Evaluation of the dipole moments of organic ions in the gas phase

The dipole moments of a series of substituted benzene radical cations were evaluated on the basis of mass displacements from the expected instrumental value by ion trap experiments. Mass displacements represent a direct measure of the total polarizability, giving access to both the electronic and dipolar polarizabilities, depending on the characteristics of the analyte under investigation. A linear relationship was found between the dipolar polarizabilities and the dipole moments of the corresponding neutrals.