Core level (S 2p) excitation and fragmentation of the dimethyl sulfide and dimethyldisulfide molecules

X-ray Induced Fragmentation of Protonated Cystine

We demonstrate site-specific X-ray induced fragmentation across the sulfur L-edge of protonated cystine, the dimer of the amino acid cysteine. Ion yield NEXAFS were performed in the gas phase using electrospray ionization (ESI) in combination with an ion trap. The interpretation of the sulfur L-edge NEXAFS spectrum is supported by Restricted Open-Shell Configuration Interaction (ROCIS) calculations. The fragmentation pathway of triply charged cystine ions was modeled by Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations. We have deduced a possible pathway of fragmentation upon excitation and ionization of S 2p electrons. The disulfide bridge breaks for resonant excitation at lower photon energies but remains intact upon higher energy resonant excitation and upon ionization of S 2p. The larger fragments initially formed subsequently break into smaller fragments.

Are disulfide bonds resilient to double ionization? Insights from coincidence spectroscopy and ab initio calculations

Disulfide bonds (-S-S-) are commonly present in biomolecules and have also been detected in astrophysical environments. In this work, the stability of the disulfide bond towards double ionization is investigated using quantum chemical calculations and photoelectron photoion photoion coincidence (PEPIPICO) spectroscopy measurements on the prototype dimethyl disulfide (CH3SSCH3, DMDS) molecule. The experiments were performed using high energy synchrotron radiation photons before (2465.0 eV) and at (2470.9 eV) the first sigma resonance around the S 1s edge. We applied the multivariate normal distribution analysis to identify the most plausible ionic fragmentation mechanisms from the doubly ionized DMDS. By mapping the minimum energy structures on the dicationic C2H6S2 2+ potential energy surface, we show that disulfide bonds are only present in high-lying isomers, in contrast to their analogous neutral systems. Our results also indicate that the number of fragment ions containing a disulfide bond for both photon energies is negligible. Taken together, our results reveal that the disulfide bond is severely damaged as a consequence of sulfur core-shell ionization processes, due to the lowering of its thermodynamic stability in multiply-charged systems.

Core Shell Investigation of 2-nitroimidazole

Tunability and selectivity of synchrotron radiation have been used to study the excitation and ionization of 2-nitroimidazole at the C, N, and O K-edges. The combination of a set of different measurements (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, near-edge photoabsorption spectroscopy, Resonant Auger electron spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry) and computational modeling have successfully disclosed local effects due to the chemical environment on both excitation/ionization and fragmentation of the molecule.

Tracing the 267 nm-Induced Radical Formation in Dimethyl Disulfide Using Time-Resolved X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy

Disulfide bonds are pivotal for the structure, function, and stability of proteins, and understanding ultraviolet (UV)-induced S-S bond cleavage is highly relevant for elucidating the fundamental mechanisms underlying protein photochemistry. Here, the near-UV photodecomposition mechanisms in gas-phase dimethyl disulfide, a prototype system with a S-S bond, are probed by ultrafast transient X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The evolving electronic structure during and after the dissociation is simultaneously monitored at the sulfur L_1,2,3-edges and the carbon K-edge with 100 fs (FWHM) temporal resolution using the broadband soft X-ray spectrum from a femtosecond high-order harmonics light source. Dissociation products are identified with the help of ADC and RASPT2 electronic-structure calculations. Rapid dissociation into two CH₃S radicals within 120 ± 30 fs is identified as the major relaxation pathway after excitation with 267 nm radiation. Additionally, a 30 ± 10% contribution from asymmetric CH₃S₂ + CH₃ dissociation is indicated by the appearance of CH₃ radicals, which is, however, at least partly the result of multiphoton excitation.

Breaking the disulfide chemical bond using high energy photons: the dimethyl disulfide and methyl propyl disulfide molecules

In order to study the stability of the disulfide chemical bond in molecules subjected to a flux of high energy photons, the ionic fragmentation of DMDS and MPDS has been studied following excitation around the S 1s edge (∼2470 eV).

Application of a multivariate normal distribution methodology to the dissociation of doubly ionized molecules: The DMDS (CH3 -SS-CH3 ) case

RATIONALE

The ion-ion-coincidence mass spectroscopy technique brings useful information about the fragmentation dynamics of doubly and multiply charged ionic species. We advocate the use of a matrix-parameter methodology in order to represent and interpret the entire ion-ion spectra associated with the ionic dissociation of doubly charged molecules. This method makes it possible, among other things, to infer fragmentation processes and to extract information about overlapped ion-ion coincidences. This important piece of information is difficult to obtain from other previously described methodologies.

METHODS

A Wiley-McLaren time-of-flight mass spectrometer was used to discriminate the positively charged fragment ions resulting from the sample ionization by a pulsed 800 eV electron beam. We exemplify the application of this methodology by analyzing the fragmentation and ionic dissociation of the dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) molecule as induced by fast electrons. The doubly charged dissociation was analyzed using the Multivariate Normal Distribution.

RESULTS

The ion-ion spectrum of the DMDS molecule was obtained at an incident electron energy of 800 eV and was matrix represented using the Multivariate Distribution theory. The proposed methodology allows us to distinguish information among [CH_n SH_n ]⁺ /[CH₃ ]⁺ (n = 1-3) fragment ions in the ion-ion coincidence spectra using ion-ion coincidence data. Using the momenta balance methodology for the inferred parameters, a secondary decay mechanism is proposed for the [CHS]⁺ ion formation. As an additional check on the methodology, previously published data on the SiF₄ molecule was re-analyzed with the present methodology and the results were shown to be statistically equivalent.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of a Multivariate Normal Distribution allows for the representation of the whole ion-ion mass spectrum of doubly or multiply ionized molecules as a combination of parameters and the extraction of information among overlapped data. We have successfully applied this methodology to the analysis of the fragmentation of the DMDS molecule. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Spin-orbit splitting for inner-shell 2p states

A strategy to calculate spin-orbit splitting for inner-shell transitions at an ab initio level is presented. The initial wave function is calculated for a spinless Hamiltonian at a multiconfigurational level, with just a few configurations, followed by multireference configuration interaction in order to establish a set of singlet and triplet states at 2p excitation edge. Then, the full Breit-Pauli Hamiltonian is formed and diagonalized on this state basis. The spin-orbit splitting is determined by a graphical procedure depending on the intensity of the transition from ground state. The specific states studied are those originating from 2p transitions in argon, HCl, H2S, and PH3.