Chemistry A-Level
Fragmentation
What Fragmentation means in Chemistry A-Level, as defined for OCR.
Definitions of Fragmentation
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Reference: OCR
The process in which the radical cation breaks into a charged fragment and a neutral radical, with only charged fragments appearing as peaks.
Fragment peaks such as M−15 and M−29 reveal structural features, suggesting loss of a methyl group or an ethyl group.
Produces lower-mass ions, so the tallest peak is usually a fragment, not the molecular ion.
Topics that use Fragmentation
- Analytical techniques (OCR A-Level)
- Spectroscopy (OCR A-Level)
Related terms
- Functional group identification
- Absorption and re-emission of infrared radiation
- Absorption of infrared radiation
- Absorption of infrared radiation by bond vibrations
- base peak
- Bond stretching and bending
- Bond vibration and absorption of IR radiation
- Broad peak shape caused by hydrogen bonding
Using Fragmentation in the exam
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