Investigation of cationic hydrogen-bonded systems by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry

Abstract

Fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FABMS) has been used to investigate the hydrogen-bonding of pyridinium and trialkylammonium ions with a range of electron donors. We have studied the effects of matrix liquid, concentration, nature of the anion, and strength of the hydrogen-bond on the observed intensity of the complex peak. The results may be easily rationalized in hydrogen-bonding terms and are in excellent agreement with those of more ‘conventional’ techniques such as i.r. spectroscopy.