the kinetic energy release distributions (KERD) and anisotropy parameters in dissociation of internal-energy-selected C2H3Cl+ cations. At 13.14 eV, the total KERD showed a bimodal distribution consisting of Boltzmann- and Gaussian-type components, indicating a competition between statistical and non-statistical dissociation mechanisms. An additional Gaussian-type component was found in the KERD at 13.65 eV, a center of which was located at a lower kinetic energy. The overall dissociative photoionization mechanisms of C2H3Cl+ in the B2A″ and C2A' states are proposed based on time-dependent density functional theory calculations of the Cl-loss potential energy curves. Our results highlight the inconsistency of previous conclusions on the dissociation mechanism of C2H3Cl+.

Non-Statistical Oligopeptide Fragmentation by IR Photons with λ=16–18 μm

Abstract In this article we analyse the vibration excitation and following dissociation of protonated oligopeptide molecules induced by IR photons with λ=16–18 μm. The analysis is based on our previous works in which we considered a specific non-statistical dissociation process in organic molecules containing substructures consisting of chained identical diatomic dipoles such as (CH2)n. Such dipole chains can serve as IR antennas for external radiation in the IR frequency range. The acquired vibration energy accumulated in IR antennas can be large enough to dissociate molecules within a femtosecond time interval by a non-statistical process, which is driven by a radiationless low-energy transport mechanism inside the peptide molecules. We point out in this article that the suggested IR-induced dissociation mechanism can be applied to obtain sequence information of protonated oligopeptides.

More Protected Vibrational States at the Dissociation Limit of SCCl2

Local vibrational coupling models predict that intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution (IVR) is not completely statistical even at the dissociation limit of polyatomic molecules. Thus states protected from IVR and from rapid dissociation form regular progressions and can be assigned vibrational quantum numbers. We previously observed such regular progressions of states in vibrational spectra of the molecule SCCl2, but a discrepancy in the density of such states remained between theory and experiment. Here we show that the gap can be closed by observing and assigning additional vibrational transitions above the dissociation limit of SCCl2, and by carefully analyzing the theoretically expected density of protected states. The newly observed transitions originate from recently assigned and more highly excited vibrational levels in the B̃ electronic state, connecting to the X̃ ground state by different Franck-Condon factors. Based on our analysis of Franck-Condon activity, we conclude that theory and experiment agree within measurement uncertainty. Consistency between theory and experiment implies that even more protected states should be observed for larger molecules, leading to nonstatistical dissociation reactions.

Vibrational and electronic excitations in fluorinated ethene cations from the ground up

Valence threshold photoelectron spectra of four fluorinated ethenes; C2H3F, 1,1-C2H2F2, C2HF3, and C2F4 were recorded at the Swiss Light Source with 0.002 eV resolution. The adiabatic ionization energies were found to be 10.364 ± 0.007, 10.303 ± 0.005, 10.138 ± 0.007, and 10.110 ± 0.009 eV, respectively. The electronic ground state of each cation shows well-resolved multi-component vibrational progressions, the dominant transitions being in the C=C stretching mode. Density functional theory based Franck-Condon simulations are used to model the vibrational structure and assign the spectra, sometimes revising previous assignments. An additional vibrational progression in the first photoelectron band of 1,1-C2H2F2 indicates that the ground electronic state of the molecular ion is no longer planar. It is shown that ab initio vibrational frequencies together with the observed vibrational spacings do not always suffice to assign the spectra. In addition to symmetry rules governing the transitions, it is often essential to consider the associated Franck-Condon factors explicitly. Ionization to higher lying excited valence electronic states were also recorded by threshold ionization up to 23 eV photon energy. Equation-of-motion coupled cluster with single and double substitutions for ionization potential (EOM-IP-CCSD/cc-pVTZ) calculations confirmed historic electronic state assignments, and untangled the ever more congested spectra with increasing F-substitution. Previous attempts at illuminating the intriguing dissociative photoionization mechanism of fluorinated ethenes are reconsidered in view of new computational and experimental results. We show how non-statistical F-atom loss from C2H3F(+) is decoupled from the ground state dissociation dynamics in the energy range of its C̃ state. Both the statistical and the non-statistical dissociation processes are mediated by a plethora of conical intersections.

Statistical and non statistical dissociation processes of Tungsten Hexacarbonyl W(CO)6 in collisions with protons, fluorine and chlorine ions

The excitation and dissociation processes of the molecule W(CO)6 in collisions with low kinetic energy (3keV) protons, monocharged fluorine and chlorine ions has been studied using double charge transfer spectroscopy. Based on the experimental data, the emission of the first CO is tentatively attributed to a non-statistical direct dissociation process whereas the emission of the second or more CO ligands is attributed to the statistical dissociation processes.

Statistical vs non-statistical dissociation processes in W(CO)62+ excited by collisions with 3.1 keV H+, F+, Cl+

Dissociation of W(CO)62+ has been investigated with the CIDEC method using 3.1 keV H+ F+ and Cl+ projectiles. The fragmentation schemes of W(CO)62+ are found drastically different depending on the projectile nature. These differences are explained in terms of different reaction energy windows leading to very small energy deposition in the case of Cl+ and also to close collisions with W(CO)62+ molecule (analog to nuclear stopping in solids).

Cα–Cβ chromophore bond dissociation in protonated tyrosine-methionine, methionine-tyrosine, tryptophan-methionine, methionine-tryptophan and their sulfoxide analogs

C(α)-C(β) chromophore bond dissociation in some selected methionine-containing dipeptides induced by UV photons is investigated. In methionine containing dipeptides with tryptophan as the UV chromophore, the tryptophan side chain is ejected either as an ion or as a neutral fragment while in dipeptides with tyrosine, the tyrosine side chain is lost only as a neutral fragment. Mechanisms responsible for these fragmentations are proposed based on measured branching ratios and fragmentation times, and on the results of DFT/B3-LYP calculations. It appears that the C(α)-C(β) bond cleavage is a non-statistical dissociation for the peptides containing tyrosine, and occurs after internal conversion for those with tryptophan. The proposed mechanisms are governed by the ionization potential of the aromatic side chain compared to that of the rest of the molecule, and by the proton affinity of the aromatic side chain compared to that of the methionine side chain. In tyrosine-containing peptides, the presence of oxygen on sulfur of methionine presumably reduces the ionization potential of the peptide backbone, facilitating the loss of the side chain as a neutral fragment. In tryptophan-containing peptides, the presence of oxygen on methionyl-sulfur expedites the transfer of the proton from the side chain to the sulfoxide, which facilitates the loss of the neutral side chain.

Excitation and dissociation of tungsten hexacarbonyl W(CO)6: Statistical and nonstatistical dissociation processes

We have studied the excitation and dissociation processes of the molecule W(CO)(6) in collisions with low kinetic energy (3 keV) protons, monocharged fluorine, and chlorine ions using double charge transfer spectroscopy. By analyzing the kinetic energy loss of the projectile anions, we measured the excitation energy distribution of the produced transient dications W(CO)(6)(2+). By coincidence measurements between the anions and the stable or fragments of W(CO)(6)(2+), we determined the energy distribution for each dissociation channel. Based on the experimental data, the emission of the first CO was tentatively attributed to a nonstatistical direct dissociation process and the emission of the second or more CO ligands was attributed to the statistical dissociation processes. The dissociation energies for the successive breaking of the W-CO bond were estimated using a cascade model. The ratio between charge separation and evaporation (by the loss of CO(+) and CO, respectively) channels was estimated to be 6% in the case of Cl(+) impact.

Probing for non-statistical effects in dissociation of the 1-methylallyl radical

The 1-methylallyl radical loses a hydrogen atom following photoexcitation to its lowest valence electronically excited state and displays statistical behavior in decomposition, implying that the presence of methyl rotors cannot be depended upon as an indicator for non-statistical dissociation dynamics in hydrocarbon radicals.

Do the O2 Schumann–Runge Bands Participate in keV Collision-Induced Dissociation Experiments?

In high-energy (keV) CID experiments, oxygen has the unique ability to enhance specific ion fragmentation pathways that lie within a relatively narrow band of activation energy. It has been previously proposed that this oxygen-enhanced dissociation phenomenon is due to the participation of the O(2) B(3)Σ(u)(+) - X(3)Σ(g)(-) (Schumann-Runge) system in the collision complex. During the collision, oxygen is first excited to its [Formula: see text] state before it returns this energy to the projectile ion. This energy drives the nonstatistical dissociation of the projectile provided there is an energetically accessible pathway in resonance with the absorbed radiation. To probe the validity of this hypothesis, a modified VG-ZAB mass spectrometer was used to observe the photon emissions from keV collisions of a selection of projectile ions with O(2) target gas. By studying the resulting collision-induced emission (CIE) spectra, a second potential mechanism came to light, one that involves the near-isoenergetic O(2) (+.) A (2)Π(u)→X (2) Π(g) state transition.

Dissociation of Acetone Radical Cation (CH3COCH3+· → CH3CO+ + CH3·): An Ab Initio Direct Classical Trajectory Study of the Energy Dependence of the Branching Ratio

The nonstatistical dissociation of acetone radical cation has been studied by ab initio direct classical trajectory calculations at the MP2/6-31G(d) level of theory. A bond additivity correction has been used to improve the MP2 potential energy surface (BAC-MP2). The energy dependence of the branching ratio, dissociation kinetics, and translational energy distribution for the two types of methyl groups have been investigated using microcanonical ensembles and specific mode excitation. In each case, the dissociation favors the loss of the newly formed methyl group, in agreement with the experiments. For microcanonical ensembles, the branching ratios for methyl loss are calculated to be 1.43, 1.88, 1.70, and 1.50 for 1, 2, 10, and 18 kcal/mol of excess energy, respectively. The energy dependence of the branching ratio is seen more dramatically in the excitation of individual modes involving C-C-O bending. For modes 3 and 6, the branching ratio rises to 1.6 and 1.8-2.3 when 1 or 2 kcal/mol are added, respectively, but falls off when more energy is added. For mode 8, the branching ratio continues to rise monotonically from 1.5 to 2.76 when 1-8 kcal/mol of excess energy are added.