Electron-impact and thermal fragmentation of amino acid molecules: Mechanisms and structure of the molecules

Fragmentation of the glycine (C2H5NO2) and methionine (C5H11NO2S) molecules by low-energy electron impact has been studied both experimentally and theoretically. The main emphasis has been given to the mechanisms of production of positively ionized fragments of both molecules with the same chemical composition. A special attention has been paid to the energy characteristics of the ionic fragment yield. The geometrical parameters of the initial molecule rearrangement have also been analyzed.