One of the most important uses of mass spectrometry in organic chemistry is in the determination of molecular weight (MW: M). In fast atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrometry, 1-3) molecular-related ion peaks of organic compounds are generally observed as [MϩH] ϩ , [M] ϩ , [MϪH] ϩ or [Mϩ2H] ϩ (for positive ion), depending on the structures. However, compounds which decompose during the analyses show only very weak or no molecular-related ion peaks. In such cases, addition of an alkali metal salt to the compounds sometimes helps to induce adduct ion peaks [MϩA] ϩ (A: atomic weight of alkali metal), and these peaks have also been used for molecular weight determination in FAB mass spectrometry.
4-7)Alkali metal adduct ions of organic compounds are observed in FAB mass analyses of various compounds, especially polyoxygenated compounds such as saccharides [8][9][10][11] and polyethers, [12][13][14][15] and polyfunctional compounds such as peptides. [16][17][18][19] We previously reported the structural requirements of oxygen functional groups for stabilization of the adduct ions in FAB mass spectra of a variety of diols and related compounds with the addition of NaCl. 7) Compounds with two proximal oxygens efficiently coordinated to Na ϩ , and afforded the adduct ion peaks [MϩNa] ϩ [Chart 1a]. However, compounds with an isolated hydroxyl group or ether oxygen hardly formed a complex with Na ϩ , and the intensities of the Na ϩ adduct ion peaks were negligible compared to those of diols, including n-hexadecane-1,2-diol (12), which formed stable Na ϩ adduct ions.7)The affinity of alkali metal cations to p-electrons has been extensively investigated on the basis of cation p-interactions. [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] Experiments to determine the binding energies of alkali metal cations with benzene and ethylene in the gas phase have been carried out by mass analyses of ion-molecule binding under solvent-free conditions and without counter ion influence. [22][23][24] Theoretical studies have also been carried out to calculate the binding energies of alkali metal cations to aromatic compounds.25-27) As described above, our previous studies showed that compounds with an isolated hydroxyl group hardly formed a complex with Na ϩ under FAB mass spectrometric conditions. 7) However, if an olefinic double bond and Na ϩ could interact, allylic alcohols might form a complex with Na ϩ by the participation of both the hydroxyl group and the olefinic double bond to yield [MϩNa] ϩ ion peaks effectively [Chart 1b]. Allylic alcohols are susceptible to dehydroxylation (protonation followed by dehydration to form the allylic cation) under FAB mass spectrometric conditions, but if the hydroxyl group and olefinic double bond were coordinated to Na ϩ , the complex might not readily undergo dehydroxylation, as in the case of 1,2-diols.
7)This paper reports the interactions of Na ϩ with allylic alcohols in FAB mass spectrometry. Steroidal allylic alcohols, in which a,b-unsaturated hydroxyl groups were located in ring A ...