Structural Aspects of Long-Lived C7H82+ Dications Generated by the Electron Ionization of Toluene †.

The structure of the C7H82+ dication generated upon electron ionization of toluene is investigated by experimental and theoretical means. For the long-lived C7H82+ dication, the experimental findings obtained with a novel SIFT/GIB instrument suggest complete loss of structural integrity corresponding to the toluene structure. Instead, the manifold of C7H82+ dications most likely to be formed is assigned to a mixture of the cycloheptatriene dication and ring-protonated benzylium ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]