Mass Spectrometric Investigations of the Dissociation of [C@W6Cl17]− Ions in the Gas Phase

A clean break: A carbon‐centered tungsten cluster [C@W6Cl18]2− (see picture: C orange, Cl green, W blue) was examined by mass spectrometry and its decomposition studied by collisionally activated dissociation experiments. A retrosynthesis‐type dissociation sequence which gives indications about the mechanism of formation is observed. The bonding of the carbon atoms in the center of the tungsten framework shows parallels to the bonding in tungsten carbide.