Gas phase chemistry of N-benzylbenzamides with silver(i) cations: characterization of benzylsilver cation

Abstract

The benzylsilver cation which emerges from the collisional dissociation of silver(I)–N-benzylbenzamide complexes was characterized by deuterium-labeling experiments, theoretical calculations, breakdown curves and substituent effects. The nucleophilic attack of the carbonyl oxygen on an α-hydrogen results in the generation of the benzylsilver cation, which is competitive to the AgH loss with the α-hydrogen.