CHEMICAL IONIZATION AND ELECTRON-IMPACT MASS-SPECTROMETRY OF SOME ORGANO-PHOSPHONATE COMPOUNDS

The application of gas chromatography chemical ionization mass spectrometry to the determination of a variety of alkyl alkylphosphonates, phosphonofluoridates, phosphonothiolates and an amidophosphorocyanidate is described. Comparison is made between the electron ionization and chemical ionization mass spectrometry of these compounds. Chemical ionization mass spectrometry is shown to enhance the capability for identification, especially when a limited sample is available. Results indicate that methane is highly useful for obtaining protonated molecular ions and association ions (formed by the transfer of a reactant ion to a sample molecule) as well as meaningful fragment ions. Ionizing ethylene and isobutane gives protonated molecular ions as base peaks for all of the compounds studied, including those where a lower abundance of the [MH]+ ion is found via methane chemical ionization mass spectrometry. Ethylene is superior to isobutane on the basis of its effectiveness for serving as both a carrier and a reagent gas and gives better sensitivity. Although not an intrinsic part of this present study, analytical sensitivities in the subnanogram range were found. Copyright © 1979 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.