Mass spectrometric studies of silver complexes with a pyridine dicarboxamide ligand: interconversion of Ag(I) and Ag(III) oxidation states in the gas phase

Abstract

Electrospray ionization [ESI] enables the detection of highly unstable silver(III) complexes prepared in situ from the dicarboxamide ligand L (where L=N,N'-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-2,6-pyridinedicarboxamide) and Ag(CH3COO). The collision-induced dissociation of [Ag-III(L-H)(CH3COO)](+) leads to the elimination of oxiranone.

As well as the silver(III) complexes, various other silver(I) complexes generated in the positive as well as negative ionization mode were investigated.

Keywords

• electrospray ionization
• mass spectrometry
• dicarboxamide ligand
• silver complexes
• oxidation states