NEUTRAL COUNTERPARTS OF THE C2H7O+ ISOMERS

The neutral counterparts of the C2H7O+ isomers CH3O+(H)CH3, CH3CH2OH2 and C2H4...H...OH, were studied by neutralization-reionization mass s pectrometry. Protonated dimethyl ether and its -O(D)+ analogue were pr oduced by protonation (deuteration) of dimethyl ether and also generat ed as a fragment ion from (labeled) ionized CH3OCH2CH(OH)CH3 by loss o f CH3CO.. It Was observed that the dissociation characteristics of the ions and the stability of their neutral counterpart depended on the i nternal energy of the protonated ether ions. Stable neutral CH3O(H)CH3 was only produced from energy-rich ions. The classical protonated eth anol ion CH3CH2OH2+ (a) was produced at threshold by the loss of CH3CO . from ionized butane-2,3-diol. Mixtures of a with the non-classical i on C2H4...H...OH2 (b) were produced by reaction of C2H5+ ions with H2O . As for the protonated ether, only high-energy a and/or b ions yielde d stable hypervalent radicals. It is suggested that the stable C2H7.O radicals are Rydberg states.