The mass spectrum and fragmentation mechanism of exo- and endo- norborneol

The mass spectra of exo -and endo-norborneol and a number of deuterium labelled and-logues have been studied in detail. The two alcohols have common fragentation pathways, the major routes of which can be related to specific rearrangements of the molecular ion. The loss of water from the molecular ion consists of two processes, one involving and one4 not involving the hydroxyl hydrogen atom. The limitions of the labelloing experiements are discussed.