Fragmentation of alkoxide ions following collisional activation. An energy-resolved study

Abstract

The collisionally activated dissociation reactions of the C2 to C5 alkoxide ions have been studied for collisons occurring at 8 keV kinetic energy and also over the range 5 to 100 eV kinetic energy. The alkoxide ions fragment by 1,2-elimination of H2 and/or an alkane. Thus, primary alkoxide ions fragment by elimination of H2 only, secondary alkoxide ions show elimination of H2 and alkane molecules, while tertiary alkoxide ions show elimination of alkanes only. In alkane elimination, loss of CH4 is much more facilie than loss of larger alkanes. For secondary alkoxide ions, where more than one elimination reaction occurs, the energy dependence of fragmentation has been explored over the collision energy range 5 to 100 eV. The results are interpreted in terms of a step-wise mechanism involving formation of an anion-carbonyl compound ion-dipole complex, followed by proton abstraction by the H− or alkyl anion leading to the final products. The relative importance of the reaction channels is determined by the relative stabilities of these ion-dipole complexes.