Mass spectrometric investigation of some macrocyclic and macroacyclic compartmental schiff bases

The mass spectrometric behaviour of four macroacyclic and five macrocyclic Schiff bases using two ionization methods (electron impact and fast atom bombardment) was studied in detail with the aid of mass-analysed ion kinetic energy (MIKE) spectrometry. It was possible to propose a common electron impact-induced decomposition pattern for the acyclic compounds, whereas for the cyclic compounds, analysed by fast atom bombardment, peculiar fragmentation routes occurred, which were strongly dependent on the macrocyclic structure and on the different side-chains.