ChemInform Abstract: Neutralization-Reionization Mass Spectrometry Applied to Organometallic and Coordination Chemistry (Update: 1994-1998)

Abstract

This review presents the results from the last 5 years on neutralization–reionization mass spectrometry (NRMS) studies of metal-containing ions. The results for silicon- and phosphorus-containing species are also discussed. The major aim of NRMS experiments is to generate (in the gas phase) neutrals that cannot be easily produced and/or detected in other experimental conditions. A variety of elusive complexes of coordinatively unsaturated and saturated metal(s), including important reaction intermediates, have been produced by collisional neutralization of their positively or negatively charged counterparts in the mass spectrometer. The detection of these species helps in understanding the mechanisms of reactions in the gas and condensed phases (interstellar chemistry, catalytic transformations, reactions on surfaces, etc.). The reviewed period of time has been characterized by the development of new experimental techniques. These techniques allow studying stability, electronic structure, and reactivity of selected molecules and radicals. The review provides a complete list of metal-, Si-, and P-containing ions that have been studied by using NRMS and related methods prior to 1999. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Mass Spec Rev 18: 87–118, 1999