Soft X-ray photoemission spectroscopy of selected neurotransmitters in the gas phase

Highlights: ► Neurotransmitter molecules. ► Photoelectron spectroscopy. ► Electronic structure. ► Weak hydrogen bonding. -- Abstract: The valence molecular orbitals and core levels of tyramine, tryptamine and tryptophol in the gas phase have been studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and theoretical methods. The energies of the outer valence region spectrum are found to be in agreement with previously reported He I spectra, while new data on the inner valence molecular orbitals are reported. The structures in the carbon, nitrogen and oxygen core level spectra of these molecules have been identified and assigned. These compounds are characterised by conformers with hydrogen bonding in which the π systems of the phenol and indole groups act as hydrogen acceptors, but a spectroscopic signature of this hydrogen bond was not observed. This is in contrast with our previous spectra of amino acids, where conformers with specific hydrogen bonding showed strong effects in core level spectra. We attribute the difference to the weaker strength of the π-hydrogen bonding.