Photoelectron Spectroscopic Study of Ascorbate and Deprotonated Ascorbate Anions Using an Electrospray Ion Source and a Cryogenically Cooled Ion Trap

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) in biological systems are formed through a variety of mechanisms. These species are very reactive and have been associated with many diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular disease. One way of removing ROS from the body is through the use of radical scavengers, which are compounds capable of giving up an electron to neutralize the ROS yet form a stable radical species themselves. A common radical scavenger is ascorbic acid, also known as vitamin C. At physiological pH, ascorbic acid is predominately present as the ascorbate anion, C6H7O6 –. The ascorbate anion, as well as the dianion (C6H6O6 2–), is an effective antioxidant due to its ability to donate an electron from a lone pair generated by deprotonation. An electrospray ionization source was added to our pulsed anion photoelectron spectrometer to study ascorbate anions and deprotonated ascorbate dianions via photoelectron spectroscopy. The antioxidant behavior of the ascorbate anion and the deprotonated ascorbate dianion was confirmed based on the experimental vertical detachment energy (VDE), and, therefore, the ionization energy of the anions, 3.85 and 2.68 eV, respectively.