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Milešević D, Popat D, Gellersen P, Liu Z, Stimson J, Robertson P, Green A, Vallance C. Design and characterization of an optical-fiber-coupled laser-induced desorption source for gas-phase dynamics experiments. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2023; 94:114105. [PMID: 37987631 DOI: 10.1063/5.0170080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Preparation of neutral non-volatile molecules intact in the gas phase for mass spectrometry or chemical dynamics experiments remains a challenge for many classes of molecules. Here, we report the design and characterization of a fiber-coupled laser-based thermal desorption source capable of preparing intact neutral molecules at high molecular densities in the gas phase for use in velocity-map imaging experiments. Within this source, the sample is deposited onto a thin tantalum foil. Irradiation of the foil from the reverse side by a focused laser beam leads to highly localized heating of the sample, resulting in desorption of a plume of molecules into the gas phase. The fiber-coupled design simplifies the alignment of the desorption laser beam, and the ability to rotate the foil relative to the fixed laser beam allows the sample to be continually refreshed under vacuum. We use 118 nm photoionization of three test molecules-uracil, adenine, and phenylalanine-to characterize the source and to demonstrate various aspects of its performance. These include the dependence of the velocity-map imaging performance on the size of the interaction region and the dependence of the laser-induced desorption source emission on desorption laser power and heating time. Signal levels recorded in these measurements are comparable to those we typically obtain in similar experiments using a pulsed supersonic molecular beam, and we, therefore, believe that the source has considerable potential for use in a wide range of chemical dynamics and other experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis Milešević
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Chemistry Research Laboratory, 12 Mansfield Rd., Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
| | - Divya Popat
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Chemistry Research Laboratory, 12 Mansfield Rd., Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Gellersen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Chemistry Research Laboratory, 12 Mansfield Rd., Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
| | - Zhihao Liu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Chemistry Research Laboratory, 12 Mansfield Rd., Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph Stimson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Chemistry Research Laboratory, 12 Mansfield Rd., Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
| | - Patrick Robertson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Chemistry Research Laboratory, 12 Mansfield Rd., Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Green
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Chemistry Research Laboratory, 12 Mansfield Rd., Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
| | - Claire Vallance
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Chemistry Research Laboratory, 12 Mansfield Rd., Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
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Wang S, Dauletyarov Y, Horke DA. High-Throughput UV Photoionization and Fragmentation of Neutral Biomolecules as a Structural Fingerprint. Molecules 2023; 28:5058. [PMID: 37446720 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28135058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
We present UV photofragmentation studies of the structural isomers paracetamol, 3-Pyridinepropionic acid (3-PPIA) and (R)-(-)-2-Phenylglycine. In particular, we utilized a new laser-based thermal desorption source in combination with femtosecond multiphoton ionization at 343 nm and 257 nm. The continuous nature of our molecule source, combined with the 50 kHz repetition rate of the laser, allowed us to perform these experiments at high throughput. In particular, we present detailed laser intensity dependence studies at both wavelengths, producing 2D mass spectra with highly differential information about the underlying fragmentation processes. We show that UV photofragmentation produces highly isomer-specific mass spectra, and assign all major fragmentation pathways observed. The intensity-dependence measurements, furthermore, allowed us to evaluate the appearance intensities for each fragmentation channel, which helped to distinguish competing from consecutive fragmentation pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siwen Wang
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Yerbolat Dauletyarov
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Daniel A Horke
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Dauletyarov Y, Wang S, Horke DA. Vaporization of Intact Neutral Biomolecules Using Laser-Based Thermal Desorption. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY 2023. [PMID: 37319337 DOI: 10.1021/jasms.3c00194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The production of a clean neutral molecular sample is a crucial step in many gas-phase spectroscopy and reaction dynamics experiments investigating neutral species. Unfortunately, conventional methods based on heating cannot be used with most nonvolatile biomolecules due to their thermal instability. In this paper, we demonstrate the application of laser-based thermal desorption (LBTD) to produce neutral molecular plumes of biomolecules such as dipeptides and lipids. Specifically, we report mass spectra of glycylglycine, glycyl-l-alanine, and cholesterol obtained using LBTD vaporization, followed by soft femtosecond multiphoton ionization (fs-MPI) at 400 nm. For all molecules, the signal from the intact precursor ion was observed, highlighting the softness and applicability of the LBTD and fs-MPI approach. In more detail, cholesterol underwent hardly any fragmentation. Both dipeptides fragmented significantly, although mostly through only a single channel, which we attribute to the fs-MPI process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yerbolat Dauletyarov
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Siwen Wang
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Daniel A Horke
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Wang S, Dauletyarov Y, Krüger P, Horke DA. High-throughput UV-photofragmentation studies of thymine and guanine. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:12322-12330. [PMID: 37083208 PMCID: PMC10155487 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp00328k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
High-throughput photofragmentation studies of thymine and guanine were performed at 257 and 343 nm and for a wide range of ionisation laser intensities. Combining a continuous laser-based thermal desorption source with femtosecond multiphoton ionisation using a 50 kHz repetition rate laser allowed us to produce detailed 2D maps of fragmentation as a function of incident laser intensity. The fragmentation was distinctly soft, the parent ions being at least an order of magnitude more abundant than fragment ions. For thymine there was a single dominant fragmentation channel, which involves consecutive HNCO and CO losses. In contrast, for guanine there were several competing ones, the most probable channel corresponding to CH2N2 loss through opening of the pyrimidine ring. The dependence of parent ion abundance on the ionisation laser intensity showed that at 257 nm the ionisation of thymine is a 1 + 1 resonance enhanced process through its open-shell singlet state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siwen Wang
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heijendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Yerbolat Dauletyarov
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heijendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Peter Krüger
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heijendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Daniel A Horke
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heijendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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Bakels S, Gaigeot MP, Rijs AM. Gas-Phase Infrared Spectroscopy of Neutral Peptides: Insights from the Far-IR and THz Domain. Chem Rev 2020; 120:3233-3260. [PMID: 32073261 PMCID: PMC7146864 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.9b00547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Gas-phase, double
resonance IR spectroscopy has proven to be an
excellent approach to obtain structural information on peptides ranging
from single amino acids to large peptides and peptide clusters. In
this review, we discuss the state-of-the-art of infrared action spectroscopy
of peptides in the far-IR and THz regime. An introduction to the field
of far-IR spectroscopy is given, thereby highlighting the opportunities
that are provided for gas-phase research on neutral peptides. Current
experimental methods, including spectroscopic schemes, have been reviewed.
Structural information from the experimental far-IR spectra can be
obtained with the help of suitable theoretical approaches such as
dynamical DFT techniques and the recently developed Graph Theory.
The aim of this review is to underline how the synergy between far-IR
spectroscopy and theory can provide an unprecedented picture of the
structure of neutral biomolecules in the gas phase. The far-IR signatures
of the discussed studies are summarized in a far-IR map, in order
to gain insight into the origin of the far-IR localized and delocalized
motions present in peptides and where they can be found in the electromagnetic
spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sjors Bakels
- Radboud University, Institute for Molecules and Materials, FELIX Laboratory, Toernooiveld 7-c, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Marie-Pierre Gaigeot
- LAMBE CNRS UMR8587, Université d'Evry val d'Essonne, Blvd F. Mitterrand, Bât Maupertuis, 91025 Evry, France
| | - Anouk M Rijs
- Radboud University, Institute for Molecules and Materials, FELIX Laboratory, Toernooiveld 7-c, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Teschmit N, Horke DA, Küpper J. Spatially Separating the Conformers of a Dipeptide. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018; 57:13775-13779. [PMID: 30106497 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201807646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Atomic-resolution-imaging approaches for single molecules, such as coherent X-ray diffraction at free-electron lasers, require the delivery of high-density beams of identical molecules. However, even very cold beams of biomolecules typically have multiple conformational states populated. We demonstrate the production of very cold (Trot ≈2.3 K) molecular beams of intact dipeptide molecules, which were then spatially separated into the individual populated conformational states. This is achieved using the combination of supersonic expansion laser-desorption vaporization with electrostatic deflection in strong inhomogeneous fields. This represents the first demonstration of a conformer-separated and rotationally cold molecular beam of a peptide, which enables the investigation of conformer-specific chemistry using inherently non-conformer-specific techniques. It furthermore represents a milestone toward the direct structural imaging of individual biological molecules with atomic resolution by ultrafast diffractive-imaging methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Teschmit
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany.,The Hamburg Center for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Chemistry, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 6, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Daniel A Horke
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany.,The Hamburg Center for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jochen Küpper
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany.,The Hamburg Center for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Chemistry, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 6, 20146, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Physics, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany
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Teschmit N, Horke DA, Küpper J. Räumliche Trennung der Konformere eines Dipeptids. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201807646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Teschmit
- Center for Free-Electron Laser ScienceDeutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY Notkestraße 85 22607 Hamburg Deutschland
- The Hamburg Center for Ultrafast ImagingUniversität Hamburg Luruper Chaussee 149 22761 Hamburg Deutschland
- Fachbereich ChemieUniversität Hamburg Martin-Luther-King-Platz 6 20146 Hamburg Deutschland
| | - Daniel A. Horke
- Center for Free-Electron Laser ScienceDeutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY Notkestraße 85 22607 Hamburg Deutschland
- The Hamburg Center for Ultrafast ImagingUniversität Hamburg Luruper Chaussee 149 22761 Hamburg Deutschland
| | - Jochen Küpper
- Center for Free-Electron Laser ScienceDeutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY Notkestraße 85 22607 Hamburg Deutschland
- The Hamburg Center for Ultrafast ImagingUniversität Hamburg Luruper Chaussee 149 22761 Hamburg Deutschland
- Fachbereich ChemieUniversität Hamburg Martin-Luther-King-Platz 6 20146 Hamburg Deutschland
- Fachbereich PhysikUniversität Hamburg Luruper Chaussee 149 22761 Hamburg Deutschland
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Observation of different reactivities of para and ortho-water towards trapped diazenylium ions. Nat Commun 2018; 9:2096. [PMID: 29844308 PMCID: PMC5974139 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04483-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Water is one of the most fundamental molecules in chemistry, biology and astrophysics. It exists as two distinct nuclear-spin isomers, para- and ortho-water, which do not interconvert in isolated molecules. The experimental challenges in preparing pure samples of the two isomers have thus far precluded a characterization of their individual chemical behavior. Capitalizing on recent advances in the electrostatic deflection of polar molecules, we separate the ground states of para- and ortho-water in a molecular beam to show that the two isomers exhibit different reactivities in a prototypical reaction with trapped diazenylium ions. Based on ab initio calculations and a modelling of the reaction kinetics using rotationally adiabatic capture theory, we rationalize this finding in terms of different rotational averaging of ion-dipole interactions during the reaction. Water molecules exist as two distinct nuclear-spin isomers denoted ortho and para. Here, the authors separate these two isomers in the gas phase to show that they exhibit different reactivities in a prototypical proton-transfer reaction.
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Huang Z, Ossenbrüggen T, Rubinsky I, Schust M, Horke DA, Küpper J. Development and Characterization of a Laser-Induced Acoustic Desorption Source. Anal Chem 2018; 90:3920-3927. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b04797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhipeng Huang
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Physics, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tim Ossenbrüggen
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Igor Rubinsky
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Center for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Schust
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Daniel A. Horke
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Center for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jochen Küpper
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Physics, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Center for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
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