Gas Phase Chemistry of Radicals and Charged Radicals

University Of Akron, Akron OH

Investigators

Abstract

With the support of the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program, Professor Chrys Wesdemiotis, of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Akron, is studying the gas phase chemistry of radicals and charged radicals. Neutralization-reionization mass spectrometry is employed to obtain experimental data regarding the stabilities and unimolecular reactions of radicals related to amino acids, peptides, and nucleobases. Focus is placed on the alteration of stability and reaction chemistry caused by the replacement of acidic hydrogen atoms with metal ions. The synthesis and characterization of distonic radical cations containing a metal ion and an organic radical site are also under investigation. These metal ion-containing (and hence, charged) radicals will be used as templates for the investigation of free radical chemistry by tandem mass spectrometry. Solvated charged radicals will be utilized to derive thermochemical data about amino acid and peptide-based radicals. Molecules and ions containing unpaired electrons ("radicals") play central roles in many chemical and biochemical processes. Development of a detailed understanding of the structure and reactivity of these elusive species remains a key focus of modern chemical research. With the support of the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program, Professor Chrys Wesdemiotis, of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Akron, is generating and studying radicals related to amino acids, proteins, and nucleic acid bases. Through these studies, Professor Wesdemiotis is gaining a fundamental understanding of the chemistry of these important species, implicated as key intermediates in the oxidative damage of proteins and nucleic acids.