Charge stripping and the site of cationization of substituted aromatic compounds

Abstract

Abstract The site of protonation, methylation and ethylation of anilines, phenols and thiophenols can be determined by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The extent to which the cation attachment products formed from these compounds undergo charge stripping is related to the site of cation attachment. The formation of doubly charged ions for phenols and anilines is favored when cation attachment occurs on the ring. For thiophenols alkylation occurs almost exclusively on the substituent, and yet an abundant stripping peak is recorded. This behavior is opposite to that seen for anilines and phenols and is accounted for in terms of orbital energies in the three systems. The site of cation attachment, as deduced by charge stripping, agrees with conclusions drawn from the fragmentation behavior of these ions upon collision‐induced dissociation.