Substituent Effect on Fragmentations and Ion-Molecule Reactions of Ionized Alkyn Alcohols

The fragmentation patterns and ion-molecule reactions of two alkyn alcohols, 2-propyn-1-ol (HC≡$CCH_2$OH) and 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol (HC≡CC($CH_3)_2$OH), were investigated using Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS). The most abundant fragment ions formed from the molecular ions were [M-H]$^+$ for 2-propyn-1-ol and [M-$CH_3]^+$ for 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol. The dehydrated ion, [M-$H_2O]^+$ was formed only from 2-propyn-1-ol in which $\alpha$ -hydrogen atoms were available for $\alpha,\;\alpha$ -elimination reaction. The protonated molecules were dissociated into [M+H-$H_2O]^+$ and [M+H-$C_2H_2]^+$ through dehydration and deacetylenylation processes. The formations of [M+H-$H_2O]^+$ and [M+H-$C_2H_2]^+$ from 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol were more favorable than those from 2-propyn-1-ol due to stabilization by two methyl groups at $\alpha$ -carbon. Ion-neutral complexes formed at long ion trapping time gave dehydrated and/or deacetylenylated ion products by further dissociation.