Recent advances in negative ion mass spectrometry

Area of Science:

• Physical Chemistry
• Chemical Physics
• Mass Spectrometry

Background:

• Negative ion chemistry is crucial for understanding molecular reactions.
• Advanced spectroscopic techniques are needed to probe ion structures and reaction mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To detail theoretical and applied advancements in negative ion chemistry.
• To explore kinetic energy release in negative ion decompositions.
• To showcase charge inversion spectroscopy as a tool for structural elucidation.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of kinetic energy release in negative metastable ion decompositions (cleavage, rearrangement, dual mechanisms).
• Application of deuterium isotope effects to probe reaction mechanisms.
• Charge stripping of negative ions to generate positive ions for dissociative charge inversion spectroscopy.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated deuterium isotope effects in the elimination of ketene from quinone acetate negative ions.
• Established charge inversion spectroscopy for studying otherwise inaccessible positive ions.
• Showcased the technique's ability to provide a fingerprint for parent positive ions and determine precursor negative ion structure.

Conclusions:

• Negative ion chemistry applications have been advanced through kinetic energy release studies.
• Charge inversion spectroscopy is a powerful technique for structural determination of ions.
• Combining negative ion and charge inversion spectra offers a robust analytical method for unknown molecule structure elucidation.