Charge reversal of three alkylamide ions: Free nitrenium ions

The methylnitrenium, ethylnitrenium and dimethylnitrenium ions are prepared by charge reversal collisional activation (CR CA) of the corresponding negative ions; their collisional activation mass spectra are shown to support the assigned structures. MINDO/3 energies are used to evaluate relative energies of CH₄N]⁺ and C₂H₆N]⁺ isomers, and to determine whether unstable forms rearrange spontaneously to stable ones. As in other examples, charge reversal here generates cations that do not exist in an energy well, but their transient existence is established because their fragmentation is more rapid than their rearrangement to a more stable form.