https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/s10053-021-00092-w
Regular Article - Molecular Physics and Chemical Physics
X-ray photoabsorption-induced processes within protonated rifamycin sodium salts in the gas phase
1
CIMAP UMR 6252 (CEA/CNRS/ENSICAEN/Université de Caen Normandie), Boulevard Becquerel, 14070, Caen Cedex 5, France
2
Grupo de Física Nuclear, Dpto. de Estructura de la Materia, Física Térmica y Electrónica, Facultad de CC Físicas, GFN-UCM, Avda. Complutense, s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
3
Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, nám. Sítná 3105, 272 01, Kladno 2, Prague, Czech Republic
4
Université de Caen Normandie, Plateforme PROTEOGEN, SF 4206 ICORE, Esplanade de la paix, 14032, Caen, France
5
Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
Received:
7
December
2020
Accepted:
17
February
2021
Published online:
2
March
2021
Up to now, the response of antibiotics upon ionizing radiation has been very scarcely reported. Here, we present the results of X-ray photoabsorption experiments on isolated rifamycin, a broad-range antibiotic against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. A mass spectrometer has been coupled to a synchrotron beamline to analyze cationic products of photoabsorption on protonated rifamycin dimer and monomer sodium salts. Absorption of a single photon in the 100–300eV energy range leads to ionization of the molecular system, followed by vibrational energy deposition and subsequent inter- and/or intramolecular fragmentation. Interestingly, we observe a proton transfer from sodiated rifamycin to rifamycin, a widely observed process in ionized molecular systems in the gas phase. Moreover, we show that another charge-transfer process occurs in both dimer and monomer: intramolecular sodium transfer, which has not been reported yet, to the best of our knowledge.
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to EDP Sciences, SIF and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2021
