Electrospray production and collisional dissociation of lanthanide/methylsulfonyl anion complexes: Sulfur dioxide anion as a ligand

- The CS bond in the methane sulfinate ligand cleaves to yield CH3 and SO2.
- CID yields complexes with lanthanides coordinated by sulfur dioxide anion.
- CID products reveal stabilities of lanthanide divalent oxidation states.
- Lanthanides preferentially bond to oxygen whereas copper bonds to carbon.
- DFT predicts observed fragmentation chemistry.