Quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometry of fullerenes

The fullerenes C60 and C70 can be ionized by desorption from a liquid matrix upon bombardment by Cs+ ions of 7 keV kinetic energy. The resulting radical cations, when activated in the ion trap by collisions with Xe target, in the presence of helium, undergo extensive dissociation by loss of multiple C2 units. Large internal energies are deposited into these molecular ions and the dissociation efficiency is in excess of 60%.