Investigations into Synthetic Carbon Allotropes in the gas-phase

This thesis deals with the investigation of synthetic carbon allotropes in the gas-phase using mass spectrometry. The focus was on the influence of different structural elements on the ability of the molecules to form complexes with silver cations and fullerenes, as well as on the stability of the complexes and the molecular ions. To this end, the altered behaviour of the formed structures was investigated when the propeller-like phenyl groups in the triphenylamine were fixed in the plane by dimethylmethylene bridges. Both the stability of the molecular ions and that of the complexes formed with silver ions were studied. The oxidised and reduced forms of a diazapentacene derivative were also investigated for their ability to form stable [1:1] and [2:1] complexes with silver ions. In addition to the various silver complexes, the ability of a new nanographene to form host-guest complexes of different compositions with fullerenes was investigated. Superhelicene molecules were also investigated which form the relatively rare stable radical cation dimers during the electrospray process, instead of the more commonly observed clusters of dimer radical cations. Carbon-based nanoparticles were also analysed. The results of the mass spectrometry studies helped to link the observed photochemical behaviour of the nanoparticles to their chemical structure.