A study of rearrangement processes in the mass spectra of substituted benzophenones which provide a guide to orientation

Abstract

Abstract An investigation of the mass spectra of substituted benzophenones has shown that a number of rearrangement processes are operative. The rearrangements have been shown to involve solely the ortho ‐substituents to the carbonyl group and in many cases the carbonyl oxygen atom itself participates in the processes. Deuterium labelling experiments combined with data obtained from accurate mass and metastable analysis have enabled the probable mechanisms of rearrangement and fragmentation to be elucidated. An understanding of these processes should greatly assist in the location of substituents in unknown benzophenones.