Studies in organic mass spectrometry. XXIII ‐Evidence for the occurrence of cyclic sulphonium ions in the gas phase

Functional group interaction occurs in the loss of a phenoxy radical from the molecular ions of ω‐phenylthio alkylphenylethers ØO(CH 2 ) n SØ ( n = 2–6). Labelling data provide evidence for the S‐phenyl thietanium, S‐phenyl tetrahydrothiophenium and S‐phenyl tetrahydrothiopyranium structures of the decomposing (lifetimes between 10 −6 and 10 −5 s) [M ‐ ØO] + ions in the case of n = 3, 4 and 5, respectively.