BRAINCAKEMass Spectrum Example 3
Example 3: pentan-2-one and pentan-3-one
Pentan-2-one, CH3COCH2CH2CH3, and pentan-3-one, CH3CH2COCH2CH3, are position isomers with the formula C5H10O. Both have Mr = 86 and a molecular ion peak at m/z 86. Ketones usually break at the C-C bonds on either side of the C=O group, so the fragments show where the C=O group is.
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Key terms in this lesson
- molecular ion
- The positive ion formed when a whole molecule loses an electron in a mass spectrometer, giving a peak at the molecule's relative molecular mass.
- base peak
- The tallest peak in a mass spectrum, corresponding to the most abundant, most stable fragment ion.
More in Mass Spectrometry
- Mass Spectrometry
- The Molecular Ion Peak
- Other Peaks
- Fragmentation
- Mass Spectrum Example 1
- Mass Spectrum Example 2
- Mass Spectrum Example 4
- Mass Spectrum Example 5
All 9 lessons in Mass Spectrometry · All Edexcel AS-level Chemistry topics