Gas‐phase chemistry of metal oxide anions: Reactions of dioxomanganate(III), MnO 2 − , and trioxomanganate(V), MnO 3 − , ions with monofluoro‐ and pentafluoro‐aromatic compounds

Gas‐phase reactions of MnO 2 − and MnO 3 − ions with a series of monofluoro‐ and pentafluoro‐aromatic compounds, i.e. C 6 H 4 FX with X = o ‐, m ‐ and p ‐CHO and o ‐, m ‐ and p ‐OH and C 6 F 5 Y with Y = OH, OCH 3 , CHO, CN, NO 2 , COCH 3 and F, were studied at low pressures by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. The principal reaction channels identified involve electron transfer from the MnO 2 − and MnO 3 − ions to the fluorinated aromatic substrates and proton abstraction and nucleophilic displacement of fluorine by these oxometallate ions. The results obtained indicate that in the gas phase MnO 2 − is less basic than MnO 3 − and that neutral MnO 2 has a lower electron affinity than MnO 3 , both values lying between 0.52 and 0.94 eV.