Protonation of Curcumin Triggers Sequential Double Cyclization in the Gas-Phase: An Electrospray Mass Spectrometry and DFT Study.

ESI-protonated natural curcumin (1) undergoes gas-phase cyclization and dissociates via competitive expulsions of 2-methoxy phenol and C4H4O2 (diketene or an isomer). Evidence from mechanistic mass spectrometry and from Density Functional Theory (DFT) reveals that a two-step sequential cyclization occurs for the protonated molecule prior to the unusual loss of the elements of 2-methoxy phenol. Furthermore, the presence of the methoxy group at postion-3 is essential for the second cyclization. The transformation of curcumin upon protonation in the gas phase may be predictive of its solution chemistry and explain how curcumin plays a protective role in biology.

Protonated N-Alkyl-2-nitroanilines Undergo Intramolecular Oxidation of the Alkyl Chain upon Collisional Activation.

The collisional activation of protonated N-propyl-2-nitroaniline obtained by electrospray ionization shows two major competitive dissociation pathways: the elimination of the elements of propionic acid, [M + H - C3H6O2]+ to give an m/z 107 ion, and of the elements of ethanol, [M + H - C2H6O]+ to give an m/z 135 ion. The mechanistic study reported here addresses these unusual fragmentations to reveal that both occur via a common intermediate formed by the transfer of an oxygen atom from the nitro group to the first carbon atom of the propyl group, allowing elimination of propionic acid and (H2O + ethene), respectively. The corresponding loss of CH4O does not occur when the propyl group is replaced by an ethyl group, but elimination of the elements of propanol does occur when propyl is replaced by a butyl group. Further, the product ions of m/z 107 and 135 are also formed when the propyl chain is replaced with a hexyl group.

The role of methoxy group in the Nazarov cyclization of 1,5-bis-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1,4-pentadien-3-one in the gas phase and condensed phase.

ESI-protonated 1,5-bis-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1,4-pentadien-3-one (1) undergoes a gas-phase Nazarov cyclization and dissociates via expulsions of ketene and anisole. The dissociations of the [M + D](+) ions are accompanied by limited HD scrambling that supports the proposed cyclization. Solution cyclization of 1 was effected to yield the cyclic ketone, 2,3-bis-(2-methoxyphenyl)-cyclopent-2-ene-1-one, (2) on a time scale that is significantly shorter than the time for cyclization of dibenzalacetone. The dissociation characteristics of the ESI-generated [M + H](+) ion of the synthetic cyclic ketone closely resemble those of 1, suggesting that gas-phase and solution cyclization products are the same. Additional mechanistic studies by density functional theory (DFT) methods of the gas-phase reaction reveals that the initial cyclization is followed by two sequential 1,2-aryl migrations that account for the observed structure of the cyclic product in the gas phase and solution. Furthermore, the DFT calculations show that the methoxy group serves as a catalyst for the proton migrations necessary for both cyclization and fragmentation after aryl migration. An isomer formed by moving the 2-methoxy to the 4-position requires relatively higher collision energy for the elimination of anisole, as is consistent with DFT calculations. Replacement of the 2-methoxy group with an OH shows that the cyclization followed by aryl migration and elimination of phenol occurs from the [M + H](+) ion at low energy similar to that for 1.