INTRODUCXIONBoth single and double hydrogen atom transfer reactions (1) and (2) paper, it has been reported4 from the m a s spectra of alkyl o-hydroxybenzoates (alkyl salicylates) and alkyl p-hydroxybenzoates that the intramolecular hydrogen bond' (interaction between the hydrogen atom in the hydroxyl group and the oxygen atom in the carboxyl group) may prevent the second hydrogen atom transfer.In the present paper, the temperature effect on the abundances of the rnlz 137 and mlz 136 ions generated by the reactions (2) and (1)
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONIn the mass spectra of alkyl p-hydroxybenzoates, both rnlz 139 and rnlz 138 ions from reactions (2) and (1) were found? In contrast, only the single hydrogen atom transferred ion at mlz 138 was found in the spectra of alkyl salicylates, which have a hydroxyl group with a strong electron-donating property at the ortho p~s i t i o n .~In the case of toluic acid butyl esters, which have a methyl group with a weaker electron-donating property, the abundances of rearrangement ions caused by reactions (1) and (2) which occur at rnlz 136 and m/z 137 became quite intense. The mass spectra of the compounds studied are shown in Table 1