2-Nitrophenyl Aryl Sulfides Undergo Both Intramolecular and Electrospray-Induced Intermolecular Oxidation of Sulfur: An Experimental and Theoretical Case Study

Protonated N-Alkyl-2-nitroanilines Undergo Intramolecular Oxidation of the Alkyl Chain upon Collisional Activation

The collisional activation of protonated N-propyl-2-nitroaniline obtained by electrospray ionization shows two major competitive dissociation pathways: the elimination of the elements of propionic acid, [M + H - C₃H₆O₂]⁺ to give an m/z 107 ion, and of the elements of ethanol, [M + H - C₂H₆O]⁺ to give an m/z 135 ion. The mechanistic study reported here addresses these unusual fragmentations to reveal that both occur via a common intermediate formed by the transfer of an oxygen atom from the nitro group to the first carbon atom of the propyl group, allowing elimination of propionic acid and (H₂O + ethene), respectively. The corresponding loss of CH₄O does not occur when the propyl group is replaced by an ethyl group, but elimination of the elements of propanol does occur when propyl is replaced by a butyl group. Further, the product ions of m/z 107 and 135 are also formed when the propyl chain is replaced with a hexyl group.

Theoretical study of 11-thiocyanatoundecanoic acid phenylamide derivatives on corrosion inhibition efficiencies

Ab initio Hartree–Fock (HF) and Density Functional Theory (DFT) B3LYP methods with the 6-311G(d,p) basis set were applied to the three 11-thiocyanatoundecanoic acid phenylamide derivatives as corrosion inhibitors. Inhibition efficiency obtained experimentally followed the following order: N-(4-methoxyphenyl)-11-thiocyanatoundecanamide (N3MPTUA) > N-phenyl-11-thiocyanatoundecanamide (NPTUA) > N-(3-nitrophenyl)-11-thiocyanatoundecanamide (N3NPTUA). The molecular parameters most relevant to their potential action as corrosion inhibitors have been calculated in the neutral and protonated forms: EHOMO, ELUMO, energy gap (ΔE), dipole moment (μD), electronegativity (χ), global hardness (η), and the fraction of electrons transferred from the inhibitor molecule to the metallic atom (ΔN). The results of most of the global reactivity descriptors show that the experimental and theoretical studies agree well, and confirm that N3MPTUA is a better inhibitor than NPTUA or N3NPTUA. In addition, the local reactivity, analyzed through Fukui functions, show that the oxygen and nitrogen atoms will be the main adsorption sites.

Chemical and technical challenges in the analysis of central carbon metabolites by liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry

This review deals with chemical and technical challenges in the analysis of small-molecule metabolites involved in central carbon and energy metabolism via liquid-chromatography mass-spectrometry (LC-MS). The covered analytes belong to the prominent pathways in biochemical carbon oxidation such as glycolysis or the tricarboxylic acid cycle and, for the most part, share unfavorable properties such as a high polarity, chemical instability or metal-affinity. The topic is introduced by selected examples on successful applications of metabolomics in the clinic. In the core part of the paper, the structural features of important analyte classes such as nucleotides, coenzyme A thioesters or carboxylic acids are linked to "problematic hotspots" along the analytical chain (sample preparation and-storage, separation and detection). We discuss these hotspots from a chemical point of view, covering issues such as analyte degradation or interactions with metals and other matrix components. Based on this understanding we propose solutions wherever available. A major notion derived from these considerations is that comprehensive carbon metabolomics inevitably requires multiple, complementary analytical approaches covering different chemical classes of metabolites.

Influence of oxidation state of sulfur on the dissociation of [Tz-(CH2)n-S(O)m-(CH2)n-Tz + Na+] adducts generated by electrospray ionization (Tz = tetrazole ring; n = 2, 3; m= 0, 1, 2)

Sodium adducts of six organosulfur-α,ω-ditetrazole compounds (Tz-(CH(2))(n)-S(O)(m)-(CH(2))(n)-Tz; where Tz = tetrazole ring; n = 2, 3; m = 0, 1, 2) were generated via electrospray ionization (ESI) and their fragmentation pattern assessed via collision-induced dissociation (CID). Two main dissociation channels were observed: (a) losses of N(2) and HN(3) from the tetrazole rings; (b) cleavage of the C-S bond. The sulfoxides pass predominantly through the second fragmentation pathway, but for the sulfides and sulfones the tetrazole ring fragmentation occurs. Theoretical calculations at the B3LYP/6-31 + G(d,p) level indicate that for all the adducts (sulfide, sulfoxide, and sulfone) the dissociation pathway that leads to product ions arising from loss of N(2) was the most exothermic. Based on these results and assumptions, it was postulated that the dissociation of the sulfoxide adducts occurs under kinetic control (N(2)-loss pathway via a much more energetic transition state). For the sulfide and sulfone adducts, on the other hand, the dissociation process takes place via a thermodynamically controlled process.