Mass spectrometric characterization of 4-oxopentanoic acid and gas-phase ion fragmentation mechanisms studied using a triple quadrupole and time-of-flight analyzer hybrid system and density functional theory.

4-Oxopentanoic acid was characterized experimentally by electrospray ionization using a triple quadrupole and time-of-flight analyzer hybrid system. This compound was chosen as a model substance for small organic compounds bearing an acetyl and a carboxyl group. Collision-induced dissociation experiments at different activation energies were performed to elucidate possible fragmentation pathways. These pathways were also studied on the theoretical level using density functional theory (DFT) B3LYP/6-311++G(3df,3pd)//B3LYP/6-31+G(d)+ZPVE calculations. CO2 ejection from the [M-H](-) anion of 4-oxopentanoic acid was observed and the fragmentation pathway studied by DFT reveals a new concerted mechanism for CO2 elimination accompanied by an intramolecular proton transfer within a pentagonal transition state structure. Successive elimination of water and CO from the [M-H](-) anion of 4-oxopentanoic acid was also observed. A rearrangement in the primary deprotonated ketene anion produced after water elimination was found on the theoretical level and leads to CO elimination from the primary product anion [M-H-H2O](-). Energy diagrams along the reaction coordinates of the fragmentation pathways are presented and discussed in detail. Mulliken charge distributions of some important structures are presented.