Thermochemical determination of the structure of negative ions on the basis of data from resonance electron capture mass spectrometry. Phenol, its chlorinated derivatives and a thioanalogue

Appearance energies for M - H](-) ions from phenol (I), 4-chlorophenol (II), pentachlorophenol (III) and pentachlorothiophenol (IV) were measured. The following thermochemical data were deduced from experiment: DeltaH(acid) values of 343.3, 335.7, 317.1 and 317.1 kcal mol(-1) for RH molecules (I, II, III, and IV, respectively) and electron affinities (EAs) of R(.) free radicals 2.55, 2.90, 3.79, and 3.65 eV, respectively. Our data for phenol (I) and 4-chlorophenol (II) demonstrate a higher stabilization of ArO(-) anions than was previously accepted. Using the enthalpic shift procedure for molecules and a series of isodesmic reactions for free radicals, earlier elaborated by the authors, a new Delta$bf H_bf fbf 0$ values for the following gas-phase species were obtained (kcal mol(-1)): C(6)Cl(5)Br (5.0), C(6)Cl(5)SH (8.5), p-ClC(6)H(4)C(.) (2. 0), C(6)Cl(5)C(.) (-15), C(6)Cl(5)S(.) (44). Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.