INVESTIGATION OF DOUBLY-CHARGED ORGANIC CATIONS BY ELECTROSPRAY ION-CYCLOTRON RESONANCE MASS-SPECTROMETRY

The production and detection of doubly charged organic cations were studied using a previously unreported approach-electrospray ionization coupled with Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry, Owing to its ultra-high mass resolution, accurate and stable mass calibration, multiple stages of collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) allowing tandem mass spectrometry and extremely long ion storage times (>1 min), this technique has proven to be a powerful method for the detection and study of doubly charged organic compounds. CAD studies were used for the identification of ion-molecule reactions and for the investigation of the propensity towards gas-phase S(N)1 and S(N)2 reaction pathways. To date exclusively S(N)1-type reactions in the gas phase have been detected, Three doubly charged pyridinium salts were chosen as model compounds for this study.