Electrospray mass spectrometric study of the metal triflates used as catalysts in their interaction with organic ligands: isomer recognition

摘要

The ESI mass spectra of a solution of metal triflate M(CF3SO3)n and a Lewis base LB produce essentially a singly-charged positive ion [M(CF3SO3)n-1(LB)2]+. The ligand competition between two different LBs for the metal center can be used for the recognition and quantification of stereoisomeric molecules. The method is also applicable to enantiomers under specific conditions.