Question

Question:What cations are formed in the mass spectrometer by α cleavage of each of the following compounds?

Short answer

Answer

Step-by-step solution

Step 1: α cleavage in mass spectroscopy

α- cleavage in mass spectrometry is the cleavage of a specific carbon center attached to a functional group. It is also known as the characteristic fragmentation of a compound.

Step 2: Determination of fragments upon α cleavage

a.

The functional group present in this compound is -OH(alcohol). The fragmentation can occur from two sites, as shown below:

α cleavage of compound a

b.

Here, the ketone is the functional group, and the fragmentation occurs as shown below:

α cleavage of compound b

c.

Here also, the keto group is present, and the fragmentation occurs as shown below:

α cleavage of compound c