Dissociation mechanism of HNIW ions investigated by Chemical Ionization and Electron Impact Mass spectroscopy

Chemical Ionization (CI) with Collision-Induced Dissociation (CID) spectroscopy and Electron Impacting (El) with metastable Mass analyzed Ion Kinetic Energy (MIKE) spectroscopy have been applied to study ionic dissociations of Hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (HNIW). Similarities and differences between EI/MIKE and CI/CID mass spectra of HNIW were analyzed. In El mass spectra, the ions [HNIW-n NO₂]⁺ (n = 2-5), such as the ion at m/z 347, were less frequent (1 - 2% relative abundance), but in CI mass spectra, these ions were very abundant. For some ions of large molar mass from HNIW, their dissociations pathways from parent ions to daughter ions were built according to CID and MIKE spectra. Molecular ions of HNIW with a protonated nitro group at five-member ring seem more stable than at six-member ring. The HNIW ions losing five of six nitro groups are very stable based on CID spectra, which agrees with some research results for thermal decomposition of HNIW in literature.