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Updated: May 8, 2026

A Study of the Complexation of Mercury(II) with Dicysteinyl Tetrapeptides by Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry
Published on: January 8, 2016
Cyanide-arene Meisenheimer complex generated in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry using acetonitrile as a
Barbara Chiavarino1, Philippe Maitre, Simonetta Fornarini
1Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy.
Abstract:
The C - C bond formation activated under negative electrospray ionization of an acetonitrile solution of 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene is reported. The solvent function is to provide a source of cyanide ion, a highly problematic reagent, which is found to attack the electron-deficient aromatic ring to form a covalently bound anionic complex (Meisenheimer complex). The structure of the complex is elucidated by means of collision induced dissociation mass spectrometry and IR multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy in the 'fingerprint' region.
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