AbstractThe electron impact mass spectra of disubstituted naphthalenes (chloronitro, acetylnitro, dibromo and dinitro derivatives) and of two naphthalenedicarboxylic anhydrides were studied under high resolution and by means of linked (B/E) scans. They all generate didehydronaphthalene radical cation, C10H, in most cases with a very high abundance, so that a convenient route to these interesting species is provided. These isomeric ions were all seen to lose the same fragments, namely C2H2, C2H4, C3H3, C4H2, or C2H2 + C2H2. In three instances, mass‐analysed ion kinetic energy spectrometric (MIKES) and collisional activation/MIKES experiments were carried out and no differences in fragmentation behaviour were detected. Hence these isomeric C10H6+˙ ions achieve some common structure either before or during the fragmentation.