DISSOCIATIONS OF SINGLY AND MULTIPLY CHARGED FULLERENE IONS

Tandem mass spectrometry was used to study the high-energy collision-induced dissociations of singly and multiply charged fullerene ions. It was found that kilovolt collisions of C60+ and C70+ with oxygen yield fullerene product ions, C(x)+, where x is even and greater than 32, as well as smaller carbon cluster ions, C(y)+, where y is less than 30. The distribution of the smaller carbon cluster fragment ions, which are thought to be chains and monocyclic rings, is nearly identical with that observed in laser vaporization cluster production experiments. The singly charged parent ions also yield doubly charged, charge-stripping product ions. In addition, this is the first report of multiply charged C60 ions yielding an electron-capture product ion and lower charge state fragment ions, which are both higher mass fullerene and smaller carbon cluster species.