Analysis of alkenes by copper ion chemical ionization gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

A novel chemical ionization/fast atom bombardment (CI/FAB) source was used to analyse alkenes by chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CI-MS) using c opper ions as the ionizing agent. The Cu+-CI mass spectra showed abundant p seudomolecular adduct ions [alkene-Cu](+) and characteristic fragment ions. Mass-analysed ion kinetic energy spectroscopy was used to study the produc t ions resulting from the decomposition of adduct ions and to eliminate bac kground interferences derived from the copper ions, The major fragmentation s permitted the localization of double bonds and minor fragments allowed th e differentiation of alkene isomers. The CI/FAB source was coupled to a gas chromatograph and simple and complex mixtures of octene isomers were analy sed by gas chromatography (GC)/Cu+-CI-MS and GC/Cu+-CI-MS/MS. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.