Mass spectrometry — the appearance potentials of “meta-stable peaks” in some aromatic nitro compounds — a chemical reaction in the mass spectrometer

Abstract

The appearance potentials of “meta-stable peaks” are used to compute the heat of formation of C 4H 4 + . In aromatic nitro-compounds it is found that the appearance potential of the fragment ion ( M − 30) ∸ is below that of the “meta-stable peak” connecting this ion with the molecular ion. It is shown that aromatic nitro bodies undergo catalytic reactions in the ionisation chamber to form the corresponding amine.