[M--H]- parent anions of underivatised peptides containing an intramolecular disulfide bridge undergo characteristic loss of the elements of H2S2, a process diagnostic of the presence of the disulfide moeity. This facile process is initiated from a side-chain enolate anion. Theoretical calculations (at the HF/6-31G(d)//AM1 level of theory) indicate that the process is exothermic with a small barrier. When the disulfide link involves a C-terminal Cys, the negative ion spectrum shows an [(M--H)--(H2S2+CO2)] fragment anion which is usually the main peak of the spectrum. This process is also directed by an enolate anion: theoretical calculations suggest a stepwise sequence with loss of CO2 preceding loss of H2S2. Both [(M--H)--H2S2] and [(M--H)--(H2S2+CO2)] anions undergo backbone cleavage allowing identification of the amino acid sequence of the peptide.
The intramolecular cyclization of 31 polyhalogen substituted pyridines containing N,N-dialkyldithiocarbamate or alkylxanthate groups has been compared in reaction in solution with sodium N,N-dialkyldithiocarbamates or potassium carbetoxydithiolate and in the gas phase under electron ionization (EI). The scheme of fragmentation of the studied compounds has been proposed. An influence of the nature of leaving groups (Cl, F, CF(3), CN, COOEt), of the presence of electron withdrawing groups (Cl, F, CN, CCl(3), CF(3), COOEt) in ortho-,meta or para-positions to the leaving halogen, of the position of a dithio group toward pyridine nitrogen atom and of the role of oxygen and nitrogen in corresponding alkylxanthates and N,N-dialkyldithiocarbamates on the cyclization process has been investigated.
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