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Two separate temperature-dependent experiments were performed to investigate the ionization mechanism of ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (UV-MALDI) of matrix 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,5-DHB). First, the angular resolved intensity and velocity distributions of neutrals desorbed from the 2,5-DHB solid sample through UV laser (355 nm) pulse irradiation were measured using a rotating quadrupole mass spectrometer. Second, the desorbed neutrals, at an angle normal to the surface, and the desorbed ions were simultaneously detected for each laser shot using the quadrupole mass spectrometer and a time-of-flight mass spectrometer, respectively. Both experiments were conducted at two initial temperatures: 100 and 300 K. The measurements from these two experiments were used to calculate the initial temperature dependence of the ion-to-neutral ratio. The results closely agreed with the predictions of the temperature-dependent ion-to-neutral ratio using the thermal model, indicating that thermally induced proton transfer is the dominant reaction that generates initial ions of 2,5-DHB in UV-MALDI.

We know that population and consumption are the two primary drivers of dangerous environmental changes. And we already possess the technologies and capabilities required to address them. It is well past time for us to translate that into determined global action. Politically, we must shift from a nation-based approach to one of true global solutions. Socially, we must realize that the world is already over-developed and that averting crisis means reducing unsustainable consumption as well as improving the lives of the poor. Technologically, as we pursue innovations that will take us back to sunshine as the dominant source of energy, we must also develop ways of sharing and distributing renewable energy across borders. It is not too late for us to turn things around, but we do not have much time left.

Electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mainly generate protonated ions from peptides and proteins but sodiated (or potassiated) ions from carbohydrates. The ion intensities of sodiated (or potassiated) carbohydrates generated by ESI and MALDI are generally lower than those of protonated peptides and proteins. Ab initio calculations and transition state theory were used to investigate the reasons for the low detection sensitivity for underivatized carbohydrates. We used glucose and cellobiose as examples and showed that the low detection sensitivity is partly attributable to the following factors. First, glucose exhibits a low proton affinity. Most protons generated by ESI or MALDI attach to water clusters and matrix molecules. Second, protonated glucose and cellobiose can easily undergo dehydration reactions. Third, the sodiation affinities of glucose and cellobiose are small. Some sodiated glucose and cellobiose dissociate into the sodium cations and neutral carbohydrates during ESI or MALDI process. The increase of detection sensitivity of carbohydrates in mass spectrometry by various methods can be rationalized according to these factors. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The selective dissociation of a peptide bond upon excitation of a core electron in acetanilide and N-benzylacetamide was investigated. The total-ion-yield near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectra were recorded and compared with the predictions from time-dependent density functional theory. The branching ratios for the dissociation of a peptide bond are observed as 16–34% which is quite significant. This study explores the core-excitation, the X-ray photodissociation pathways, and the theoretical explanation of the NEXAFS spectra of organic molecules containing both a peptide bond and a phenyl group.

In 1982 when the Erice Statement was written to address the real danger of nuclear war, the fear was that technology would be used not by the culture of love, but the culture of hatred to kill and destroy. These dangers of mass destructions are still very much with us today with more countries and groups trying to acquire nuclear weapons.

Near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectra of pyrimidine and purine at the carbon and nitrogen K-edges were measured using synchrotron radiation and a reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Spectrum assignments based on the time-dependent density functional theory calculation were presented. From the comparison of the experimental and theoretical results, the nature of various core-excitation transitions and the chemical shifts in the absorption energies were elucidated. The dissociation fragments following the core excitation were analyzed, and the enhancements on the fragment branching ratios were observed. The possible identities and dissociation mechanisms of the major fragments were discussed.

In past studies, mistakes in determining the ionization mechanism in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) were made because an inappropriate ion-to-neutral ratio was used. The ion-to-neutral ratio of the analyte differs substantially from that of the matrix in MALDI. However, these ratios were not carefully distinguished in previous studies. We begin by describing the properties of ion-to-neutral ratios and reviews early experimental measurements. A discussion of the errors committed in previous theoretical studies and a comparison of recent experimental measurements follow. We then describe a thermal proton transfer model and demonstrate how the model appropriately describes ion-to-neutral ratios and the total ion intensity. Arguments raised to challenge thermal ionization are then discussed. We demonstrate how none of the arguments are valid before concluding that thermal proton transfer must play a crucial role in the ionization process of MALDI.

The original ion imaging technique has low velocity resolution, and currently, photodissociation is mostly investigated using velocity map ion imaging. However, separating signals from the background (resulting from undissociated excited parent molecules) is difficult when velocity map ion imaging is used for the photodissociation of large molecules (number of atoms ≥ 10). In this study, we used the photodissociation of phenol at the S1 band origin as an example to demonstrate how our multimass ion imaging technique, based on modified spatial map ion imaging, can overcome this difficulty. The photofragment translational energy distribution obtained when multimass ion imaging was used differed considerably from that obtained when velocity map ion imaging and Rydberg atom tagging were used. We used conventional translational spectroscopy as a second method to further confirm the experimental results, and we conclude that data should be interpreted carefully when velocity map ion imaging or Rydberg atom tagging is used in the photodissociation of large molecules. Finally, we propose a modified velocity map ion imaging technique without the disadvantages of the current velocity map ion imaging technique.

RATIONALE: Although several reaction models have been proposed in the literature to explain matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI), further study is still necessary to explore the important ionization pathways that occur under the high-temperature environment of MALDI. 2,4,6-Trihydroxyacetophenone (THAP) is an ideal compound for evaluating the contribution of thermal energy to an initial reaction with minimum side reactions. METHODS: Desorbed neutral THAP and ions were measured using a crossed-molecular beam machine and commercial MALDI-TOF instrument, respectively. A quantitative model incorporating an Arrhenius-type desorption rate derived from transition state theory was proposed. Reaction enthalpy was calculated using GAUSSIAN 03 software with dielectric effect. Additional evidence of thermal-induced proton disproportionation was given by the indirect ionization of THAP embedded in excess fullerene molecules excited by a 450 nm laser. RESULTS: The quantitative model predicted that proton disproportionation of THAP would be achieved by thermal energy converted from a commonly used single UV laser photon. The dielectric effect reduced the reaction Gibbs free energy considerably even when the dielectric constant was reduced under high-temperature MALDI conditions. With minimum fitting parameters, observations of pure THAP and THAP mixed with fullerene both agreed with predictions. CONCLUSIONS: Proton disproportionation of solid THAP was energetically favorable with a single UV laser photon. The quantitative model revealed an important initial ionization pathway induced by the abrupt heating of matrix crystals. In the matrix crystals, the dielectric effect reduced reaction Gibbs free energy under typical MALDI conditions. The result suggested that thermal energy plays an important role in the initial ionization reaction of THAP. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The ionization mechanism of ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (UV-MALDI) was investigated by measuring the total cation intensity (not including sodiated and potasiated ions) as a function of analyte concentration (arginine, histidine, and glycine) in a matrix of 2,4,6-trihydroxyacetophenone (THAP). The total ion intensity increased up to 55 times near the laser fluence threshold as the arginine concentration increased from 0% to 1%. The increases were small for histidine, and a minimal increase occurred for glycine. Time-resolved fluorescence intensity was employed to investigate how analytes affected the energy pooling of the matrix. No detectable energy pooling was observed for pure THAP and THAP/analyte mixtures. The results can be described by using a thermal proton transfer model, which suggested that thermally induced proton transfer is crucial in the primary ion generation in UV-MALDI.

RATIONALE Among the six positional isomers of dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB), 2,5-DHB is a more favorable matrix for use in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) than the other isomers because of its high ion-generation efficiency at 337 and 355 nm. The generation of hydroquinone or p-benzoquinone through the decarboxylation of 2,5-DHB has been suggested to play a crucial role in the ion-generation efficiency of 2,5-DHB. METHODS The mass spectra of desorbed neutrals generated from MALDI were measured using (1) electron impact ionization (70 eV) and a quadrupole mass spectrometer and (2) vacuum ultraviolet (118 nm) photoionization and a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The mass spectra of desorbed ions generated from MALDI were investigated using a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The dissociation barrier height and dissociation rate of decarboxylation were calculated by an ab initio method and RRKM theory. RESULTS Decarboxylation of neutral 2,5-DHB and 2,5-DHB cations was not observed. Theoretical calculations indicated that decarboxylation of neutral 2,5-DHB and 2,5-DHB cations is too slow to occur. CONCLUSIONS The high ion-generation efficiency of the 2,5-DHB matrix at 337 and 355 nm is not related to decarboxylation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A time-of-flight mass spectrometer with orthogonal acceleration and soft X-rays from synchrotron radiation were utilized to measure near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectra of carbon and oxygen in phenol and the corresponding ionic fragments following core excitation. The photon energies were in the range of 284−298 eV for the carbon K-edge and 529.5−554.5 eV for the oxygen K-edge. The total ion yield, ion intensity for each ionic fragment, and ion intensity ratio, defined as ion intensity divided by total ion yield, were measured as a function of photon energy. Possible mechanisms of dissociation are proposed and enhancements of specific products of dissociation are reported. In general, the enhancement of these specific products is small in the carbon K-edge region but is clear for some products at the oxygen K-edge. In particular, elimination of the H atom from the hydroxyl group was observed only at the oxygen K-edge. One remarkable result is that an excitation of a core-level electron of oxygen greatly enhanced the cleavage of specifi cC −C bonds.

One of the reasons that thermally induced reactions are not considered a crucial mechanism in ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (UV-MALDI) is the low ion-to-neutral ratios. Large ion-to-neutral ratios (10(-4)) have been used to justify the unimportance of thermally induced reactions in UV-MALDI. Recent experimental measurements have shown that the upper limit of the total ion-to-neutral ratio is approximately 10(-7) at a high laser fluence and less than 10(-7) at a low laser fluence. Therefore, reexamining the possible contributions of thermally induced reactions in MALDI may be worthwhile. In this study, the concept of polar fluid was employed to explain the generation of primary ions in MALDI. A simple model, namely thermal proton transfer, was used to estimate the ion-to-neutral ratios in MALDI. We demonstrated that the theoretical calculations of ion-to-neutral ratios exhibit the same trend and similar orders of magnitude compared with those of experimental measurements. Although thermal proton transfer may not generate all of the ions observed in MALDI, the calculations demonstrated that thermally induced reactions play a crucial role in UV-MALDI.

RATIONALE: Energy pooling has been suggested as the key process for generating the primary ions during ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (UV-MALDI). In previous studies, decreases in fluorescence quantum yields as laser fluence increased for 2-aminobenzoic acid, 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,5-DHB), and 3-hydroxypicolinic acid were used as evidence of energy pooling. This work extends the research to other matrices and addresses whether energy pooling is a universal property in UV-MALDI. METHODS: Energy pooling was investigated in a time-resolved fluorescence experiment by using a short laser pulse (355 nm, 20 ps pulse width) for excitation and a streak camera (1 ps time resolution) for fluorescence detection. RESULTS: The excited-state lifetime of 2,5-DHB decreased with increases in laser fluence. This suggests that a reaction occurs between two excited molecules, and that energy pooling may be one of the possible reactions. However, the excited-state lifetime of 2,4,6-trihydroxyacetophenone (THAP) did not change with increases in laser fluence. The upper limit of the energy pooling rate constant for THAP is estimated to be approximately 100–500 times smaller than that of 2,5-DHB. CONCLUSIONS: The small energy pooling rate constant for THAP indicates that the potential contribution of the energy pooling mechanism to the generation of THAP matrix primary ions should be reconsidered. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

RATIONALE In most previous studies, the ratios of desorbed ions and neutrals from matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) were measured outside the common MALDI conditions. In this work, we measured the ratios under common MALDI conditions. METHODS Ions were detected using a time-of-flight mass spectrometer in combination with a time-gated ion imaging detector. Mass-resolved desorbed neutral molecules at different angles and velocities were measured using a modified crossed molecular beam apparatus. RESULTS The upper limit of the ion-to-neutral ratio from pure 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (25DHB) is 4 × 10−9 at laser fluence 40 J/m2, it increases to 3 × 10−7 at laser fluence 250 J/m2. The ratios of matrix from the mixture of 25DHB and analyte remain in the same order of magnitude as pure 25DHB. However, the ratio of analyte depends strongly on the analyte. Values as large as 10−3–10−4 for bradykinin and as small as

Angular resolved velocity distributions of laser desorbed neutral matrices (dihydroxybenzoic acids, DHB) and analytes (tryptophan) embedded in these matrices were investigated at 322 nm by a modified crossed molecular beam apparatus. Desorbed ions generated from MALDI were measured by a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Desorptions of neutral matrix and analyte from 2,3-DHB, 2,4-DHB, 2,5-DHB, 2,6-DHB, and 3,5--DHB at 322 nm have similar properties, but the ion intensities are in the order 2,3DHB ≅ 2,6-DHB > 2,5-DHB ≅ 2,4-DHB > 3,5-DHB. It indicates that the combination of various parameters related to neutral species, including absorption coefficient, sublimation energy, contact of analyte and matrix in crystal, and plume dynamics of desorbed species are not crucial in the determination of MALDI process for DHB isomers. The difference of matrix activity of DHB isomers at this wavelength must result from the other properties, like the excited state lifetime, proton affinity, gas-phase basicity, acidity, ionization energy, or the other properties related to the primary reactions in ion generation.

Ultraviolet laser pulses at 355 nm with variable pulse widths in the region from 170 ps to 1.5 ns were used to investigate the ionization mechanism of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) for matrices 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB), α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA), and sinapinic acid (SA). The mass spectra of desorbed ions and the intensity and velocity distribution of desorbed neutrals were measured simultaneously for each laser shot. These quantities were found to be independent of the laser pulse width. A comparison of the experimental measurements and numerical simulations according to the multiphoton ionization, coupled photophysical and chemical dynamics (CPCD), and thermally induced proton transfer models showed that the predictions of thermally induced proton transfer model were in agreement with the experimental data, but those of the multiphoton ionization model were not. Moreover, the predictions of the CPCD model based on singlet-singlet energy pooling were inconsistent with the experimental data of CHCA and SA, but were consistent with the experimental data of DHB only when some parameters used in the model were adjusted to extreme values. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Otto Hahn, a Pioneer of Radiochemistry, was the founder of this journal. Glenn T. Seaborg was a beacon of light for nuclear and actinide chemists and F. Sherwood Rowland for hot atom chemists. Yuan T. Lee performed extra-ordinary molecular beam studies of hot atom chemical reactions. Editor Radiochim. Acta 100, – (2012) / DOI 10.1524/ract.2012. © by Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, Munchen 503 509 8005

An aqueous acetonitrile solution containing oligosaccharides (maltopentaose and polysaccharides) and a matrix (2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid) was frozen at 100 K for mass analysis using ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (UV-MALDI). Compared with conventional UV-MALDI (i.e., using a dry analyte/matrix mixture), a frozen solution generates more oligosaccharide ions and less fragments from postsource decay. Furthermore, the ion signal is long-lasting, and the analyte distribution features enhanced homogeneity. The ion generation efficiency for this procedure is 20-30 times greater than that for a conventional dried mixture. Interestingly, the percentages for maltopentaose fragmentation from postsource decay for the frozen samples are close to zero (2%), as compared with the 17% and 40% values found for dried samples at low and high laser fluences, respectively. Comparisons with other UV matrixes (α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid and sinapinic acid) and ionic liquids (2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid + pyridine and α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid + butylamine) were investigated, and possible mechanisms are discussed.

The photochemistry of the ClO dimer (ClOOCl) plays a central role in the catalytic destruction of polar stratospheric ozone. In spite of decades of intense investigations, some of its laboratory photochemical data had not reached the desired accuracy to allow a reliable simulation of the stratospheric ozone loss until recently. Inevitable impurities in ClOOCl samples have obstructed conventional measurements. In particular, an absorption measurement of ClOOCl in 2007, which gave much lower cross sections than previous studies, implied that the formation of the ozone hole cannot be explained with current chemical models. Scientists have wondered whether the model is insufficient or the data is erroneous. Efforts aiming to resolve this controversy are reviewed in this paper, which emphasizes newly developed experiments to determine two critical photochemical properties of ClOOCl--its absorption cross section and product branching ratio--including the first reported product branching ratio at 351.8 nm photolysis.

We describe the development and application of a differentially pumped pulsed cold H2 and (H2)2 beam source. The nozzle was cooled with liquid nitrogen and, actuated by a piezoelectric valve with pressures up to 5 bar, produced gas pulses 250 μs long. Strong limitations by collisions with the fast hydrogen molecules returning from the walls of the source chamber could be overcome by surrounding the volume around nozzle and skimmer with cold surfaces. As a consequence, the beam intensities for both the monomer and the clusters could be greatly enhanced. The valve was operated without any realignment for more than one year. The beam source was characterized by a number of photo-ionization studies. As a part of these efforts the presumably first laser-based single-photon ionization spectra of H2 and (H2)2 were obtained. We estimate that more than ten $\mathrm{H}_{3}^{+}$ ions could be detected per laser shot at a wavelength of 74.2 nm and a pressure of 5 bar. The auto-ionization lines of H2 were recorded with a resolution of about 0.54 cm−1. A line width of about 629 MHz was obtained in the B←X band system of hydrogen observed by resonance-enhanced two-photon ionization. Further potential improvements of the experiment are discussed.

This work presents a novel chemical ionization method for producing intact molecular ions from nonvolatile samples. The ionization reaction combined the ejection of material by laser desorption (LD) and ionization by proton-transfer reactions (PTR) with protonated reagent clusters such as H + /H 3 + , H + (H 2 O) n , or H + (NH 3 ) m . The exoergicity of soft PTR was optimized using reagent cluster ions of appropriate proton affinities usually with high solvation numbers. The fragmentation of product ions was suppressed via thermalization with buffer gas or the evaporative cooling of the solvating molecules, and the protonated analyte–reagent complexes were obtained when low PTR exoergicity was achieved. The intact-to-fragment ratio of phenylalanine-glycine-glycine obtained by the LD-PTR roughly increased 28 times in comparison with that by MALDI. Protonated sucrose was also obtained with negligible fragments, although a harsh desorption condition was applied. The LD-PTR method allows the examination of neutral compositions produced in the LD process and facilitates the production of protonated analytes that cannot be obtained by conventional ionization strategies.

Phenol is an important model molecule for the theoretical and experimental investigation of dissociation in the multistate potential energy surfaces. Recent theoretical calculations [X. Xu et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 136, 16378 (2014)] suggest that the phenoxyl radical produced in both the X and A states from the O-H bond fission in phenol can contribute substantially to the slow component of photofragment translational energy distribution. However, current experimental techniques struggle to separate the contributions from different dissociation pathways. A new type of time-resolved pump-probe experiment is described that enables the selection of the products generated from a specific time window after molecules are excited by a pump laser pulse and can quantitatively characterize the translational energy distribution and branching ratio of each dissociation pathway. This method modifies conventional photofragment translational spectroscopy by reducing the acceptance angles of the detection region and changing the interaction region of the pump laser beam and the molecular beam along the molecular beam axis. The translational energy distributions and branching ratios of the phenoxyl radicals produced in the X, A, and B states from the photodissociation of phenol at 213 and 193 nm are reported. Unlike other techniques, this method has no interference from the undissociated hot molecules. It can ultimately become a standard pump-probe technique for the study of large molecule photodissociation in multistates.

Interatomic potentials for Ne2 derived from recent differential elastic scattering cross section measurements and properties of solid neon are presented. Cross sections and second virial coefficients are calculated with the proposed potentials and comparisons with experiment are made. The Ne2 potential derived from scattering data only is shown to provide a good fit to the solid state data.

Photodissociation experiments employing molecular beams of N-methylindole, N-methylpyrrole, and anisole at 193 and 248 nm, respectively, have been conducted using multimass ion imaging techniques. We find that CH3 elimination is the sole dissociation channel for the studied molecules at both 193 and 248 nm. The photofragment translational energy distribution of anisole is found to contain both fast and slow components at the two wavelengths. On the other hand, a fast component (large recoil velocity) is dominant for N-methylindole at 248 nm, and a slow component (small recoil velocity) is dominant at 193 nm. The absorption coefficient of N-methylpyrrole is too weak for study at 248 nm. The photofragment translational energy distribution at 193 nm includes a large portion of the slow component and a small portion of the fast component. The findings indicate that the fast component corresponds to dissociation from the repulsive excited state and the slow component corresponding to dissociation from the ground electronic state. A comparison with the photodissociation dynamics of phenol, pyrrole, and indole suggests that replacement of the H atom by CH3 does not change the dissociation channels on the excited state. However, the respective dissociation channels for anisole and N-methylpyrrole on the ground state differ significantly from that for phenol and pyrrole.

Photodissociation of 2,5-dihydroxyacetophenone (DHAP), an important matrix compound in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI), was studied in a molecular beam at 193 nm using multimass ion imaging techniques. Two major dissociation channels were observed, including (1) C(6)H(3)(OH)(2)COCH(3) --> OC(6)H(3)(OH)COCH(3) + H and (2) C(6)H(3)(OH)(2)COCH(3) --> C(6)H(3)(OH)(2) + COCH(3). The minor channels include C(6)H(3)(OH)(2)COCH(3) --> C(6)H(3)(OH)(2)CO + CH(3) and/or C(6)H(3)(OH)(2)COCH(3) --> C(6)H(3)(OH)(2) + CO + CH(3). The photofragment translational energy distribution suggests that reaction 1 occurs at an excited state in which the potential along the O-H bond distance is repulsive. Comparison to the branching ratios from RRKM calculations suggests that reaction 2 does not occur at either the ground state or the triplet state or that if it does occur at one of these states it must not follow the RRKM model. A comparison to the photodissociation dynamics of acetophenone and phenol and its derivatives was made.

This work studies the expansion dynamics of molecules ejected from sample crystals in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) reaction. Measurements were made in two steps–sample desorption using a 355 nm pulsed laser beam and gas-phase postionization using a 266 nm laser at various delays. The estimated ion production yield is approximately 104 times better than that obtained using conventional MALDI methods. A model system of co-crystallized tryptophan (Trp) analyte and 2,4,6-trihydroxyacetophenone (THAP) matrix yielded overlapping time-of-arrival profiles. This result suggests that translational behaviours of gas-phase Trp and THAP are thermalized during expansion. The observed plume velocity depends strongly on the matrix and analyte composition: the most probable velocity is 214 m/s for pure Trp and 450 m/s for pure THAP. The incorporation of Trp into THAP makes both their velocities fall between the two extreme cases. Multiple half-space Maxwellian curves adequately describe the observed...

The photodissociation of 1-naphthol at 193 and 248 nm was studied using multimass ion imaging techniques under collisionless conditions. Only one dissociation channel was observed, i.e. H atom elimination. The translational energy distributions show two components at both wavelengths. The slow component corresponds to the dissociation from the ground electronic state after internal conversion, and the fast component results from the dissociation on the electronic excited state. Comparison with the photodissociation of phenol was made.

The photodissociation of phenol at 193 and 248 nm was studied using multimass ion-imaging techniques and step-scan time-resolved Fourier-transform spectroscopy. The major dissociation channels at 193 nm include cleavage of the OH bond, elimination of CO, and elimination of H(2)O. Only the former two channels are observed at 248 nm. The translational energy distribution shows that H-atom elimination occurs in both the electronically excited and ground states, but elimination of CO or H(2)O occurs in the electronic ground state. Rotationally resolved emission spectra of CO (1or= vor= 4) in the spectral region of 1860-2330 cm(-1) were detected upon photolysis at 193 nm. After a correction for rotational quenching, CO (vor= 4) shows a nascent rotational temperature of approximately 4600 K. The observed vibrational distribution of (v = 1)/(v = 2)/(v = 3)/(v = 4) = 64.3/22.2/9.1/4.4 corresponds to a vibrational temperature of 3350 +/- 20 K. An average rotational energy of 6.9 +/- 0.7 kcal mol(-1) and vibrational energy of 3.8 +/- 0.7 kcal mol(-1) are observed for the CO product. The dissociation channels, translational energy distributions of the photofragment, and vibrational and rotational energies of product CO are consistent with potential energy surfaces from quantum chemical calculations and the branching ratios from an RRKM calculation.

The photodissociation of p-methylphenol, p-ethylphenol, and p-(2-aminoethyl)phenol, chromophores of the amino acid tyrosine, was studied separately for each compound in a molecular beam at 248 nm using multimass ion imaging techniques. They show interesting side-chain size-dependent dissociation properties. Only one dissociation channel, that is, H atom elimination, was observed for both p-methylphenol and p-ethylphenol. The photofragment translational energy distributions and potential energy surfaces from ab initio calculation suggest that H atom elimination occurs from a repulsive excited state. On the other hand, the H atom elimination channel is quenched completely by internal conversion and/or intersystem crossing in p-(2-aminoethyl)phenol. Only C-C bond cleavage was observed from p-(2-aminoethyl)phenol. The photofragment translational energy distribution shows a slow component and a fast component. The fast component results from dissociation on an electronic excited state, but the slow component occurs only after the internal conversion to the ground electronic state. Comparison with the photodissociation of phenol and ethylbenzene is made.

The recombination of oxygen atoms with oxygen molecules to form ozone exhibits several strange chemical characteristics, including unusually large differences in formation rate coefficients when different isotopes of oxygen participate. Purely statistical chemical reaction rate theories cannot describe these isotope effects, suggesting that reaction dynamics must play an important role. We investigated the dynamics of the 18O + 32O2 --O3(*) --16O + 34O2 isotope exchange reaction (which proceeds on the same potential energy surface as ozone formation) using crossed atomic and molecular beams at a collision energy of 7.3 kcal mol(-1), providing the first direct experimental evidence that the dissociation of excited ozone exhibits significant nonstatistical behavior. These results are compared with quantum statistical and quasi-classical trajectory calculations in order to gain insight into the potential energy surface and the dynamics of ozone formation.

In a study of the metal-related ion generation mechanism in matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI), crystals of matrix used in MALDI were grown from matrix- and salt-containing solutions. The intensities of metal ion and metal adducts of the matrix ion obtained from unwashed crystals were higher than those from crystals washed with deionized water, indicating that metal ions and metal adducts of the matrix ions are mainly generated from the surface of crystals. The contributions of preformed metal ions and metal adducts of the matrix ions inside the matrix crystals were minor. Metal adducts of the matrix and analyte ion intensities generated from a mixture of dried matrix, salt, and analyte powders were similar to or higher than those generated from the powder of dried droplet crystals, indicating that the contributions of the preformed metal adducts of the matrix and analyte ions were insignificant. Correlation between metal-related ion intensity fluctuation and protonated ion intensity fluctuation was observed, indicating that the generation mechanism of the metal-related ions is similar to that of the protonated ions. Because the thermally induced proton transfer model effectively describes the generation of the protonated ions, we suggest that metal-related ions are mainly generated from the salt dissolution in the matrix melted by the laser. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

We measured angular-anisotropy parameters beta(E(t)) of fragments from photolysis of ethene and four isotopic variants at 157 nm using photo-fragment translational spectroscopy and selective photoionization. The averaged beta value of products ranges from -0.17 to 0.10, depending on dissociation pathways. Angular distributions of atomic hydrogen produced from C(2)H(4) and C(2)D(4) are isotropic. For dissociation into C(2)H(2) + H(2), beta has a small negative value whereas dissociation into C(2)D(2) + D(2) has an isotropic angular distribution. The photolysis of dideuterated ethene reveals site and isotopic effects on the angular distributions of products; products H(2), HD, and D(2) from photolysis of 1,1-CH(2)CD(2) have negative, nearly zero, and positive values of beta, respectively. Molecular hydrogen from photolysis of 1,2-cis-CHDCHD has a negative beta value and the anisotropy has a trend D(2) > H(2) > HD. Photolysis of 1,2-trans-CHDCDH produced a result similar to photolysis of 1,2-cis-CHDCHD for the angular anisotropy of molecular hydrogen except slightly more isotropic. A calculation of optimized geometries of ethene in the ground electronic state and pertinent transition structures enables a qualitative interpretation of the site and isotopic effects on the angular anisotropy of products. We deduce that the photoexcited state of ethene at 157 nm has a major character (1)B(1u) that produces a transition dipolar moment parallel to the C=C bond.

Photoisomerization and photodissociation of toluene, xylene, 4-methyl-pyridine, and aniline under collision-free conditions are reviewed. For many years, it was thought that all the isomerization of aromatic molecules could be described in terms of ring permutation. One important characteristic of ring permutation is that the atoms belonging to the alkyl or amino groups attached to the aromatic ring are not involved in the exchange with the atoms within the aromatic ring. Only the relative positions of these alkyl or amino groups are changed. However, the observation of new dissociation products from toluene, xylene, 4-methyl-pyridine, and aniline suggests that a small fraction of these molecules undergo another kind of isomerization prior to dissociation. This isomerization involves the exchange between six-membered ring and seven-membered ring structures. It provides a new pathway for aromatic molecules to undergo totally different structural change. The significance of this isomerization is that the carbon atoms (or nitrogen atom) and hydrogen atoms belonging to the alkyl group (or amino group) attached to the aromatic ring are involved in an exchange with those atoms in the aromatic ring during the isomerization. The structural change and competition between isomerization and bond dissociation are discussed.