Universiẗat, Diss., 2005--Lüneburg. / Enth. 5 Sonderabdr. aus verschiedenen Zeitschr. Beitr. teilw. dt., teilw engl.

Humic substances (HS) are described as a complex mixture of organic molecules formed by incomplete decomposition of plant, animal and microbial matter. They are found in soil, water and air and have many environmental roles, e.g. water retention and metal ion binding in soil. Despite their importance, the molecular composition of HS is poorly understood. This is mostly because of an inability to separate individual molecules from these complex mixtures and then characterise them by standard analytical methods such as NMR and MS. In order improve the understanding of these important mixtures I have studied them using a high-resolution analytical method, Fourier transform ion-cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR MS). Initial efforts focussed on testing the, fast, automated data analysis of the large data sets produced. Two pieces of software were compared and the reliability of the formulae assigned by these was critically evaluated. This confident formula assignment was then applied to study the consequences of different ionisation and instrumental parameters on the mass spectra obtained. The use of laser desorption/ionisation (LDI) without the need to employ a matrix required in matrix assisted laser desorption/ionisation (MALDI) was explored. A comparison of LDI and electrospray ionisation (ESI) FTICR MS of natural organic matter samples showed that these methods ionise complementary sets of compounds. The LDI ionised compounds were characterised as aromatics or condensed aromatics and compounds belonging to lower oxygen classes (maximum number at O8), while ESI ionised higher oxygen classes (maximum number at O16) with a vast majority of compounds classified as aliphatic based on their modified aromaticity index. MALDI and LDI spectra produced very similar data with over 90% matching formulas implying that fragmentation is not caused by LDI, as taught previously. My work showed that to maximize the coverage by FTICR MS of the molecular space occupied by these complex mixtures, multiple ionization methods must be used. As a particularly convenient and readily deployable ionization technique, LDI should be included in standard analytical protocols for FTICR MS analysis of NOM. I have explored different parameters and experimental settings to obtain a fuller coverage of the molecular space of NOM, this showed that different experimental conditions enhance peak intensities in different m/z regions of the FTICR MS spectra and that information can be obtained outside of the narrow 200-700 m/z window. To gain chemical and structural information about humic substances beyond what is currently known, experiments aimed to label HS using different isotopes and at specific sites were developed and tested. Two methylation reactions were of particular interest. A methylation that selectively targeted carboxylic acid groups and incorporated deuterium in the form of CD3 groups. An international standard, Suwannee River fulvic acid, was methylated and analysed by high-resolution mass spectrometry in order to gain information on the number and distribution carboxylic acid groups. This proved challenging due to the reactivity of the unknown molecules being difficult to determine in advance. Additionally, the peak separation being reduced to as low as 1.5 mDa pushed the instrument resolution and assignment confidence to their limits. The second methylation method explored used 13CH3I, a nonselective agent reacting with any labile proton, particularly attaching 13CH3 groups to carboxylic, phenolic and alcoholic OH groups. I prepared a methylated sample of fulvic acid from a Red Moss raised bog (Balerno, near Edinburgh) ready for analyses by high field NMR. This investigation yielded structures of a number of phenolic compounds for the first time by NMR.

No description available.

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is a sensitive technique used to analyse the molecular composition of solid samples using keV ion beam sputtering. However only a small fraction (typically < 10⁻³) of the desorbed material issecondary ions - the majority species (neutrals) cannot be extracted and detected by the mass spectrometer. To increase the sensitivity and efficiency of the SIMS technique, post-ionisation above the surface can be used. Lasers have been widely employed for molecular mass spectrometry due to the available high intensity, short pulse width, high spectral purity and spatial coherence that allow them to be highly focused. For molecular samples the challenge is to achieve efficient post-ionisation without inducing extensive fragmentation, which limits the diagnostic value of the resulting mass spectrum. An investigation was performed into the ionisation and dissociation characteristics of a series of organic molecules under the action of intense laser fields. This study is directed towards the analysis of biomolecules using laser post-ionisation. Here is reported progress towards the calibration of the experimental set-up and mass spectral data from representative biomolecules in the gas phase. In this work a Ti:Sapphire laser was used with fundamental wavelength of 800 nm and non-linear optical methods (OPAs) are used to extend the wavelength into the mid-IR region. System calibration is achieved using the ionisation of xenon atoms and comparing the results to established atomic tunnelling theory. This was followed by the analysis of representative organic and biological molecules to study ionisation-dissociation characteristics. The molecules chosen were toluene, acetone, nitroaniline and histamine. A clear transition in behavior is observed favoring molecular ion production. This behavior is discussed in the context of the underlying mechanisms, and the implications for molecular post-ionisation analysis using focused ion beams.

Ce travail porte sur la neutralization résonnante d’ions Li+ sur des métaux et agrégatsmétalliques supportés. La neutralization sur Pd(100) a été étudié, pour différentsparamètres. La neutralisation s’avère très efficace sur cette surface avec un travail desortie grand et est en contradiction avec ce qu’on attend dans le cadre des modèlestraditionnels. Il est proposé qu’une description du processus RCT modifié, issued’études précédentes sur des métaux nobles, doit être utilisé. Dans celle ci desprocessus de neutralisation survenant à des distances atome- surface faible ont lieu etaussi un comportement adiabatique du système aux faible énergies de collisions mèneà une neutralization efficace.Les résultats de l’étude des processus de transfert d’électrons lors de l’interactiond’ions de Li+ avec des agrégats d’or supporté sur HOPG avec Al2O3 sont présentés etdiscuté. L’imagerie STM pour les agrégats d’or supporté sur un substrat HOPG viergeet aussi un substrat de HOPG bombardé par des ions de AR sont présentés. Lesobservations révèlent que agrégats d’or forment préférentiellement des chaines 1D lelong des marches sur HOPG vierge. Dans le cas de HOPG bombardé, la taille et lahauteur des agrégats sont dépendants des défauts de surface.Nous avons trouvé que la neutralisation est très efficace sur les petits agrégats et engénéral est beaucoup plus grande que sur des surfaces de cristaux d'or. Nous montronsdes effets liés à la nature du substrat, comme dans le cas de l’alumine ou le cas desdifférences observées sur des chaines d’agrégats sur HOPG vierge et les agrégatsformés sur des défauts / The present work investigates the neutralization of Li+ ions on metals and supportedmetal clusters. Neutralization on a transition metal surface Pd (100) for differentparameters was studied. Highly efficient neutralization on this surface with a highwork functions was observed and contradicts our traditional views on resonant chargetransfer (RCT) mechanism. A modified RCT picture involving new neutralizationprocesses occurring at a short atom-surface distance and an adiabatic behaviourleading to efficient neutralization at large distances, that has emerged from previousstudies on noble metal surfaces appears in qualitative agreement with our data.The experimental results on the dependence of the Li neutralization on the Auclusters supported on different substrates are reported and discussed. As acomplement to this, a STM study into the morphology of Au nanoparticles on apristine HOPG substrate as well as Ar+ ions sputtered HOPG substrate has beenperformed. The observations reveal that Au clusters preferentially form onedimensional chains along steps on pristine HOPG. In the case of Ar+ ions sputteredHOPG substrate, the size and height of cluster are dependent on surface defects.We found that neutralization is very efficient on small clusters and in general muchlarger than on surfaces of gold crystals. We demonstrate existence of strongdifferences as a function of cluster support type as in case of alumina supports orcluster chains on HOPG and clusters on defects on HOPG terraces.

Primary ionisation of major ionospheric constituents is calculated from satellite-borne solar EUV measurements. Number densities of the background atmosphere are taken from the NRLMSISE-00 climatology. From the calculated ionisation rates, an index termed EUV-TEC, which is based on the global total ionisation is calculated, and describes the ionospheric response to solar EUV and its variability. The index is compared against global mean ionospheric total electron content (TEC) derived from GPS data. Results show that the EUV-TEC index provides a better overall representation of global TEC than conventional solar indices like F10.7 do. The EUV-TEC index may be used for scientific research, and to describe the ionospheric effects on radio communication and navigation systems.

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No / When subjected to positive ion electrospray ionisation (ESI+) mass spectrometry (MS), indoles with a 3-alkyl substituent show a propensity to form novel [2M-H](+) 'covalently bound dimers'. This process, which appears to be initiated in the nebuliser of the instrument, is mechanistically interesting, analytically useful and potentially significant in organic synthesis. A selection of 2- and 3-substituted indoles have been synthesised and analysed by ESI-MS. The formation of the 'homo' and 'hetero' dimers of these compounds has been investigated using ESI+ mode. The mechanism of formation of the observed 'dimeric' species has been probed by synthesising authentic samples of the dimeric compounds. 'Dimeric' species corresponding to [2M-H](+) have been observed for all 3-substituted indoles studied, but not for indoles substituted in just the 2-position. By infusing equimolar mixtures of labelled and unlabelled indoles through the instrument, the expected approximately statistical mixture of homo- and heterodimeric species has been observed. Further experiments have established that this novel dimerisation occurs in the droplets formed in the nebuliser of the instrument. It has been shown that 3-substituted indoles form [2M-H](+) dimers in high abundance in the spray obtained from the nebiliser of an ESI+ instrument. The mechanism for the dimerisation does not involve the known 2M dimeric species that is readily formed in the solution-phase chemistry of indoles.

Face au besoin de simulation de la dynamique multiélectronique en champ intense, en particulier de la dynamique d'ionisation en champ fort, un algorithme de calcul quanto-chimique au niveau multiconfigurationel, avec des partitions de Feshbach de l'espace d'états à N électrons, a été développé dans notre laboratoire. Cet algorithme résoud l'équation de Schrödinger dépendante du temps pour le système à N électrons forcé par un champ intense de façon non perturbative. Les partitions de Feshbach permettent de séparer la simulation de la dynamique fortement corrélée des électrons liés de celle des électrons libres engendrés par ionisation en champ fort. Les éléments de cette approche multiconfigurationelle avec lses partitions de Feshbach, en particulier les emprunts des méthodes de calculs de la structure électronique post-SCF, sont présentés et illustrés avec des calculs effectués pour un modèle de la molécule BeH₂ soumise à un champ laser intense. / To meet the need for simulations of laser-driven multi-electron dynamics and, in particular of strong-field ionization, a multi-configuration quantum chemical algorithm combined with Feshbach partitioning techniques, had been developed in our laboratory. This algorithm solves non-perturbatively the time dependent Schrödinger equation for an N electron system driven by an intense field. The Feshbach partitions allow one to separate highly correlated dynamics of the molecular bound electrons from that of the free electrons arising from the strong-field ionisation of the molecule. The approach, and elements it borrows from Quantum Chemistry's post-SCF ab-initio methodology, are illustrated by calculations on a model of the BeH₂ molecule driven by an intense laser field.

Ce projet vise l'étude de la thermodésorption laser sur un dépôt de polytétrafluoroéthylène (téflon) dans une source ionique LDTD dans le but d'améliorer la détection de certaines molécules qui sont thermiquement instables ou qui ont une faible volatilité. Trois types de téflon ont été déposés sur des supports à échantillons de type LazWellTM : du téflon JAL a été vaporisé sur la feuille d'acier inoxydable avant le montage du support; un ruban de téflon a été étiré, déposé puis aminci sur la feuille d'acier inoxydable aussi avant le montage du support; une suspension de microbilles de téflon a été déposée au fond des puits du support après le montage de celui-ci. Ces dépôts ont occasionné de la suppression ionique au sein de la source ionique ainsi qu'une congestion de l'orifice du spectromètre de masse lors des analyses. La détection des analytes a été tout de même possible, mais à une sensibilité moindre qu'espérée. Ce mémoire présente également une discussion sur la composition des différents téflons utilisés ainsi que sur leur ionisation. De plus, on y discute de la facilité à analyser des produits à faible tension de vapeur que sont le Santovac® 5 et l 'huile de silicone DC 705.