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Related Concept Videos

Mass Spectrometry: Molecular Fragmentation Overview01:20

Mass Spectrometry: Molecular Fragmentation Overview

The ionization of a molecule into a molecular ion inside the mass spectrometer causes instability in the molecule's structure due to the loss of an electron. This eventually leads to the fragmentation or breaking of some bonds in the molecule. The fragmentation occurs predominantly at specific bonds to yield relatively stable fragments.
One type of fragmentation pattern is the cleavage of a single bond in the molecular ion. The cleavage leads to a radical and a cation. The cleavage can occur at...
Chemical Ionization (CI) Mass Spectrometry01:21

Chemical Ionization (CI) Mass Spectrometry

The molecular ion peak of a molecule in the mass spectrum provides vital information for molecular identification. However, conventional electron impact ionization can lead to the rapid dissociation of some molecular ions before they reach the detector. A milder ionization method is required to increase the lifetime of such ionized analyte molecules. Chemical ionization (CI) is a gas-phase protonation reaction useful for mass-analyzing analyte molecules that are easily protonated to yield the...
Mass Spectrometry: Carboxylic Acid, Ester, and Amide Fragmentation01:01

Mass Spectrometry: Carboxylic Acid, Ester, and Amide Fragmentation

The fragmentation patterns observed for compounds such as carboxylic acids, esters, and amides in the mass spectra include ⍺-cleavage and McLafferty rearrangement. Fragmentation by ⍺-cleavage preferentially occurs at the carbon-carbon bond at the ⍺-position next to the carboxylic group to generate a neutral radical and a cation. Long chain compounds with hydrogen at their γ-carbon undergo McLafferty rearrangement to give a radical cation and a neutral alkene.
For example, the fragmentation of...
¹³C NMR: Distortionless Enhancement by Polarization Transfer (DEPT)01:20

¹³C NMR: Distortionless Enhancement by Polarization Transfer (DEPT)

When proton-coupled carbon-13 spectra are simplified by a broadband proton decoupling technique, structural information about the coupled protons is lost. Distortionless enhancement by polarization transfer (DEPT) is a technique that provides information on the number of hydrogens attached to each carbon in a molecule. While the DEPT experiment utilizes complex pulse sequences, the pulse delay and flip angle are specifically manipulated. The resulting signals have different phases depending on...
Mass Spectrometry of Amines01:15

Mass Spectrometry of Amines

In mass spectroscopy, amines undergo fragmentation to give parent ions with odd molecule weights. This observed mass spectrum follows the nitrogen rule; a molecule with an odd number of nitrogen atoms produces a molecular ion with an odd molecular weight. Amines undergo fragmentation through α cleavage, producing nitrogen-containing cations—iminium ions—and alkyl radicals. Mass spectra of aromatic and cyclic aliphatic amines exhibit strong molecular ion peaks, but acyclic aliphatic amines show...
Mass Spectrometry: Amine Fragmentation00:55

Mass Spectrometry: Amine Fragmentation

Amines can be identified using mass spectroscopy based on their characteristic fragmentation patterns. The molecular ions of amines undergo fragmentation via ⍺-cleavage. The ⍺-cleavage of the carbon-carbon bonds in amines generates an alkyl radical and resonance-stabilized nitrogen-containing cation.
In amines, the number of nitrogen atoms affects the mass of the molecular ion, which is described by the nitrogen rule of mass spectrometry. This rule states that a compound containing a single or...

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Photoelectron Imaging of Anions Illustrated by 310 Nm Detachment of F&#8722;
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Dissociative electron attachment to gas-phase formamide.

T Hamann1, A Edtbauer, F Ferreira da Silva

  • 1Universität Bremen, Institut für Angewandte und Physikalische Chemie, Fachbereich 2 (Chemie/Biologie), Bremen, Germany.

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP
|June 8, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Dissociative electron attachment to formamide reveals site-selective hydrogen loss. This study identifies key fragment ions and resonances, suggesting formamide

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Area of Science:

  • Physical Chemistry
  • Chemical Physics
  • Molecular Dynamics

Background:

  • Formamide is a fundamental molecule with potential applications in surface functionalization.
  • Understanding electron-molecule interactions is crucial for controlling chemical reactions.
  • Dissociative electron attachment (DEA) provides insights into molecular fragmentation pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the dissociative electron attachment (DEA) process in gaseous formamide (HCONH2).
  • To identify and characterize negative ion fragments and resonant dissociation channels.
  • To explore the site selectivity of hydrogen atom loss during DEA.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a crossed electron/molecule beam technique to study DEA to formamide.
  • Employed deuterated formamide derivatives (DCONH2, HCOND2) for fragment identification.
  • Applied high-resolution negative ion mass spectrometry to resolve specific ion fragments.

Main Results:

  • Identified multiple negative ion fragments including HCONH(-), CONH2(-), CN(-), NH2(-), and H(-).
  • Resolved four resonant dissociation channels, with significant resonances between 2.0–2.7 eV and 6.0–7.0 eV.
  • Demonstrated site-selective loss of neutral hydrogen, with N-site dissociation at 2.0–2.7 eV and C-site dissociation at 6.0–7.0 eV.

Conclusions:

  • The study elucidates the fragmentation mechanisms of formamide under electron impact.
  • Site-selective hydrogen loss provides a pathway for controlled surface functionalization using formamide.
  • Formamide shows promise as an agent for electron-induced surface modification.