ELECTROSPRAY MASS-SPECTRAL STUDIES OF AROMATIC DIAZONIUM SALTS AND DIAZOTATES

Electrospray (ES) mass spectra were observed for a series of aryldiazo nium cations and the intact ions were observed. Collisionally activate d decompositions lead to facile loss of nitrogen to form the correspon ding aryl cations. Comparisons of the proportion of intact and fragmen t ions for each cation at a constant collisional energy lead to an ord er of relative stability for the diazonium cations which is similar to that determined in solution by chemical methods. Negative-ion ES mass spectra were observed for the intact ions for the corresponding diazo tates. Like the diazonium cations, they also readily lose nitrogen in collisionally activated decompositions to give the phenolate anions [O Ar](-).