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Published on: January 9, 2014
Fischer Indole Synthesis in the Gas Phase, the Solution Phase, and at the Electrospray Droplet Interface
Ryan M Bain1, Stephen T Ayrton1, R Graham Cooks2
1560 Oval Drive Department of Chemistry and the Center for Analytical Instrumentation Development, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA.
Abstract:
Previous reports have shown that reactions occurring in the microdroplets formed during electrospray ionization can, under the right conditions, exhibit significantly greater rates than the corresponding bulk solution-phase reactions. The observed acceleration under electrospray ionization could result from a solution-phase, a gas-phase, or an interfacial reaction. This study shows that a gas-phase ion/molecule (or ion/ion) reaction is not responsible for the observed rate enhancement in the particular case of the Fischer indole synthesis. The results show that the accelerated reaction proceeds in the microdroplets, and evidence is provided that an interfacial process is involved. Graphical Abstract .
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