Metastable fragmentation of silver bromide clusters

The abundance spectra and the fragmentation channels of silver bromide clusters have been measured and analyzed. The most abundant species are Ag_nBr_{n - 1} ⁺ and Ag_nBr_{n + 1} ^- and Ag₁₄Br₁₃ ⁺ is a magic number, revealing their ionic nature. However, some features depart from what is generally observed for alkali-halide ionic clusters. From a certain size, Ag_nBr_{n - 1} ⁺ is no more the main series, and Ag_nBr _{n - 2, 3} ⁺ series become almost as important. The fast fragmentation induced by a UV laser makes the cations lose more bromine than silver ions and lead to more silver-rich clusters. Negative ions mass spectra contain also species with more silver atoms than required by stoichiometry. We have investigated the metastable fragmentation of the cations using a new experimental method. The large majority of the cations release mainly a neutral Ag₃Br₃ cluster. These decay channels are in full agreement with our recent ab initio DFT calculations, which show that Ag⁺-Ag⁺ repulsion is reduced due to a globally attractive interaction of their d orbitals. This effect leads to a particularly stable trimer (AgBr)₃ and to quasi-planar cyclic structures of (AgBr)_n clusters up to n = 6. We have shown that these two features may be extended to other silver halides, to silver hydroxides (AgOH)_n, and to cuprous halide compounds. Received 9 November 2000 and Received in final form 25 January 2001     

Investigations on field desorption products from silver surfaces by mass spectrometry

Field evaporation of silver and field desorption of silver surface compounds were investigated by analysing positive ions with a mass spectrometer. In particular, the well known adsorption states of oxygen, and further the interactions of H₂O, NH₃, H₂, CO and CH₄ were measured in the field ion mass spectrometer under steady state fields of > 0.1 V/Å with a sensitivity of < 0.1 ions s^?1 and at temperatures between 80 °K and 425 °K. Although oxygen is usually chemisorbed at Ag surfaces, no AgO⁺, AgO⁺₂ or other Ag-O compounds could be detected as positive ions, Ag⁺ and O₂⁺ are the only observed ions at best image fields in oxygen up to fields of field evaporation of Ag⁺(≈ 2.2 V/Å). Even after the actual adsorption of oxygen with zero-field (6 × 10⁵ Langmuir at 10^?3 Torr) at 323 °K and 473 °K and subsequent application of the desorption field at 210°K no silver-oxygen compounds were found in positive ionic form. Small quantities of AgO⁺ and AgO⁺₂ were only formed — besides Ag(H₂O)_x⁺ complexes — if atomic oxygen was supplied by the field induced dissociation of water.Gases which do not adsorb on silver under zero-field conditions (H₂, CO, CH₄, N₂) yield the ions Ag(H₂)_n, Ag(CO)_n⁺, n=1, 2; AgCH₄⁺, AgN₂⁺. The situation with H₂O and NH₃ is more complicated: Molecular ions [Ag(H₂O)_n]⁺·mH₂O, n=1,…, 4, m=1,…, 8 and [Ag(NH₃)_n]⁺·mNH₃, n=1, 2, m=1,…, 6 are found besides Ag⁺.From the temperature and field dependence conclusions are drawn about the mechanisms of evaporation and formation of ionic surface complexes. The activation energies of evaporation of Ag⁺ are found to depend on the square root of the field strength. In general, the generation of surface compounds can be described by field induced reactions rather than usual gas adsorption.     

Structural properties and reactivity of bimetallic silver-gold clusters

Bimetallic silver-gold clusters are well suited to study changes in metallic versus ionic properties involving charge transfer as a function of the size and the composition. We present structures, ionization potentials (IP) and vertical detachment energies (VDE) for neutral and charged bimetallic Au_nAg_m ( 2(n + m)5) clusters obtained from density functional level of theory. In the stable structures of these clusters Au atoms assume positions which favor charge transfer from Ag atoms. In clusters with equal numbers of hetero atoms (n = m = 1- 4) heteronuclear bonding is preferred to homonuclear bonding, giving rise to large values of ionization potentials. For larger clusters (n=m=5, 10) stable structures do not favor neither hetero bonding nor segregation into the single components, although they exhibit more metallic than ionic features. This remains valid also for Au₈Ag₁₂ cluster characterized by strong charge transfer to gold subunit. The influence of doping of pure gold clusters with silver atoms on VDE and IP values is discussed in context of their reactivity towards O₂ and CO molecules. As a starting point we consider reactivity towards CO and O₂ molecules on the example of AgAu^- dimer. The results show that the catalytic cycle can be fullfilled.     

Influence of covalence and anion symmetry on the structure of small metal hydroxide clusters: Sodium versus silver hydroxide

An ab initio study of the Na_n(OH)_n, Na_n(OH)_n-1 ⁺, Ag_n(OH)_n, and Ag_n(OH)_n-1 ⁺ clusters with n up to four is presented. The results of this study show that, in accordance with experimental observations, the sodium hydroxide clusters are almost purely ionic, while the Ag-O bond exhibits a significant covalent character. The perturbation caused by the non-spherical OH^- group relatively to an atomic anion, as well as the influence on structures and energies of the covalent character of the metal-oxygen bond are determined. The appearance of metal-metal bonds in the silver hydroxide clusters is also discussed. Finally, the theoretical results obtained on the Na-OH clusters are compared to experimental results available on the dissociation of the Na_n(OH)_n-1 ⁺ clusters. Received 9 August 1999 and Received in final form 1st December 1999     

Microhydration of the methylene blue cation in an electrospray ion source

Microhydrated methylene blue cations, MB⁺(H₂O) _n , are produced in an electrospray ion source and their size-distributions are measured as a function of the source temperature. A series of MB⁺(H₂O) _n ions is observed up to n ≃ 60. A striking feature observed in the mass spectra is that the series of hydrated ions starts at n = 4; intensities of n = 1–3 are extremely suppressed. The absence of n = 1–3 ions is well explained by the energetics concerning evaporation processes of water molecules, based on stable structures and the binding energies of MB⁺(H₂O) _n ions calculated by DFT calculations up to n = 5. MB⁺(H₂O) _n ions for n > 4 evaporate a single water molecule sequentially, while MB⁺(H₂O)₄ tends to fragment into MB⁺ and (H₂O)₄ rather than MB⁺(H₂O)₃ and an H₂O molecule. We have observed a clear magic peak at n = 24, which strongly suggests that the MB⁺(H₂O)₂₄ ion is formed by attaching a neutral (H₂O)₂₀ cage onto an MB⁺(H₂O)₄ ion.     

355 nm激光光电离甲醛飞行时间质谱的研究

利用脉宽为5 ns脉冲Nd: YAG 355 nm激光在功率密度为10¹¹–10¹² W/cm²条件下实现了甲醛含水团簇多光子电离, 并用飞行时间质谱对其电离产物和电离过程进行了研究. 实验中观测到了甲醛的质子化团簇系列 (CH₂O)_nH⁺(n=1–4), 甲醛的去质子化团簇系列(CH₂O)_nCHO⁺ (n=1–3), 以及两个起源于H₂CO去质子和质子化的含水团簇系列HCO⁺(H₂O)_n(n=1,3,5)和H₃CO⁺(H₂O)_n(n=1,3,5), 并对其中的一些团簇结构构型进行了猜测. 研究在不同的激光功率密度下甲醛团簇质谱峰的变换情况, 当激光密度达到9.3× 10¹¹ W/cm², 开始出现CH₂O和H₂O本体及其光致碎片的信号, 但对应的各质量峰没有明显地分辨开, 而是以包络的形式出现, 这是激光电离产生高能离子释放的一种表现, 提出认等离子体动力学鞘层加速机制(模型)来解释高能离子形成的物理机制. 关键词： 甲醛 团簇 飞行时间质谱 激光电离     

GanN－m阴离子团簇的结构及稳定性的研究

利用密度泛函理论(DFT)对Ga_nN^-(n=2—8)和Ga_nN^-₂ (n=1—7)阴离子团簇的结构及稳定性进行了研究.在B3LYP/6-31G^*水平上进行了结构优化和频率分析，得到了Ga_nN^-(n=2—8)和Ga_nN^-₂(n=1—7)阴离子团簇的基态结构.在这些团簇中，原子总数小于等于6的团簇的几何结构为平面结构，原子总数大于6的团簇的几何结构为立体结构；在所研究的团簇中，Ga₄N^-，Ga₆N^-,Ga₄N^-₂和Ga₅N^-₂的基态结构较稳定. 关键词： nN^-_m团簇')" href="#">Ga_nN^-_m团簇 密度泛函理论(DFT) 几何结构     

Utilization of a dilute solid electrolyte in an oxygen gauge

An electrochemical cell involving a SrCl₂-based solid electrolyte either doped or undoped with SrO was investigated. The measuring electrode was of graphite or vitreous carbon and the reference electrode was formed by dissolving Ag⁺ ions and embedding a silver wire. A simple fabrication technique is described. The reported results indicate that an electrode reaction involving dissolved oxide ions: O₂(gas)+4e⁻=2O²⁻ (SrCl₂) can take place and be utilized in an oxygen gauge down to 200°C. The same cell also functions as a chlorinesensor. At least down to 10⁻³ atm, interference with oxygen is negligible.     

Sonochemical synthesis of two nanostructured silver(I) coordination polymers based on semi-rigid bis(benzimidazole) ligands

Nanoparticles of two silver(I) coordination polymers (CPs), [Ag₂(L1)₂(DCTP)]_n (1) and [Ag₂(L2)(DCTP)]_n (2) (L1 = 1,3-bis(5,6-dimethylbenzimidazol-1-ylmethyl)benzene, L2 = 1,4-bis(benzimidazol-1-yl)-2-butene, H₂DCTP = 2,5-dichloroterephthalic acid), were synthesized by the sonochemical approach and hydrothermal method. Both CPs were characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectra, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). CP 1 exhibits a 2D 4-connected sql net with the point symbol {4⁴.6²}. While CP 2 displays a 2D 3,4-connected 3,4L13 net with the point symbol {4.6²}₂{4².6².8²}. The structural diversity indicates that semi-rigid bis(benzimidazole) co-ligands play important roles in tuning the structures of the mixed Ag(I) CPs. The ultrasound irradiation time, temperature, and power showed significant effects on the morphology and growth process of the nanoparticles of two silver(I) CPs. The luminescence and photocatalytic properties of the nanoparticles of CPs 1–2 on the degradation of methyl blue (MB) were also investigated in detail.     

(TiO2)n(n=3—6)团簇吸附水分子的理论研究

给出了优化小分子在团簇表面吸附结构的遗传算法.结合经验势函数,搜寻了水分子在(TiO₂)_n(n=3—6)团簇上可能的吸附方式;利用B3LYP/6-31G^**方法对各种吸附结构进行了优化.结果表明水分子主要通过O原子以非解离方式吸附到团簇中配位数较低或位置比较凸出的Ti原子上.分子轨道分析表明,水分子与团簇之间的成键主要来自吸附位Ti原子3s3p轨道的贡献,水分子的轨道保持了气相水分子中的基本特征,但离域化程度增大 关键词： 2团簇')" href="#">TiO₂团簇 2O吸附')" href="#">H₂O吸附 遗传算法 DFT