Electron impact studies. LXXXVI. Ion-molecule reactions of alkyl and aryl cyanides.

Positive ion-molecule reactions of representative alkyl and aryl cyanides have been studied by ioncyclotron resonance spectroscopy. The major secondary ion produced from alkyl cyanides is an [MH]+ species. Neutral alkyl cyanides react preferentially with even-electron ions produced from alkyl cyanide molecular ions by the general process +R1 + R2CN → R2-C=N+-R1 but the corresponding aryl cyanides react with both odd- and even-electron ions. The characteristic reaction of acetonitrile,'s2 viz. CH2CN+ + CH3CN → C3H4N+ + HCN does not occur for higher homologues, but a mixture of acetonitrile and propionitrile gives the analogous reaction CH2CN+ + C2H5CN → C4H6N+ + HCN