Reduction processes in fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry: Methylene blue in glycerol‐thioglycerol and glycerol‐nitrobenzyl alcohol matrices

Reduction of the methylene blue cation during fast atom bombardment was studied in glycerol–thioglycerol and glycerol–nitrobenzyl alcohol matrices. The relative abundances of reduced species are significantly lower in a matrix containing 0.2 m thioglycerol in glycerol than they are in pure thioglycerol. Pure 3‐nitrobenzyl alcohol or a glycerol–nitrobenzyl alcohol mixture is a less effective matrix material. These results are discussed in terms of a postulated mechanism for the formation of the reduced dye cation species.