title: Collision-induced dissociation of uranyl-methoxide and uranyl-ethoxide cations: Formation of UO2 H(+) and uranyl-alkyl product ions.
abstract: The lower levels of adventitious H2 O in a linear ion trap allow the fragmentation reactions of [UO2 OCH3 ](+) and [UO2 OCH2 CH3 ](+) to be examined in detail.
  
  
  
  Methanol- and ethanol-coordinated UO2 (2+) -alkoxide precursors were generated by electrospray ionization (ESI). Multiple-stage tandem mass spectrometry (MS(n) ) and collision-induced dissociation (CID) were performed using a linear ion trap mass spectrometer.
  
  
  
  CID of [UO2 OCH3 (CH3 OH)n ](+) and [UO2 OCH2 CH3 (CH3 CH2 OH)n ](+) , n = 3 and 2, causes loss of neutral alcohol ligands, leading ultimately to bare uranyl-alkoxide species. Comparison of 'native' to deuterium-labeled precursors reveals dissociation pathways not previously observed in 3-D ion trap experiments.
  
  
  
  UO2 H(+) is generated from [UO2 OCH3 ](+) by transfer of H from the methyl group. Variable-energy and variable-time CID experiments suggest that the apparent threshold for production of UO2 H(+) is lower than for UO2 (+) , but the pathway is kinetically less favored for the former than for the latter. CID experiments reveal that [UO2 OCH2 CH3 ](+) dissociates to generate [UO2 CH3 ](+) , a relatively rare species with a U-C bond, and [UO2 (O = CH2 )](+) .
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15282, USA.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Van Stipdonk
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15282, USA.
authors.forename: Cassandra
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hanley
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15282, USA.
authors.forename: Evan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15282, USA.
authors.forename: Jordan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pestok
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15282, USA.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mihm
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15282, USA.
authors.forename: Theodore A
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5716-1188
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Corcovilos