Structures of an* Ions Derived from Protonated Pentaglycine and Pentaalanine: Results from IRMPD Spectroscopy and DFT Calculations

Infrared multiple-photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy and DFT calculations have been used to probe the most stable structures of a 3 * and a 4 * ions derived from both protonated pentaglycine (denoted G5) and pentaalanine (A5). The a 3 * and a 4 * ions derived from protonated A5 feature a CHR=N-CHR’- group at the N-terminus and an oxazolone ring at the C-terminus, as proposed previously [J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 19, 1788–1798 (2008)]. The isomeric a 4 * ion derived from A5 with a 3,5-dihydro-4H-imidazol-4-one ring structure was calculated to have a slightly better energy than the oxazolone, but the barrier to its formation is higher and there was no evidence of this ion in the IRMPD spectrum. By contrast, the a 4 * and [a 4 – H2O]+ (denoted a 4 0 ) ions from G5 gave strikingly similar IRMPD spectra and both have the 3,5-dihydro-4H-imidazol-4-one ring structure similar to that recently reported for the [GGGG + H – H2O]+ ion [Int. J. Mass Spectrom. 316–318, 268–272 (2012)]. In the absence of a solvent molecule, the pathway to the oxazolone is calculated to be lower than those to thermodynamically more stable products, the a 4 0 and the a 4 * with the 3,5-dihydro-4H-imidazol-4-one ring structure. Incorporation of one water molecule is sufficient to reduce the barrier to formation of the a 4 0 of G5 to below that for formation of the oxazolone. On the equivalent potential energy surface for protonated A5 the barrier to formation of the a 4 0 ion is 12.3 kcal mol–1 higher than that for oxazolone formation and the a 4 0 ion is not observed experimentally.