The loss of SO2H from an imido-sulfite under electron impact: Structural elucidation by collision activation of the resulting fragment

Electron impact mass spectrometry of an imido-sulfite 5,6-benzo-2-imino-N-(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)-1,3-dioxa-2-thiacycloheptane shows an intense fragment ion corresponding to the expulsion of SO₂H from the molecular ion. A mechanism that requires a rearrangement of the molecular ion is proposed. Structural elucidation of the [M? SO₂H]⁺ ion was obtained by recording its metastable ion and collisional activation spectra. Comparison of these spectra with similar spectra recorded from a precursor ion of known structure demonstrated that they were identical. Thus, the results support the proposed structure which derives from the expulsion of SO₂H from the molecular ion of the compound 5,6-benzo-2-imino-N-(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)-1,3-dioxa-2-thiacycloheptane.