FAST-ATOM-BOMBARDMENT OF SOME ASYMMETRIC COMPARTMENTAL [1-BASES(1]SCHIFF)

New compartmental ligands (L), containing a N2O2 Or N3O2 Schiff base a nd an O2O4, O2O5 or O2O6 'crown like' coordination site, have been pre pared by reaction of the appropriate diformyl- and polyamine precursor s, The related amine derivatives have been obtained by reduction of th e imine analogues with NaBH4. The mass spectrometric behaviour of thes e compounds has been studied by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometr y, which mainly leads to the facile production of protonated [MH](+) a nd cationized [MNa](+) molecules, The mass analysed ion kinetic energy spectra of these ionic species show that the primary fragmentation pa tterns strongly depend on the crown dimensions and on the imine-amine structure of the nitrogen-containing chain, Macrocyclic rare earth com plexes Me(L)(H2O)(4)(Cl)(3) (Me = Ce, Y), prepared by a template proce dure, have been also studied under the same experimental conditions, p roving that the presence of the metal ion leads to a strong reduction of the number of primary decomposition pathways. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.