Unimolecular Reactions of Diethyl Malonate Cation in Gas-phase

Abstract

Unimolecular reactions of diethyl malonate cation (CH3CH2OC(=O)CH2C(=O)OCH2CH3+· ; 1+·, Mw : 160) induced by electron ionization, have been investigated by use of mass-analyzed ion kinetic energy (MIKE) spectrometry and D-labeling in conjunction with thermochemistry. In the metastable time window, the molecular ions 1+· lead not only to the formation of the major fragment ions m/z 133 ([M-C2H3]+) through a McLafferty + 1 rearrangement, but also to two minor fragment ions m/z 132 ([M-C2H4]+·) through a McLafferty rearrangement (or [M-CO]+·) and m/z 88 ([M-C3H4O2]+·). These dissociations are rationalized by the idea of ion-neutral complex. The m/z 88 ions are generated via at least two different routes. The m/z 133 ([M-C2H3]+) ions decompose into the ions at m/z 115, 106, and 105 by the losses of H2O, C2H3, and C2H4, respectively. A large part of the first fragment ions would be in the keto form and it decomposes into the m/z 71 and 43 ions by the losses of CO2 and C3H4O2 (or C2O3), and a small part would be in the enol form and decomposes into the m/z 87 ions by the loss of C2H4, not CO. The m/z 43 ions are isobaric, C2H3O+ and C3H7+.