A complete reactant-product analysis of the oxygen transfer reaction in [V4O11 x C3H6]-: a cluster complex for modeling surface activation and reactivity.

The anionic V4O11 cluster is presented as a gas-phase system of low dimensionality for modeling surface activation of molecular oxygen and the reactivity toward unsaturated hydrocarbons. Together with the charged cluster aggregates and fragments taking part in the reaction, neutral reactant and product species are monitored via multiphoton ionization for the first time within the instrumentation of tandem mass spectrometry and ion trap reactors. This novel approach allows for a comprehensive analysis of the photoinduced oxygen transfer reaction to propene within the defined aggregate complex [V4O11 x C3H6]- that simulates coadsorption and activation under fully controlled conditions.