Electron ionization mass spectra of indolenines obtained using sector and ion trap mass spectrometers

The electron impact (EI)-induced fragmentations of 18 indolenines were studied using both double-focusing and ion trap mass spectrometers. The compounds used in this study were synthesized to provide correlations of characteristic fragment ions with specific structural differences. In 2-hydroxyindolenines the hydroxy group was involved in a major fragmentation process by interacting with the ester side chain to generate an alpha,beta-unsaturated gamma-lactone structure, with concomitant loss of the corresponding alcohol. In contrast, loss of an alkyl radical, derived solely from the 2-alkoxy group, is a major primary decomposition process for 2-alkoxyindolenines. EI-MS analyses using sector and ion trap spectrometers resulted in similar fragmentation patterns.