Electrochemical thermospray mass spectrometry - a method for the investigation of the first steps of polymerization.

For the study of electrode processes the combination of Thermospray Mass Spectrometry and electrochemistry proves to be a powerful on-line technique. Products generated electrochemically in a special thin layer flow cell are transferred directly into a thermospray ion source. With a response time of approximately one second, nonvolatile products and intermediates are detected by a quadrupole mass spectrometer. This method was first applied to the anodic oxidation of N,N-dialkylanilines in neutral aqueous solution at Pt- and Au-electrodes. The known mechanism, which appeared quiet simple at first sight, was extended into a complex reaction scheme. one side reaction led to higher oligomers. By constructing a new, dual beam thermospray ion source, the study of reactions in non- aqueous electrolyte solutions was possible. This system was tested by clarifying the oxidation process of phenothiazine in a methanollammonium acetate electrolyte.