| Abstract: | The mass spectra of thietane, trimethylene sulfoxide, and trimethylene sulfone are reported. The major competing reactions are four-center fragmentation, heteroatom group elimination and rearrangement. The oxidation state of the sulfur atom has a profound effect upon the competition among these reaction channels. As the oxidation state of the sulfur increases the molecular ion becomes increasingly less stable and consequently the amount of rearrangement decreases. Elimination of the heteroatom increases as its oxidation state increases, while the amount of four-center fragmentation decreases. |
