. Can. J. Chem. 70, 952 (1992).Electron ionization positive ion mass spectra of 15 substituted cobalt(II1) P-diketonates and monothio-P-diketonates, CO"'L,, where L = RCXCHCOR', R = phenyl, 2-thienyl, or 2-naphthyl; X = 0 or S; and R' = CHF2, CF,, C2FS, or n-C,F,, show a marked dependence on the ligand. Molecular ions, [CO"'L,]+', are observed only for some of the more highly fluorinated complexes (R' = C2FS or n-C3F7). The [Co1"L2] '' ion, possibly generated by ionization of CO"L forme! by thermal degradation, or by electron ionization of Col''L,, typically decomposes by elimination of a radical, i.e., L or R' , to yield ions containing Co(I1); subsequent decompositions proceed preferentially by loss of even-electron neutral species, also to yield ions containing Co(l1). Cobalt-containing ions in which fluorine has rearranged to the metal decrease in variety and abundance for the ligands with higher fluorine content. When metal-bonded oxygen is replaced by sulfur, fluorine migration to Co(III), rather than to Co(II), is preferred. These trends are consistent with a combination of several different concepts including the ability of the metal to undergo valency change, the principle of Hard and Soft Acids and Bases, and the inductive capabilities of the ligand donor atoms and of the R and R' groups. Ion decomposition pathways are proposed.Key words: mass spectrometry, cobalt complexes, P-diketonates, fluorinated chelate complexes. Mots clts : spectrometric de masse, complexes du cobalt, P-dicktonates, complexes de chelates fluorCs.[Traduit par la redaction] Introduction The significant volatility and stability of metal P-diketonates and their derivatives make them suitable for gas chromatography (1). When this technique is combined with mass spectrometry, analytical methods, based upon the use of isotopic tracers, can be devised for metals. Recently, metal P-diketonates were used as precursors for chemical vapor deposition (2-4), a promising technique for the preparation of thin films of high T, superconducting oxides (5), and the application of mass spectrometry to characterize the alkaline earth complexes for this purpose has been described (6).The mass spectra of these complexes are of interest in their own right because their wide variety permits assessment of the influence exerted by bonding and structure factors, i.e., (i) the central metal atom, (ii) the ligand donor atoms, and