Reactions of group 1b metal ions with selected hydrocarbons in the source of a spark source mass spectrometer

Evidence for the intervention of excited states of Au⁺, Ag⁺ and Cu⁺ in chemical reactions is gathered from differences in the chemistry of the interaction of these ions with hexane, cyclohexene, benzene and propene, and of Au⁺ only with butadiene and cyclohexane. Most ions are explained by insertions into CC bonds; only in the case of Au⁺ is there unequivocal evidence for insertion into CH bonds. The products of decyclotrimerization reactions dominate the Au⁺ and Cu⁺ spectra of cyclohexene and benzene, and the Au⁺ spectrum of cyclohexane.