INVESTIGATION OF THE PROPERTIES OF TRIS(2-CYANOETHYL)PHOSPHINE BY ELECTROSPRAY AND FOURIER-TRANSFORM ION-CYCLOTRON RESONANCE MASS SPECTROMETRIES

The small, ambidentate phosphine P(CH2CH2CN)(3) (tcp) has been investi gated by laser ablation Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (LA- FTICR) and electrospray mass spectrometries (ESMS), particularly with regard to its interaction with some alkali-and transition-metal monoca tions. These two different ionization and mass spectrometric technique s have been shown to be complementary for this phosphine. Complexes of the type [M(tcp)](+) (M = H or alkali-metal cation) were observed usi ng both techniques. Corresponding species were observed for M = Cu, Ag , Co and Ni using LA-FTICR. In the negative-ion LA spectra the phosphi ne provides a source of cyanide ions, forming metal-cyanide cluster an ions of the type [M(x)(CN)(x+1)](-). These are predominant for Cu, and less so for Ag, Co and Ni. Loss of acrylonitrile from the metal compl exes also provides one of the main decomposition pathways which can be observed in both positive- and negative-ion modes, giving complexes o f the type [M(CH2CHCN)(x)](+) (x = 1 or 2) and [M(CN){P(CH2CH2CN)}](-) respectively.