Cluster cross sections from pickup measurements: are the established methods consistent?

Pickup of several molecules, H(2)O, HBr, and CH(3)OH, and Ar atoms on free Ar(N) clusters has been investigated in a molecular beam experiment. The pickup cross sections of the clusters with known mean sizes, ?≈ 150 and 260 were measured by two independent methods: (i) the cluster beam velocity decrease due to the momentum transfer of the picked up molecules to the clusters, and (ii) Poisson distribution of a selected cluster fragment ion as a function of the pickup pressure. In addition, the pickup cross sections were calculated using molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations. The simulations support the results of the velocity measurements. On the other hand, the Poisson distributions yield significantly smaller cross sections, inconsistent with the known Ar(N) cluster sizes. These results are discussed in terms of: (i) an incomplete coagulation of guest molecules on the argon clusters when two or more molecules are picked up; and (ii) the fragmentation pattern of the embedded molecules and their clusters upon ionization on the Ar cluster. We conclude that the Poisson distribution method has to be cautiously examined, if conclusions should be drawn about the cluster cross section, or the mean cluster size ?, and the number of picked up molecules.     

Ionic dissociations of chlorosulfonic acid in microsolvated clusters: A density functional theory and ab initio MO study

Ionic dissociation of chlorosulfonic acid (HSO₃Cl) in the molecular clusters HSO₃Cl-(H₂O) _n (n = 1–4) and HSO₃Cl-NH₃-(H₂O) _n (n = 0–3) was investigated by density functional theory and ab initio molecular orbital theory. The equilibrium structures, binding energies, and thermodynamic properties, such as relative enthalpy and relative Gibbs free energy, and were calculated using the hybrid density functional (B3LYP) method and the second order M?ller-Plesset approximation (MP2) method with the 6-311++G** basis set. Chlorosulfonic acid was found to require a minimum of three water molecules for ionization to occur and at least one water molecule to protonate ammonia. The corresponding clusters with fewer water molecules were found to be strongly hydrogen-bonded. The related properties and acid strength of chlorosulfonic acid were discussed and compared to the acid strengths of perchloric acid and sulfuric acid in the context of clusters with ammonia and water. The relative stabilities of these clusters were also investigated. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 20273046), the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation (Award No. TH-00-028) of California State University, Fullerton, and the Younger Teacher Foundation of Suzhou University (Grant No. Q31094040)     

Uptake of atmospheric molecules by ice nanoparticles: pickup cross sections

Uptake of several atmospheric molecules on free ice nanoparticles was investigated. Typical examples were chosen: water, methane, NO(x) species (NO, NO(2)), hydrogen halides (HCl, HBr), and volatile organic compounds (CH(3)OH, CH(3)CH(2)OH). The cross sections for pickup of these molecules on ice nanoparticles (H(2)O)(N) with the mean size of N≈260 (diameter ~2.3 nm) were measured in a molecular beam experiment. These cross sections were determined from the cluster beam velocity decrease due to the momentum transfer during the pickup process. For water molecules molecular dynamics simulations were performed to learn the details of the pickup process. The experimental results for water are in good agreement with the simulations. The pickup cross sections of ice particles of several nanometers in diameter can be more than 3 times larger than the geometrical cross sections of these particles. This can have significant consequences in modelling of atmospheric ice nanoparticles, e.g., their growth.     

The investigation on the relative stability of different clusters of thiourea dioxide in water using gas phase quantum chemical calculations

The relative stability of different clusters of thiourea dioxide (TDO) in water is examined using gas phase quantum chemical calculations at the MP2 and B3LYP level with 6‐311++G(d,p) basis set. The possible equilibrium structures and other energetic and geometrical data of the thiourea dioxide clusters, TDO‐(H₂O)_n (n is the number of water molecules), are obtained. The calculation results show that a strong interaction exists between thiourea dioxide and water molecules, as indicated by the binding energies of the TDO clusters progressively increased by adding water molecules. PCM model is used to investigate solvent effect of TDO. We obtained a negative hydration energy of ?20.6 kcal mol^?1 and free‐energy change of ?21.0 kcal mol^?1 in hydration process. On the basis of increasing binding energies with adding water molecules and a negative hydration energy by PCM calculation, we conclude thiourea dioxide can dissolve in water molecules. Furthermore, the increases of the C? S bond distance by the addition of water molecules show that the strength of the C? S bonds is attenuated. We find that when the number of water molecules was up to 5, the C? S bonds of the clusters, TDO‐(H₂O)₅ and TDO‐(H₂O)₆ were ruptured. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009     

NMR.-Investigation of the Formaldehyde Addition and Oligomerisation Equilibria in the System Formaldehyde/Water/Acetic Acid/Hydrochloric Acid

An NMR. investigation of the state of formaldehyde in acidic solutions has been carried out. Solutions of DCl/D₂O/CD₃COOD containing two sources of formaldehyde, i.e. paraformaldehyde (I) and trioxane (II), were used for this purpose. In systems I and II the effect of various D₂O/CD₃COOD ratios, at a constant DCl concentration, was studied, while for II the effect of changing DCl concentration was also investigated. The results show that in aqueous solution, formaldehyde exists primarily as the monomeric and linear oligomeric forms of methylene glycol. Reducing the amount of D₂O (at constant DCl concentration), while increasing the CD₃COOD content, results in an increase in the polymeric species and in trioxane. In addition, substitution of water by acetic acid results in systems that are catalytically more active than aqueous solutions of the same hydrochloric acid concentration. Along with the usual polymer-monomer equilibria which exist in such solutions, side reactions of methylene glycol with the hydrochloric acid present also occur to a small extent, e.g. acetylation, substitution of OH by Cl and the Cannizzaro reaction. It is suggested that these findings will result in a better understanding of the formaldehyde crosslinking reactions in cotton cellulose.     

Free sodium-water clusters: photoionisation studies in a pulsed molecular beam source

Neutral Na·(H₂O) _n clusters are studied by near-uv one-photon ionisation and time-of-flight mass spectroscopy. The clusters are formed in a “pickup source” by injection of a beam of Na atoms into the expansion zone of a pulsed nozzle beam of water vapour seeded into an argon carrier gas. The performance of this novel technique for studying cold aggregates of potentially reactive species is discussed in detail. The photoion efficiency (PIE) spectrum of the monomer near its ionisation threshold (4.379(2) eV) shows a rich structure. Vibrational frequencies of the ion can be deduced and some indication of molecular Rydberg states is seen. Ionisation potentials for larger clusters and the binding energies of the neutral clusters up ton=5 are reported.     

A comparison study of the H + CH4 and H + SiH4 reactions with eight-dimensional quantum dynamics: normal mode versus local mode in the reactant molecule vibration

The hydration of NaCl has been widely studied and believed to be important for understanding the mechanisms of salt dissolution in water and the formation of ice nucleus, cloud, and atmospheric aerosols. However, understanding on the poly-NaCl ion pair interacting with water is very limited. Here, we investigated the adsorption of water molecules on (NaCl)₃, using both theoretical calculations and anion photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. The calculated vertical detachment energies and the experimental ones agree well with each other. Furthermore, we found that, for neutral (NaCl)₃(H₂O) _n (n = 2–7) clusters, the water-doped cuboid and structures formed by adding water molecules on the Na–Cl edges of the cuboid are energetically favored; water molecules preferentially bind to the Na–Cl edge if the NaCl ion pair has larger partial charges than others. We also found the anionic structures are more various compared with neutral ones, and the Na⁺ and Cl^? ions are hydrated more easily in the anionic clusters than in the corresponding neutrals.     

Temperature dependence of the probabilities of VV energy exchange between H2 and DCl

The temperature dependence of the removal of the vibrational energy of H₂ by DCl in H₂(1) + DCl(0) has been investigated over the range of 300–3000 K. The energy transfer probability of H₂(1) + DCl(0) → H₂(0) + DCl(1), where the vibrational energy of H₂(1) is removed by both the vibrational and rotational motions of DCl(0), is found to be strongly temperature dependent and increases with temperature closely following the relation log P α T^1/3. Over the temperature range it changes by two orders of magnitude. The probability of the near-resonant process H₂ (1) + DCl(O) → H₂(0) + DCl(2) is very close to that of the former at 300 K, but it increases only slightly as the temperature is raised to 3000 K. The sum of the probabilities of these two processes at 300 K is 3.4 × 10^?5, which agrees with the experimental value of 3.95 × 10^?5.     

Molecular beam multiphoton-ionization studies on ammonia—water binary clusters

Two-photon ionization mass spectra are obtained for NH₃H₂O binary clusters both with a nozzle beam and an ArF excimer laser. The detected major ions are H⁺(NH₃)_n(H₂O)_m(1 <m + n < 9). The results suggest that ammonia molecules constitute an inner shell which is surrounted by water molecules.     

Photoionization,Structures, and Energetics of Na-Doped Formic Acid–Water Clusters

The influence of formic acid on water cluster aggregation has been investigated experimentally by mass spectrometry and tunable UV laser ionization applied to Na-doped clusters formed in the supersonic expansion of water vapors seeded with formic acid (FA) as well as theoretically using high level quantum chemistry methods. The mass spectra of Na−FA(H₂O)_n clusters show an enlarging of mass distribution toward heavier clusters with respect to the Na−(H₂O)_n clusters, suggesting similar mass distribution in neutral clusters and an influence of formic acid in water aggregation. Density functional theory and coupled-cluster type (DLPNO-CCSD(T)) calculations have been used to calculate structures and energetics of neutral and ionized Na−FA(H₂O)_n as well as neutral FA(H₂O)_n. Na-doped clusters are characterized by very stable geometries. The theoretical adiabatic ionization potential values match pretty well the measured appearance energies and the calculated first six electronic excited states show Rydberg-type characters, indicating possible autoionization contributions in the mass spectra. Finally, theoretical calculations on neutral FA(H₂O)_n clusters show the possibility of similarly stable structures in small clusters containing up to n=4–5 water molecules, where FA interacts significantly with waters. This suggests that FA can compete with water molecules in the starting stage of the aggregation process, by forming stable nucleation seed.     

Alkali-hydride water cluster ions

Using a CO₂ laser we have desorbed LiOH and NaOH from a solid target into an expanding inert gas jet pulse. Subsequently the beam was ionized by photons from a UV laser. Surprisingly, we observed in mass spectra metal water clusters and metal-hydride water clusters. For the metals M=Li, Na we find that the [M(H₂O)_n]⁺ peaks are dominant for small clusters, while for large clusters (n>20) the [MH(H₂O)_n]⁺ peaks are dominant. This indicates that the clathrate (H₂O)₂₀ may play an important role in the formation of metallo-water clusters.     

Computer-assisted study of characteristics of water clusters in the presence of nitrogen dioxide

The interaction of IR radiation with water clusters that have absorbed NO₂ molecules is studied by the molecular dynamics method in terms of the polarizable model. Induced dipole moments of H₂O and NO₂ molecules diminish during the addition of one to six NO₂ molecules to (H₂O)₅₀ cluster. The integral intensity of IR absorption by a system consisting of (NO₂) _i (H₂O)₅₀ heteroclusters with 1 ≤ i ≤ 6 decreases, whereas the power of heat emission rises as compared with an (H₂O) _n system. The decrease in the IR absorption and the increase in the IR emission by water clusters with the capture of NO₂ molecules are nonmonotonic. The absorption of NO₂ molecules by water clusters causes a noticeable reduction in the intensity of the first peak and the confluence of the fourth and fifth peaks in the Raman spectrum.     

Self-assembly of water cluster in iron(III) oxalate-bridged complexes

The synthesis and crystal structural characterization of the compound of formula {[Fe^II(phen)₃]₂[Fe₂^IIIox₅]}·11H₂O (1) has been reported. The most interesting feature of the solid state structure of 1 consists in the occurrence of decanuclear water clusters made up of self-assembled cyclic hexameric water clusters with a quasi-planar conformation, unclosed trinuclear clusters and individual water molecules. The decanuclear water clusters are connected to the host lattices via an extensive net of strong hydrogen bonds that finally lead to an extended 3D supramolecular organization, wherein hexameric water clusters interconnected with dodecameric hybrid water–O_oxalate clusters can be identified. The comparison of this supramolecular architecture with that found in the already known compound of formula [Fe(bpm)₃]₂[Fe₂(ox)₅]·8H₂O (2) allows some preliminary observations on the design and control of water cluster nuclearity and conformation.     

Cluster generation in expansions of pure water vapour and of mixtures with carbon dioxide

The condensation of pure superheated water vapour and of a mixture with carbon dioxide in a supersonic jet behind a sonic nozzle has been investigated by the nozzle molecular beam method. The relation of source temperature, pressure, and nozzle diameter necessary for fully developed condensation has been determined for the pure vapour. By using the retarding potential technique, the cluster size distribution function and the dependence of the mean cluster size on the nozzle source conditions have been obtained. Mass-spectrometric measurements of the beam composition in a mixture expansion have revealed the presence of both homogeneous and heterogeneous clusters. The fully developed condensation in CO₂-H₂O mixture was found to begin at a smaller total source pressure than in pure water vapour or carbon dioxide.     

s-四嗪-水簇复合物的理论研究

用量子化学B3LYP方法和6-31＋＋G**基函数研究了s-四嗪-水簇复合物基态分子间相互作用, 并进行了构型优化和频率计算, 分别得到无虚频稳定的s-四嗪-(水)₂复合物、s-四嗪-(水)₃复合物和s-四嗪-(水)₄复合物6个、9个和12个. 复合物存在较强的氢键作用, 复合物结构中形成一个N…H—O氢键并终止于O…H—C氢键的氢键水链构型最稳定. 经基组重叠误差和零点振动能校正后, 最稳定的1∶2, 1∶3和1∶4(摩尔比)复合物的结合能分别是41.35, 70.9和 94.61 kJ/mol. 振动分析显示氢键的形成使复合物中水分子H—O键对称伸缩振动频率减小(红移). 研究表明N…H键越短, N…H—O键角越接近直线, 稳定化能越大, 氢键作用越强. 同时, 用含时密度泛函理论方法在TD-B3LYP/6-31＋＋G**水平计算了s-四嗪单体及其氢键复合物的第一¹(n, p*)激发态的垂直激发能.     

Dielectric properties of water clusters containing CO and NO molecules. Computational experiment

The absorption of CO and NO molecules by (H₂O)₂₀ clusters was studied by the method of molecular dynamics. In general, the clusters containing CO molecules are more stable mechanically, while the clusters with NO molecules are more stable against heating. The mobility of NO molecules in such clusters is higher than that of CO molecules. The total dipole moment, the static dielectric permeability, the number of active electrons in the clusters, and the specific number of hydrogen bonds between water molecules possess peak values when the number of doping molecules i = 6. IR absorption spectra mostly acquire a smooth shape at i > 6. Capture of CO and NO molecules by water cluster operates as anti-greenhouse effect.     

The Arrangement of First- and Second-shell Water Molecules Around Metal Ions: Effects of Charge and Size

Structural features of clusters involving a metal ion (Li⁺, Na⁺, Be²⁺, Mg²⁺, Zn²⁺, Al³⁺, or Ti⁴⁺) surrounded by a total of 18 water molecules arranged in two or more shells have been studied using density functional theory. Effects of the size and charge of each metal ion on the organization of the surrounding water molecules are compared to those found for a Mg[H₂O]₆²⁺• [H₂O]₁₂ cluster that has the lowest known energy on the Mg²⁺• [H₂O]₁₈ potential energy surface (Markham et al. in J Phys Chem B 106:5118–5134, 2002). The corresponding clusters with Zn²⁺ or Al³⁺ have similar structures. In contrast to this, clusters with a monovalent Li⁺ or Na⁺ ion, or with a very small Be²⁺ ion, differ in their hydrogen-bonding patterns and the coordination number can decrease to four. The tetravalent Ti⁴⁺ ionizes one inner-shell water molecule to a hydroxyl group leaving a Ti⁴⁺(H₂O)₅ (OH⁻) core, and an H₃O⁺• • • H₂O moiety dissociates from the second shell of water molecules. These observations highlight the influence of cation size and charge on the local structure of hydrated ions, the high-charge cations causing chemical changes and the low-charge cations being less efficient in maintaining the local order of water molecules. Electronic Supplementary Material: Supplementary material is available for this article at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/S00214-005-0056-2.     

Theoretical study of hydrogen bonded clusters of water and cyanic acid: Hydrogen bonding in terms of the molecular structure

Ab initio and density functional calculations were used to analyze the interaction between a molecule of cyanic acid (HOCN) and up to 4 molecules of water at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) and MP2/6-311++G(d,p) computational levels. The cooperative effect (CE) is increased with the increasing size of the studied clusters. Red shifts of the H–O stretching frequency for complexes involving HOCN as an H-donor were predicted. The strength of the hydrogen bonds in terms of molecular structures could be deduced from a comparison of HOCN–H₂O with HCNO–H₂O, HONC–H₂O and HNCO–H₂O HB clusters. The atom in molecules (AIM) method was used to analyze the cooperative effects on topological parameters.     

The ultraviolet photodissociation of DCl: H/D isotope effects on the Cl(P) atom spin–orbit branching

The photodissociation of jet-cooled DCl molecules subsequent to excitation in the long-wavelength tail of the first UV absorption band (A¹Π₁←X¹Σ⁺) has been investigated at five wavelengths in the range 200–220 nm. Ground state Cl(²P_3/2) and spin–orbit excited Cl^*(²P_1/2) photofragments were monitored using (2+1) resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization in a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The product branching fractions are reported and compared with previous experimental results and high-level quantum mechanical calculations for HCl and DCl. A significant H/D isotope effect in the branching fractions is found at all the studied wavelengths, in quantitative agreement with recent theoretical predictions.     

Studies of the hydrated oxonium radical H3O·(H2O)n and the ammoniated ammonium radical NH4·(NH3)n by neutralized ion beam techniques

Neutralized ion beam studies of the clusters NH₄·(NH₃)_n and H₃O·(H₂O)_n,n = 0–3, and their fully deuterated analogs are presented. Stabilization of the hypervalent monomer radicals is found to accompany solvation. Cluster stability is found to decrease with increasing size. Reasons for this observation are discussed. Internally excited clusters are found to stabilize efficiently through the sequential loss of structural units (NH₃ or H₂O). The mixed isotopic dimer clusters (D₂¹⁸O)·D·(D₂¹⁶O) and (HDO)·D·(D₂O) are also investigated. Presence of the D₃¹⁶O radical structural unit is found to be crucial to dimer stability. This is consistent with the results of earlier investigations involving the monomer which showed the surprising lifetime progression τ(D₃¹⁶O) ≫; τ(D₃¹⁸O) ⩾ τ(H₃¹⁶O).