Collision induced dissociation (CID) to probe the outer sphere coordination chemistry of bis-salicylaldoximate complexesDedicated to Professor David W. H. Rankin on the occasion of his retirement.Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Synthesis of extractants and complexes and analysis of fragmentation processes/losses using high resolution mass spectrometry. See DOI: 10.1039/c003135f

Ligand-ligand interactions in the outer coordination sphere make an important contribution to the effects of 3-substituents on the stabilities of anionic Cu( ii ) salicylaldoximato complexes [CuL(L-H)] − . When substituents contain a different number of bonds the interpretation of CID tandem mass spectrometry must take into account the ability of ions to redistribute energy acquired in collisions within different numbers of vibrational modes. Collision induced dissociation mass spectrometry shows that interactions in the outer sphere of monoanionic Cu( ii )salicylaldoximato complexes greatly effects their gas phase stabilities.