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Molecular cluster ions, which are stored in an electromagnetic trap under ultra-high vacuum conditions, undergo blackbody infrared radiative dissociation (BIRD). This process can be simulated with master equation modeling (MEM), predicting temperature-dependent dissociation rate constants, which are very sensitive to the dissociation energy. We have recently introduced a multiple-well approach for master equation modeling, where several low-lying isomers are taken into account. Here, we experimentally measure the BIRD of CO4●–(H2O)1,2 and model the results with a slightly modified multiple-well MEM. In the experiment, we exclusively observe loss of water from CO4●–(H2O), while the BIRD of CO4●–(H2O)2 leads predominantly to loss of carbon dioxide, with water loss occurring to a lesser extent. The MEM of two competing reactions requires empirical scaling factors for infrared intensities and the sum of states of the loose transition states employed in the calculation of unimolecular rate constants so that the simulated branching ratio matches the experiment. The experimentally derived binding energies are ΔH0(CO4●––H2O) = 45 ± 3 kJ/mol, ΔH0(CO4●–(H2O)–H2O) = 41 ± 3 kJ/mol, and ΔH0(CO2–O2●–(H2O)2) = 37 ± 3 kJ/mol. Quantum chemical calculations on the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ//CCSD/aug-cc-pVDZ level, corrected for the basis set superposition error, yield binding energies that are 2–5 kJ/mol higher than experiment, within error limits of both experiment and theory. The relative activation energies for the two competing loss channels are as well fully consistent with theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron is the most abundant transition metal in the interstellar medium (ISM), and is thought to be involved in a variety of astrochemical processes. Here, we present the infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectra of Ar1,2FeH+ and their deuterated isotopologues in the region of 2240–14 000 cm−1. The Fe–H overtone stretching mode in ArFeH+ and Ar2FeH+ is observed at 3636 ± 28 cm−1 and 3659 ± 13 cm−1, respectively. Deuteration shifts these bands to 2618 ± 31 cm−1 and 2650 ± 14 cm−1 in ArFeD+ and Ar2FeD+, respectively. Additionally, the spectra of Ar2FeH+ and Ar2FeD+ feature broad transitions at ∼2200–4000 cm−1 and ∼4500–6500 cm−1. We assign these bands to electronic transitions from the thermally populated X5A2/X′5A1 ground state manifold into the A′5B2 and B5A1 states, which we model with multi-reference quantum chemical calculations including spin–orbit coupling. The calculations show that these transitions are symmetry forbidden in FeH+ and in the equilibrium geometry of ArFeH+/ArFeD+, while the zero-point oscillation of the bending mode of the triatomic molecule leads to some oscillator strength. Upon addition of the second argon atom, the transitions become weakly allowed in the equilibrium geometry of Ar2FeH+/Ar2FeD+ due to symmetry reduction from C∞v to C2v. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the main components of sea salt aerosols, sodium chloride is involved in numerous atmospheric processes. Gas-phase clusters are ideal models to study fundamental physical and chemical properties of sodium chloride, which are significantly affected by the cluster size. Of particular interest are magic cluster sizes, which exhibit high intensities in mass spectra. In order to understand the origin of these magic cluster sizes, quantum chemical calculations at the CCSD(T)//DFT level are performed, yielding structures and binding energies of neutral (NaCl)x, anionic (NaCl)xCl− and cationic (NaCl)xNa+ clusters up to x = 8. Our calculations show that the clusters can easily isomerize, enabling dissociation into the lowest-energy isomers of the fragments. Energetics can explain the special stability of (NaCl)4Cl−, but (NaCl)4Na+ actually offers low-lying dissociation channels, despite being a magic cluster size. Collision-induced dissociation experiments reveal that the loss of neutral clusters (NaCl)x, x = 2, 4, is in most cases more favorable than the loss of NaCl or the atomic ion, i.e. sodium chloride clusters actually fragment via the cleavage of the entire cluster, not by evaporating small cluster building blocks. This is rationalized by the calculated high stability of even-numbered neutral clusters (NaCl)x, especially x = 2, 4. Analysis of the density of states and rate constants calculated with a modified Rice–Ramsperger–Kassel–Marcus (RRKM) equation called AWATAR – considering all energetically accessible isomers of reactants and fragments – shows that entropic effects are responsible for the magic cluster character of (NaCl)4Na+. In particular, low-lying vibrational modes provide a high density of states of the near-planar cluster. Together with the small contribution of an atomic ion to the sum of states in a loose transition state for dissociation, this leads to a very small unimolecular rate constant for dissociation into (NaCl)4 and Na+, which is the lowest energy fragmentation pathway. Thus, entropic effects may override energetics for certain magic cluster sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry has a so far little exploited potential for the analysis of high-purity process and inert gases. In order to protonate impurities like saturated hydrocarbons, precursor ions with very low proton affinity must be used, which in turn leads to a large energy release upon protonation of molecules with high proton affinity, potentially causing fragmentation of the product ions. To explore the potential of low-proton affinity precursor ions like ArH+ and N2H+ for analytical purposes, we studied their gas-phase reactions and kinetics with acetone by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT–ICR) mass spectrometry. The dominant product ion in both cases is protonated acetone, but fragment ions formed include C2H3O+, C3H5+ and CH3O+, which are formed in higher abundance with ArH+ compared to N2H+. The reaction efficiencies are determined to be close to 100%. Quantum chemical calculations reveal energetically favorable reaction pathways and explain the loss of water leading to the formation of C3H5+, as well as loss of methane to yield C2H3O+via dissociative proton attachment, which corresponds to the main product in the EI mass spectrum of acetone. Formation of protonated formaldehyde CH3O+ involves rearrangement of the C–C bonds to eliminate ethylene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrated molecular anions are present in the atmosphere. Revealing the structure of the microsolvation is key to understanding their chemical properties. The infrared spectra of CO3•−(H2O)1,2 and CO4•−(H2O)1,2 were measured via infrared multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy in both warm and cold environments. Redshifted from the free O–H stretch frequency, broad, structured spectra were observed in the O–H stretching region for all cluster ions, which provide information on the interaction of the hydrogen atoms with the central ion. In the C–O stretching region, the spectra exhibit clear maxima, but dissociation of CO3•−(H2O)1,2 was surprisingly inefficient. While CO3•−(H2O)1,2 and CO4•−(H2O) dissociate via loss of water, CO2 loss is the dominant dissociation channel for CO4•−(H2O)2. The experimental spectra are compared to calculated spectra within the harmonic approximation and from analysis of molecular dynamics simulations. The simulations support the hypothesis that many isomers contribute to the observed spectrum at finite temperatures. The highly fluxional nature of the clusters is the main reason for the spectral broadening, while water–water hydrogen bonding seems to play a minor role in the doubly hydrated species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the structure of copper formate and deuterated copper formate clusters using infrared multiple photon dissociation in combination with quantum chemical calculations. Symmetric and asymmetric C–O stretching vibrations along with C–H/C–D stretching vibrations were characterized. Fermi interactions between the C–H stretch and likely a C–O combination band and/or the overtone of a C–H in-plane bending motion have been confirmed by deuteration. The spectra reveal a strong dependence on the monodentate or bidentate binding motif of the formate ligands. Many minima are energetically accessible on the potential energy surface through rotation of the monodentate formate ligands into several almost isoenergetic local minima. While the C–H/C–D stretching vibration is heavily influenced by the charge distribution in the cluster, the C–O vibrations are largely unaffected. The C–H stretch region is not very diagnostic due to a variety of possible Fermi resonances, which also depend on the charge distribution at the formate ligand. Deuteration yields unperturbed spectra in the C–D stretch region and reveals characteristic shifts of the C–D stretching mode for the different binding motifs, with a strong dependence of the band position on the oxidation state of the copper center. The observed bands are compared with formate adsorbed on copper surfaces from the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proton transfer reactions (PTR) are important for chemical ionization, especially in trace gas analysis in air. In an effort to extend their application to the analysis of high‐purity inert gases, we studied PTR of N2H+ and ArH+ with various reaction gases, viz. O2, N2, CH4, CO2, NO2, H2O and CH3OH. Oxygen, nitrogen, methane, carbon dioxide, and water undergo non‐dissociative proton transfer, where the original molecule remains intact. PTR to nitrogen dioxide leads to NO+ with release of neutral OH⋅. While PTR from N2H+ to methanol exclusively yields protonated methanol, the reaction with ArH+ exhibits dissociative proton transfer, due to its higher exothermicity. Products include methenium, protonated formaldehyde, and protonated methanol. The latter undergoes a slow secondary reaction to form protonated dimethyl ether. Within error limits, most reactions proceed at or close to collision rate. Quantum chemical calculations provide energetics and reaction pathways. In such highly exothermic proton transfer reactions, identification and quantification of trace compounds require detailed understanding of the fragmentation pathways and branching ratios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A versatile multifunctional laboratory-based near ambient pressure x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) instrument is presented. The entire device is highly customized regarding geometry, exchangeable manipulators and sample stages for liquid- and solid-state electrochemistry, cryochemistry, and heterogeneous catalysis. It therefore delivers novel and unique access to a variety of experimental approaches toward a broad choice of functional materials and their specific surface processes. The high-temperature (electro)catalysis manipulator is designed for probing solid state/gas phase interactions for heterogeneous catalysts including solid electrolyzer/fuel cell electrocatalysts at pressures up to 15 mbar and temperatures from room temperature to 1000 °C. The liquid electrochemistry manipulator is specifically designed for in situ spectroscopic investigations of polarized solid/liquid interfaces using aqueous electrolytes and the third one for experiments for ice and ice-like materials at cryogenic temperatures to approximately −190 °C. The flexible and modular combination of these setups provides the opportunity to address a broad spectrum of in situ and operando XPS experiments on a laboratory-based system, circumventing the limited accessibility of experiments at synchrotron facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular processes behind hydrogen evolution reactions can be quite complex. In macroscopic electrochemical cells, it is extremely difficult to elucidate and understand their mechanism. Gas phase models, consisting of a metal ion and a small number of water molecules, provide unique opportunities to understand the reaction pathways in great detail. Hydrogen evolution in clusters consisting of a singly charged metal ion and one to on the order of 50 water molecules has been studied extensively for magnesium, aluminum and vanadium. Such clusters with around 10–20 water molecules are known to eliminate atomic or molecular hydrogen upon mild activation by room temperature black‐body radiation. Irradiation with ultraviolet light, by contrast, enables hydrogen evolution already with a single water molecule. Here, we analyze and compare the reaction mechanisms for hydrogen evolution on the ground state as well as excited state potential energy surfaces. Five distinct mechanisms for evolution of atomic or molecular hydrogen are identified and characterized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometry is applied to analyze the reactions of water cluster anions [([H.sub.2]O).sub.n.sup.-] where n ranges from 30 to 70, with hydrogen chloride. Results reveal that the [Cl.sup.-][(HCl).sub.4][([H.sub.2]O).sub.6] cluster symbolizes an example for supramolecular self-organization in the gas phase, which comprises of a tetrahedral [Cl.sup.-][(HCl).sub.4], linked on one side of the tetrahedron to a compact water hexamer.

The reaction of HNO3 with hydrated electrons (H2O)n- (n = 35-65) in the gas phase was studied using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometry and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. Kinetic analysis of the experimental data shows that OH−(H2O)m is formed primarily via a reaction of the hydrated electron with HNO3 inside the cluster, while proton transfer is not observed and NO3-(H2O)m is just a secondary product. The reaction enthalpy was determined using nanocalorimetry, revealing a quite exothermic charge transfer with −241 ± 69 kJ mol-1. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations indicate that proton transfer is an allowed reaction pathway, but the overall thermochemistry favors charge transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molybdenum sulfides and molybdenum oxysulfides are considered a promising and cheap alternative to platinum as a catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). To better understand possible rearrangements during catalyst activation, we perform collision induced dissociation experiments in the gas phase with eight different molybdenum oxysulfides, namely [Mo2O2S6]2−, [Mo2O2S6]−, [Mo2O2S5]2−, [Mo2O2S5]−, [Mo2O2S4]−, [HMo2O2S6]−, [HMo2O2S5]− and [HMo2O2S4]−, on a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometer. We identify fragmentation channels of the molybdenum oxysulfides and their interconnections. Together with quantum chemical calculations, the results show that [Mo2O2S4]− is a particularly stable species against further dissociation, which is reached from all starting species with relatively low collision energies. Most interestingly, H atom loss is the only fragmentation channel observed for [HMo2O2S4]− at low collision energies, which relates to potential HER activity, since two such H atom binding sites on a surface may act together to release H2. The calculations reveal that multiple isomers are often very close in energy, especially for the hydrogenated species, i.e., atomic hydrogen can bind at various sites of the clusters. S2 groups play a decisive role in hydrogen adsorption. These are further features with potential relevance for HER catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrared spectra of the hydrated vanadium cation (V+(H2O)n; n = 3–51) were measured in the O–H stretching region employing infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy. Spectral fingerprints, along with size-dependent fragmentation channels, were observed and rationalized by comparing to spectra simulated using density functional theory. Photodissociation leading to water loss was found for cluster sizes n = 3–7, consistent with isomers featuring intact water ligands. Loss of molecular hydrogen was observed as a weak channel starting at n = 8, indicating the advent of inserted isomers, HVOH+(H2O)n−1. The majority of ions for n = 8, however, are composed of two-dimensional intact isomers, concordant with previous infrared studies on hydrated vanadium. A third channel, loss of atomic hydrogen, is observed weakly for n = 9–11, coinciding with the point at which the H and H2O calculated binding energies become energetically competitive for intact isomers. A clear and sudden spectral pattern and fragmentation channel intensity at n = 12 suggest a structural change to inserted isomers. The H2 channel intensity decreases sharply and is not observed for n = 20 and 25–51. IRMPD spectra for clusters sizes n = 15–51 are qualitatively similar indicating no significant structural changes, and are thought to be composed of inserted isomers, consistent with recent electronic spectroscopy experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reactions and ligand exchange of hydrated silver cations Ag(super +)(H2O)(sub n) with NH3 as well as the complementary process, the reaction of large ammoniated silver cations Ag(super +)(NH3)(sub n) with H2O are examined in order to gain insight into the coordination chemistry of silver cations in mixed solvent systems. The experiments show that in mixed clusters the first and second ammonia ligand, however, are much more strongly bound than water because they cannot be exchanged.

Systematic study of the blackbody radiation induced fragmentation of size-selected ionic ammonia clusters are reported with its comparison with that of the corresponding hydrates. Experimental observations and DFT calculations of the cluster structures, harmonic frequencies and intensities depicted that the fragmentation rate constants of the ions solvated with ammonia exhibit overall linear dependence on the number of ligands n.

A collision complex of the metal cluster with a polyatomic molecule would be transiently stabilized by redistribution of the interaction energy, IVR. This energy redistribution results in heating of the collision complex to internal temperatures.

Hydrated aluminium cations have been investigated as a photochemical model system with up to ten water molecules by UV action spectroscopy in a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT‐ICR) mass spectrometer. Intense photodissociation was observed starting at 4.5 eV for two to eight water molecules with loss of atomic hydrogen, molecular hydrogen and water molecules. Quantum chemical calculations for n=2 reveal that solvation shifts the intense 3s–3p excitations of Al+ into the investigated photon energy range below 5.5 eV. During the photochemical relaxation, internal conversion from S1 to T2 takes place, and photochemical hydrogen formation starts on the T2 surface, which passes through a conical intersection, changing to T1. On this triplet surface, the electron that was excited to the Al 3p orbital is transferred to a coordinated water molecule, which dissociates into a hydroxide ion and a hydrogen atom. If the system remains in the triplet state, this hydrogen radical is lost directly. If the system returns to singlet multiplicity, the reaction may be reversed, with recombination with the hydroxide moiety and electron transfer back to aluminium, resulting in water evaporation. Alternatively, the hydrogen radical can attack the intact water molecule, forming molecular hydrogen and aluminium dihydroxide. Photodissociation is observed for up to n=8. Clusters with n=9 or 10 occur exclusively as HAlOH+(H2O)n‐1 and are transparent in the investigated energy range. For n=4–8, a mixture of Al+(H2O)n and HAlOH+(H2O)n‐1 is present in the experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]