Origin of the [C4H9O]+ ions in the mass spectrum of n-butyl ethyl ether

The mechanisms of formation of m/z 73 ions in the mass spectrum of the ionized title compound were investigated by deuterium substitution and by examining the decompositions of metastable ions. Two routes to the [C₄H₉O]⁺ ions were found in the normal spectrum. The ethyl lost by the major pathway contains the α- and β-hydrogens and a γ-hydrogen from the butyl group. The minor route involves the loss of ethylene from the [M? H]⁺ ion. There were metastable peaks for losses of ethyl, ethanol and methyl from the molecular ion. The ethyl contains the α- and β-methylenes and a γ-hydrogen, while the methyl is the δ-methyl of the butyl group. The labeling data rule out a previous mechanistic proposal for the loss of ethyl and support a mechanism involving stepwise isomerization to the sec-butyl ethyl ether molecular ion. However, the metastable ion chemistries of the molecular ions from the n- and sec-butyl ethyl ethers are highly dissimilar, perhaps due to decompositions from different electronic states. The n-pentyl methyl ether ions loses both ethyl and propyl, apparently following rearrangements to the 3-pentyl and 2-pentyl ether ions. Di n-butyl and n-butyl methyl ethers also give metastable peaks for loss of methyl, ethyl and the shorter chain alcohol.     

Electron ionization induced metastable decompositions of isomeric trimethylsilylmethanol, (CH3)3SiCH2OH, and methoxytrimethylsilane, (CH3)3SiOCH3

The metastable decompositions of trimethylsilylmethanol, (CH₃)₃SiCH₂OH (MW: 104, 1) and methoxytrimethylsilane, (CH₃)₃SiOCH₃ (MW: 104, 2) upon electron ionization have been investigated by use of mass-analyzed ion kinetic energy (MIKE) spectroscopy and D labeling. The metastable ions of 1 ^·+ decompose to give the fragment ions m/z 89 (CH ₃ ^· loss) and 73 (^·CH₂OH loss), whereas those of 2 ^·+ only yield the fragment ion m/z 89 (CH ₃ ^· loss). The latter fragment ion is generated by loss of a methyl radical from the trimethylsilyl group via a simple cleavage reaction as shown by D labeling. However, the fragment ions m/z 89 and 73 from 1 ^·+ are generated following an almost statistical exchange of the original methyl and methylene hydrogen atoms in the molecular ion as shown also by D labeling. This exchange indicates a complex rearrangement of the molecular ion of 1 ^·+ prior to metastable decomposition for which as key step a 1,2-trimethylsilyl group migration from carbon to oxygen is suggested. A different behavior is also found between the source-generated m/z 89 ions from 1 ^·+ which decompose in the metastable time region to give ions m/z 61 by loss of ethylene and those from 2 ^·+ which decompose in the metastable region to yield ions m/z 59 by elimination of formaldehyde.     

The mechanisms of decomposition of the 1- and 2-phenyltetralin radical cations

Mechanisms for decomposition of 1- and 2-phenyltetralins were investigated using low resolution mass spectrometry and metastable ion techniques. Four primary decompositions were observed for 1-phenyltetralin radical cations: (1) the loss of C₆H₆ via a 1,4-elimination; (2) the elimination of ethene via competing losses from carbons 3 + 4 and carbons 2 + 3; (3) the loss of C₈H₈, probably through a stepwise Diels-Alder cycloreversion to expel styrene; and (4) the loss of methyl radical involving carbon 2 and possibly carbon 4. Three major decompositions were observed for 2-phenyltetralin radical cations: (1) the loss of C₈H₈, possibly through a Diels-Alder cycloreversion to expel styrene; (2) the loss of C₆H₆ via a 1,3 elimination; and (3) the loss of methyl radical from carbon 1. Various exchange reactions occur prior to these losses, but they proved to be incomplete even for metastable ions.     

Structural correlations with kinetic energy release during loss of chlorine from nineteen selected chlorinated biphenyls

Unimolecular and collision induced decompositions of the major ions of selected polychlorinated biphenyls in the field free region between the magnetic and electric sectors of a reversed Nier-Johnson instrument were studied. Loss of a single chlorine atom is associated with a wide range of kinetic energy releases but still can be correlated by a single reaction mechanism. Loss of two chlorines is interpreted as a rapid sequential loss from isomerized molecular ions for all but one compound. The decompositions which metastable ions undergo are not always the same as those of high energy ions in the source. Correlations between substituent positions and kinetic energy release can be made for the [M]^+·→[M? Cl]⁺ and [M? Cl₂]^+· processes.     

Low-energy fragmentations of five isomeric [H3, C,N, O2] +· ions

The low-energy fragmentation characteristics of the [H₃,C,N,O₂]^+· isomers [H₃CNO₂]^+· (a), [H₂C?N(O)OH]^+· (b), [H₃CONO]^+· (c), [HC(O)NHOH]^+· (d) and [HC(OH)?NOH]^+· (e) were studied in detail by metastable ion mass spectrometry. In agreement with most earlier observations, appearance energy measurements established the potential energy surface of the isomers a, b and c, showing the intricate interrelations between them. It was concluded that a isomerizes into b prior to fragmentation by loss of ^·OH and H₂O and into c before loss of ^·H and H₃CO^· moreover, the reverse reactions do not take place on the metastable time-frame. The dominant metastable process for isomers d and e (obtained via HCN loss from glyoxime) was generation of [H₂NOH]^+·. For isomer e this process was proposed to involved a rate-determining isomerization into d. It was concluded that isomers d and e do not intercommunicate with ions a, b and c prior to fragmentation. Neutralization-reionization mass spectrometry indicated that the enol form of formohydroxamic acid as well as the keto counterpart are stable in the gas phase.     

The decompositions of metastable [C4H8O]+˙ ions and the [C4H8O]+˙ potential surface

Collisionally activated decomposition (CA) spectra of [C₄H₈O]⁺˙ ions and the products of their metastable decompositions are used to refine a previously presented picture of the reactions of [C₄H₈O]⁺˙ ions. Metastable [C₄H₈O]⁺˙ isomers predominantly rearrange to the 2-butanone ion and decompose by loss of methyl and ethyl, although up to 38% of the methyl losses take place by other pathways to form \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ {\rm{CH}}_{\rm{2}} = {\rm{CHCH = }}\mathop {\rm{O}}\limits^{\rm{ + }} {\rm{H}}{\rm{.}} $\end{document} . The CA spectra of many of the [C₄H₈O]⁺˙ ions with the oxygen on the first carbon are very similar, consistent with those ions isomerizing largely to common structures before or after collision. However, several of these ions have unique CA spectra, so they must remain structurally distinct from the majority of the [C₄H₈O]⁺˙ ions below energies required for decomposition. The CA spectra of ions with the oxygen on the second carbon are distinct from those of ions with the oxygen on the first carbon, so there is limited interconversion of the non-decomposing forms of the two types of ions. A potential energy diagram for the reactions of metastable [C₄H₈O]⁺˙ ions is constructed from appearance energy measurements. As would be expected, the relative importances of most of the [C₄H₈O]⁺˙ isomerizations seem to be inversely related to the activation energies for those processes. Some parallels between the isomerizations of [C₄H₈O]⁺˙ ions and those of related ions are pointed out.     

[C]+· and [CH]+ from doubly charged ions formed from malononitrile

The metastable ions [M]²⁺, [M – H]²⁺· and [M – H₂]²⁺ from malononitrile fragment by loss of [CH]⁺, [C]⁺· and [C]⁺·, respectively. The reaction of the molecular ion involves the methylene and nitrile carbon atoms in the statistical probability ratio, while that of [M – H]²⁺· involves exclusively the nitrile carbon and that of [M ? H₂]²⁺ involves an approximately equal contribution, from both sources. It is suggested that the metastable molecular ion fragments through a bipyrimidal intermediate.     

Formation of aniline-like ions by electron-impact-induced elimination of CO from formanilide

The metastable peak intensity ratios for elimination of HNC vs DNC from the [M ? CO]⁺· ion of deuterium labelled analogues of formanilide show that the formyl hydrogen atom migrates to nitrogen prior to or during CO expulsion to form a [C₆H₇N]⁺· ion of aniline-like structure. An examination of metastable peaks does not allow similar conclusions to be reached for methyl substituted formanilides. Low abundance [C₆H₆O]_+· ions are formed by HNC elimination from the formanilide molecular ion in a reaction where three covalent bonds to the formyl carbon are broken.     

Mass spectrometric decomposition processes of 2-methyl-1-hexene

Unimolecular decompositions of 2-methyl-1-hexene and several labelled analogues were studied following 70 eV electron impact (normal and metastable spectra) and field ionization (field ionization kinetic measurements). Molecules labelled with ¹³C in the 1-position and the methyl position were found to behave essentially identically. This is attributed to rapid transfer of a hydrogen atom mainly from C-5 to C-1 (γ-hydrogen shift). Loss of ethene, propene or propenyl do not involve loss of the methyl carbon or C-1. All three reactions are better than 90% specific in this respect under all conditions studied. At shorter times, C₃H₆ loss is the dominant reaction, while at longer times C₂H₆ loss accounts for >90% of the ion current. It is proposed that at least two distinct pathways for C₂H₄ loss operate in linear 1-alkenes, one of which (loss of carbons 1 and 2) is blocked by a 2-methyl substituent. The [C₆H₁₁]^+˙ and [C₅H₁₀]^+˙ ions formed from ¹³C labelled 2-methyl-1-hexenes fragment in an essentially statistical fashion.     

Formation of· CH2CH2CO + and C2H6+· in the metastable decompositions of ionized ethyl formate

The products of the metastable decompositions of ionized ethyl formate (a) are characterized. The loss of water from a produces ^·CH₂CH₂CO⁺, a rarely reported product. Loss of H appears to produce CH₂=CHC(OH). The third decomposition is an unusual formation of C₂H. This work demonstrates that a previous supposition that isomerization to different intermediates is involved in the losses of ethene and of water from a is correct.     

Metastable ions of methane and their use in calibrating a low mass scale

The decomposition of metastable positive ions of methane formed by electron bombardment is discussed. Some new collision-induced decompositions involving the formation of H⁺, H₂⁺˙ and H₃⁺ have been found in the ion kinetic energy spectrum as well as in the mass spectrum of methane. In the latter case, the ‘metastable peaks’ occur below mass 1 on the mass scale and can be used for mass calibration in this region of the mass spectrum.     

A tandem mass spectrometry and Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance study of ionized ethylated acetone and deuterated analogs

The unimolecular dissociation of (CH₃)₂C⁺OC₂H₅ ions (I) and their deuterated analogs, generated by ion-molecule reactions (IMR) in acetone-ethyl iodide mixtures was studied by tandem mass Spectrometry methods. Two significant processes that yielded I ions were identified. The Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance study showed that the reaction between ionized ethyl iodide and neutral acetone was the principal source of I. This process involved the formation of the stable mixed ionized dimer, [C₂H₅I^·O=C(CH₃)₂]^+· (II), which dissociated by the loss of an I atom. Other important fragmentation pathways of II were the formation of C₂H₅I^+·, (CH₃)₂CO^+·; and (CH₃)₂COI⁺ and the loss of CH₃CHI^·. The major dissociation of I was the loss of C₂H₄. The activation energy for this reaction was determined by metastable ion appearance energy measurements to be ～55 kJ mol^?1 above the thermochemical minimum. The analysis of the metastable and collision-induced dissociation of D-labeled I showed an unusual time-energy effect on the degree of H/D mixing, with the highest selectivity for the ethene loss [β-H(D)-atom shift] being observed for ions with the lowest internal energies. Collisional excitation could not produce significant H/D mixing among dissociating ions. The results were rationalized by the existence of two species— the classical (2-ethoxypropyl) and nonclassical (proton-bound acetone-ethene pair) isomers of I. The classical structure was originally formed by IMR or from II. The energy barrier for the classical to nonclassical isomerization lay well above the thermochemical threshold for C₂H₄ loss, providing only limited H-atom mixing in nonclassical ions that were always formed in their dissociative state. The effect of the proton affinity of the carbonyl compound on the H/D mixing in RR′C⁺OC₂H₅ ions was studied. It was shown that the selectivity for the ethene loss (β-H-atom shift) generally increased with the increase of the proton affinity of RR′CO. Neutralization-reionization mass spectrometry was applied to a study of (CH₃)₂C⁺OR ions, where R = H, I, C₂H₅. The observation of a recovery signal for the ion I was attributed to the formation of the 2-ethoxypropyl radical. Neutral counterparts of (CH₃)₂COI⁺ ions were also generated, being the first example of IO-substituted alkyl radicals.     

The distonic ion ·CH2CH2CH+OH,keto ion CH3CH2CH=O +·, enol ion CH3CH=CHOH+·, and related C3H6O+· radical cations. Stabilities and isomerization proclivities studied by dissociation and neutralization-reionization

Metastable ion decompositions, collision-activated dissociation (CAD), and neutralization-reionization mass spectrometry are utilized to study the unimolecular chemistry of distonic ion ^·CH₂CH₂CH^?OH (2^+·) and its enol-keto tautomers CH₃CH=CHOH^?· (1 ^+·) and CH₃CH₂CH=O ^+· (3^+·). The major fragmentation of metastable 1^+·–3^+· is H^· loss to yield the propanoyl cation, CH₃CH₂C≡O⁺. This reaction remains dominant upon collisional activation, although now some isomeric CH₂=CH-CH⁺ OH is coproduced from all three precursors. The CAD and neutralization-reionization (⁺NR⁺) spectra of keto ion 3 ^+· are substantially different from those of tautomers 2^+· and 1^+·. Hence, 3^+· without sufficient energy for decomposition (i. e. , “stable” 3^+·) does not isomerize to the ther-modynamically more stable ions 2^+· or 1^+·, and the 1,4-H rearrangement H-CH₂CH₂CH=O^+·(3 ^+·) → CH₂CH₂CH⁺ O-H (2 ^+·) must require an appreciable critical energy. Although the fragment ion abundances in the ⁺ NR ⁺ (and CAD) spectra of 1 ^+· and 2 ^+· are similar, the relative and absolute intensities of the survivor ions (recovered C₃H₆O^+· ions in the ⁺NR⁺ spectra) are markedly distinct and independent of the internal energy of 1 ^+· and 2 ^+·. Furthermore, 1 ^+· and 2 ^+· show different MI spectra. Based on these data, distonic ion 2 ^+· does not spontaneously rearrange to enol ion 1 ^+· (which is the most stable C₃H₆O^+· of CCCO connectivity) and, therefore, is separated from it by an appreciable barrier. In contrast, the molecular ions of cyclopropanol (4 ^+·) and allyl alcohol (5 ^+·) isomerize readily to 2 ^+·, via ring opening and 1,2-H^? shift, respectively. The sample found to generate the purest 2 ^+· is α-hydroxy-γ-butyrolactone. Several other precursors that would yield 2 ^+· by a least-motion reaction cogenerate detectable quantities of enol ion 1 ^+·, or the enol ion of acetone (CH₂=C(CH₃)OH^+·, 6 ^+·), or methyl vinyl ether ion (CH₃OCH=CH ₂ ^+· , 7 ^+·). Ion 6 ^+· is coproduced from samples that contain the —CH₂—CH(OH)—CH₂— substructure, whereas 7 ^+· is coproduced from compounds with methoxy substituents. Compared to CAD, metastable ion characteristics combined with neutralization-reionization allow for a superior differentiation of the ions studied.     

Structures of decomposing and non-decomposing gas-phase [C4H6O]+· radical cations,and their [C2H2O]+· and [C3H6]+· product ions

The structures of gas-phase [C₄H₆O]^+· radical cations and their daughter ions of composition [C₂H₂O]^+· and [C₃H₆]^+· were investigated by using collisionally activated dissociation, metastable ion measurement, kinetic energy release and collisional ionization tandem mass spectrometric techniques. Electron ionization (70 eV) of ethoxyacetylene, methyl vinyl ketone, crotonaldehyde and 1-methoxyallene yields stable [C₄H₆O]^+· ions, whereas the cyclic C₄H₆O compounds undergo ring opening to stable distonic ions. The structures of [C₂H₃O]^+· ions produced by 70-eV ionization of several C₄H₆O compounds are identical with that of the ketene radical cation. The [C₃H₆]^+· ions generated from crotonaldehyde, methacrylaldehyde, and cyclopropanecarboxaldehyde have structures similar to that of the propene radical cations, whereas those ions generated from the remainder of the [C₄H₆O]^+· ions studied here produced a mixed population of cyclopropane and propene radical cations.     

Fragmentation of 1- and 3-methoxypropene ions another part of the C4H8O+• potential energy surface

The fragmentation mechanisms of metastable ionized 1? and 3?methoxypropene have been examined in detail by using ionization and appearance energy measurements, metastable ion and collisional activation mass spectra, and a variety of isotopically labeled molecules. These metastable C₄H₈O^+? ions fragment by loss of H; CH₃, and H₂CO, and the experimental observations allowed the construction of the potential energy diagram which describes their interconversion and the participation of four other distonic and carbene C₄H₈O^+? ions. It was found that these two methyl alkenyl ether ions had no common reaction channel with either the 2?methoxy isomer or with any of the alcohol, keto, or enol C₄H₈O^n+? isomers which previously have been extensively studied.     

Chemical ionization of cyclopropyl ethers II—the nature of the alkyl group fragmentationt

Oxygen-alkyl cleavage is ruled out in the methane chemical ionization- and electron mpact-induced decomposition of cyclopropyl ethers by the finding that for trans,trans-2,3-diethylmethoxycyclopropane the [M ? C₂H₅·]+ ion is more intense than the [M ? CH₃·]+ ion. The possibility for [M + H ? C₂H₆]⁺ is discounted by comparison with the methane chemical ionization nass spectrum of tran,tran-2,3-dimethylmethoxycyclopropane. The isobutane chemical ionization nass spectrum of the diethylcyclopropyl methyl ether affords nearly exclusive electrocyclic methanol fragmentation, i.e. [M + H ? CH₃OH]⁺.     

Collision-induced dissociation studies of protonated alcohol and alcohol—water clusters by atmospheric pressure ionization tandem mass spectrometry. 1?Methanol

Cluster size distribution and collision-induced dissociation (CID) studies of protonated methanol and protonated methanol—water clusters yield information on the structure and energetics of such ions. Ions were formed at atmospheric pressure in a corona discharge source, and were subjected to CID in the center quadrupole of a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. Cluster ions containing up to 13 molecules of methanol and/or water were observed and examined using CID experiments. The CID of all (CH₃OH)_n · H₂O · H⁺ clusters, where n ? 8, showed that water loss was statistically favored over methanol loss and that the preferred dissociation channel involved loss of water with methanol molecules. These results support a model employing a chain of hydrogen-bonded solvent molecules rather than one in which fused rings of ligands surround a central hydronium ion. However, CID of larger clusters, where n ? 9, showed that loss of one methanol was equal to or less than loss of water, reflecting a change in structure.     

Rearrangements and fragmentations of [C2H5S]+ ions

[C₂H₅S]⁺ ions (m/e 61) with different initial structures were generated in the mass spectrometer from twelve precursor ions. Abundance ratios of competing metastable ion decompositions were used to determine whether these ions decompose through the same or different reaction channels. It was concluded that all [C₂H₅S]⁺ ions isomerize to a common structure or mixture of structures prior to decomposition in the first field free region. From ¹³C labelling experiments it was concluded that [C₂H₅S]⁺ ions generated from the molecular ions of 2-propanethiol-2-[¹³C], partially rearrange to a symmetrical structure before decomposition to [CHS]⁺ and CH₄, whereas in [C₂H₅S]⁺ ions generated from the the molecular ions of 1,2-bis-(thiomethoxy-[¹³C]) ethane, the two carbon atoms become fully equivalent before CH₄ loss occurs.     

Rearrangements and fragmentations of [C2H5S]+ ions

From deuterium labelling experiments it was concluded that metastable molecular ions of ethyl methyl sulfide lose a methyl radical with the formation of both [CH₃S?CH₂]⁺ amd [CH₃CH?SH]⁺˙ The fragmentation reactions of metastable ions generated with these structure are losses of C₂H₂, H₂S and CH₄. These reactoins and the preceding isomerizations have also been studied by means of deuterium labelling. From the results it is concluded that the three fragmentation reactions most probably occur from ions with a C? C? S skeleton. Appearance energy measurements for ions generated with the two structures above and all give rise to the same ΔH_f value for these three isomeric forms. Ab initio molecular orbitals calculations confirm that these three ions fortuitously have very similar heats of formation. A potential energy diagram rationalizing the isomerizations and the principal fragmentation reaction is presented.     

Uncommon hydrogen bonds between a non-classical ethyl cation and π hydrocarbons: a preliminary study

This study undertakes a theoretical investigation into uncommon hydrogen bonds between the ethyl cation (C₂H₅ ⁺) and π hydrocarbons. Firstly, it considers the hyperconjugation effect of the ethyl cation, in which the non-localized hydrogen (H⁺) is taken to be a pseudoatom bound to the carbons of the methyl groups. The goal of the research is to use this electronic phenomenon to gain a better understanding of the (H⁺···π) and (H⁺···p-π) hydrogen bonds, which are considered uncommon because they are formed through the interaction of the H⁺ of the ethyl cation with the π bonds of the acetylene (C₂H₂) and ethene (C₂H₄), as well as with the pseudo-π bond of the cyclopropane (C₃H₆). In view of this, B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) calculations were used to determine the geometries of the C₂H₅ ⁺···C₂H₂, C₂H₅ ⁺···C₂H₄, and C₂H₅ ⁺···C₃H₆ hydrogen-bonded complexes. Deformations of the bond lengths and bond angles of these systems were analyzed geometrically. Examination of the stretch frequencies and absorption intensities of the (H⁺···π) and (H⁺···p-π) hydrogen bonds has revealed red-shifts in π and p-π bonds. After structural modeling and vibrational characterization, analysis of the charge transfer following the ChelpG approach and subsequently quantification of the hydrogen bond energies (basis sets superpostition error and zero point vibrational energies being considered) were used to predict the strength of the (H⁺···π) and (H⁺···p-π) hydrogen bonds. In addition, the molecular topography was estimated using the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM). QTAIM was chosen because of a desire to understand the (H⁺···π) and (H⁺···p-π) hydrogen bonds chemically on the basis of the quantity of charge density and interpretation of Laplacian fields. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.