Stereochemical effects in the chemical ionization mass spectra of cyclic diols

The chemical ionization mass spectra of configurational isomers of many cyclic diols give substantial differences which are characteristic of their stereochemistry. For the cis-isomer of 1,3- and 1,4-cyclohexanediols, formation of a stable intramolecular proton bridge involving the OH groups gives rise to dominant MH⁺ peaks, suppressing the (M-H)⁺ peaks found in the spectra of the trans-isomers and monoalcohols. The stability of the proton bridge in cis-1,3-cyclohexanediol structures is decreased by a sterically interfering cis-5-methyl substituent, but increased by a cis-5-OH group due to additional proton solvation. cis-Stereochemistry also gives increased formation of the dimeric M₂H⁺ ions, but decreased formation of trimers, at higher diol concentrations, for the 1,3- and 1,4-diols. The similarity of the CI spectra of cis- and trans-1,2-cyclohexanediol are explicable in terms of the similarities of the most stable proton-bridged conformers; the reduced ring flexibility in cis- and trans-1,2-cyclopentanediols makes such similar structures unfavorable, as shown by the substantial differences between their CI spectra. The substantial, but expected, variations in behavior with temperature and reagent gas are useful for maximizing stereochemical effects on CI spectra; conditions of lowest energy are usually, but not always, the most useful.