The gas-phase ligand exchange of copper and nickel acetylacetonate, hexafluoroacetylacetonate and trifluorotrimethylacetylacetonate complexes.

The gas-phase ligand-exchange reactions between Cu(II) and Ni(II) complexes containing the acetylacetonate (acac), hexafluoroacetylacetonate (hfac), and trifluorotrimethylacetylacetonate (tftm) ligands were investigated using a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The gas-phase mixed-ligand products of [Cu(acac)(tftm)](+), [Ni(acac)(tftm)](+), [Cu(hfac)(tftm)](+), and [Ni(hfac)(tftm)](+) were formed following the co-sublimation of either homo-metal or hetero-metal precursors. The gas-phase formation of [Cu(acac)(tftm)](+), [Cu(hfac)(tftm)](+), [Ni(acac)(tftm)](+), and [Ni(hfac)(tftm)](+) complexes is reported herein for the first time. The corresponding fragmentation patterns of these species along with those of Cu(tftm)(2) and Ni(tftm)(2) are also presented. Mass-selected ion-neutral reactions were investigated.