Abstract
Eleven tropolones - six closely related - have been prepared, as well as three 2-aminotropones and 2-mercaptotropone. Thirty eight metal complexes, many of which have not been reported previously, have been prepared with these ligands. The mass spectra of these compounds have been analysed and the results are presented in appendices 1 and 2, while the results obtained from the infrared and ultraviolet spectra are presented in appendix 3. Only one paper has been published previously concerning the mass spectra of simple tropolones and related compounds; this was published in 1963. No carboxy tropolones or metal tropolonates were examined and the conclusions reached in that paper concerning the initial breakdown of tropolones have been found to be invalid for these compounds. The spectra of these compounds are compared in this work with the reported spectra of the corresponding aromatic derivatives. The mass spectra of the complexes have been considered in terms of the properties of the metal atom, and in particular the charge residing on the metal. Although most of the complexes prepared were transition metal complexes, in which the metal atom has a variable valency, certain other complexes have been prepared and used for comparison. These include the thorium (IV), zinc (II), aluminium (ill) and beryllium (II) complexes. The mass spectra obtained with the beryllium complexes were particularly detailed, and in many respects they were unlike any other spectrum obtained. A series of vanadyl complexes has been prepared and their V=0 stretching frequencies are compared with those of similar vanadyl complexes. The mass spectra of these complexes indicate that rearrangements involving the vanadyl oxygen atom are common.