Mass Spectrometry - Background


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In mass spectrometry, a substance is bombarded with an electron beam having sufficient energy to fragment the molecule. The positive fragments which are produced (cations and radical cations) are accelerated in a vacuum through a magnetic field and are sorted on the basis of mass-to-charge ratio. Since the bulk of the ions produced in the mass spectrometer carry a unit positive charge, the value m/e is equivalent to the molecular weight of the fragment. The analysis of mass spectroscopy information involves the re-assembling of fragments, working backwards to generate the original molecule. A schematic representation of a mass spectrometer is shown below:

A very low concentration of sample molecules is allowed to leak into the ionization chamber (which is under a very high vacuum) where they are bombarded by a high-energy electron beam. The molecules fragment and the positive ions produced are accelerated through a charged array into an analyzing tube. The path of the charged molecules is bent by an applied magnetic field. Ions having low mass (low momentum) will be deflected most by this field and will collide with the walls of the analyzer. Likewise, high momentum ions will not be deflected enough and will also collide with the analyzer wall. Ions having the proper mass-to-charge ratio, however, will follow the path of the analyzer, exit through the slit and collide with the Collector. This generates an electric current, which is then amplified and detected. By varying the strength of the magnetic field, the mass-to-charge ratio which is analyzed can be continuously varied.

The output of the mass spectrometer shows a plot of relative intensity vs the mass-to-charge ratio (m/e). The most intense peak in the spectrum is termed the base peak and all others are reported relative to it's intensity. The peaks themselves are typically very sharp, and are often simply represented as vertical lines.

The process of fragmentation follows simple and predictable chemical pathways and the ions which are formed will reflect the most stable cations and radical cations which that molecule can form. The highest molecular weight peak observed in a spectrum will typically represent the parent molecule, minus an electron, and is termed the molecular ion (M+). Generally, small peaks are also observed above the calculated molecular weight due to the natural isotopic abundance of 13C, 2H, etc. Many molecules with especially labile protons do not display molecular ions; an example of this is alcohols, where the highest molecular weight peak occurs at m/e one less than the molecular ion (m-1). Fragments can be identified by their mass-to-charge ratio, but it is often more informative to identify them by the mass which has been lost. That is, loss of a methyl group will generate a peak at m-15; loss of an ethyl, m-29, etc. Click here for a table of common fragments.

The mass spectrum of toluene (methyl benzene) is shown below. The spectrum displays a strong molecular ion at m/e = 92, small m+1 and m+2 peaks, a base peak at m/e = 91 and an assortment of minor peaks m/e = 65 and below.

The molecular ion, again, represents loss of an electron and the peaks above the molecular ion are due to isotopic abundance. The base peak in toluene is due to loss of a hydrogen atom to form the relatively stable benzyl cation. This is thought to undergo rearrangement to form the very stable tropylium cation, and this strong peak at m/e = 91 is a hallmark of compounds containing a benzyl unit. The minor peak at m/e = 65 represents loss of neutral acetylene from the tropylium ion and the minor peaks below this arise from more complex fragmentation.


Next Section: Fragmentation of Common Chemical Classes
View a Table of Common Fragments

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Copyright 1996, Paul R. Young, University of Illinois at Chicago, All Rights Reserved