Mass spectrometric studies of cis‐ and trans‐1a,3‐disubstituted‐1,1‐dichloro‐4‐formyl‐1a, 2,3,4‐tetrahydro‐lH‐azirino[1,2‐a]1,5]benzodiazepines

The mass spectrometric behaviour of four cis‐ and trans‐1a,3‐disubstituted‐1,1‐dichloro‐4‐formyl‐1a,2,3,4‐tetrahydro‐1H‐azirino 1, 2‐a]1,5]benzodiazepines has been studied with the aid of mass‐analysed ion kinetic energy spectrometry and exact mass measurements under electron impact ionization. All compounds show a tendency to eliminate a chlorine atom from the aziridine ring, and then eliminate a neutral propene or styrene from the diazepine ring to yield azirino 1,2‐b]1,3] benzimidazole ions. These azirino 1,2‐a]1,5]‐benzodiazepimes can also eliminate HCl, or Cl plus HCl simultaneously to undergo a ring enlargement rearrangement to yield 1,6‐benzodiazocine ions, which further lose small molecular fragments, propyne or phenylacetylene, with rearrangement to give quinoxaline ions.