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A neutralization–reionization and reactivity mass spectrometry study of the generation of neutral hydroxymethylene
Author(s) -
Lin Yawei,
Crestoni Maria Elisa,
Fornarini Simonetta,
Mayer Paul M.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of mass spectrometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.475
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9888
pISSN - 1076-5174
DOI - 10.1002/jms.1923
Subject(s) - chemistry , reionization , dissociation (chemistry) , kinetic isotope effect , ion , mass spectrometry , collision induced dissociation , reactivity (psychology) , analytical chemistry (journal) , kinetic energy , formaldehyde , ionization , tandem mass spectrometry , deuterium , atomic physics , organic chemistry , medicine , physics , alternative medicine , chromatography , pathology , quantum mechanics
Neutral hydroxymethylene HCOH is an important intermediate in several chemical reactions; however, it is difficult to observe due to its high reactivity. In this work, neutral hydroxymethylene and formaldehyde were generated by charge exchange neutralization of their respective ionic counterparts and then were reionized and detected as positive‐ion recovery signals in neutralization–reionization mass spectrometry in a magnetic sector instrument of BEE geometry. The reionized species were characterized by their subsequent collision‐induced dissociation mass spectra. The transient hydroxymethylene neutral was observed to isomerize to formaldehyde with an experimental time span exceeding 13.9 µs. The vertical neutralization energy of the HCOH +• ion has also been assayed using charge transfer reactions between the fast ions and stationary target gases of differing ionization energy. The measured values match the result of ab initio calculations at the QCISD/6‐311 + G(d,p) and CCSD(T)/6‐311 + + G(3df,2p) levels of theory. Neutral hydroxymethylene was also produced by proton transfer from CH 2 OH + to a strong base such as pyridine, confirmed by appropriate isotopic labeling. There is a kinetic isotope effect (KIE) for H + versus D + transfer from the C atom of the hydroxymethyl cation of ∼3, consistent with a primary KIE of a nearly thermoneutral reaction. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.