Dissociative electron attachment to gas phase glycine: Exploring the decomposition pathways by mass separation of isobaric fragment anions

Abstract

Dissociative electron attachment to gas phase glycine generates a number of fragment ions, among them ions observed at the mass numbers 15, 16 and 26 amu. From stoichiometry they can be assigned to the chemically rather different species NH⁻/CH₃⁻ (15 amu), O⁻/NH₂⁻ (16 amu) and CN⁻/C₂H₂⁻ (26 amu). Here we use a high resolution double focusing two sector mass spectrometer to separate these isobaric ions. It is thereby possible to unravel the decomposition reactions of the different transient negative ions formed upon resonant electron attachment to neutral glycine in the energy range 0–15 eV. We find that within the isobaric ion pairs, the individual components generally arise from resonances located at substantial different energies. The corresponding unimolecular decompositions involve complex reaction sequences including multiple bond cleavages and substantial rearrangement in the precursor ion. To support the interpretation and assignments we also use ¹³C labelling of glycine at the carboxylic group.