Communication: CO oxidation by silver and gold cluster cations: identification of different active oxygen species

The oxidation of carbon monoxide with nitrous oxide on mass-selected Au(3)(+) and Ag(3)(+) clusters has been investigated under multicollision conditions in an octopole ion trap experiment. The comparative study reveals that for both gold and silver cations carbon dioxide is formed on the clusters. However, whereas in the case of Au(3)(+) the cluster itself acts as reactive species that facilitates the formation of CO(2) from N(2)O and CO, for silver the oxidized clusters Ag(3)O(x)(+) (n=1-3) are identified as active in the CO oxidation reaction. Thus, in the case of the silver cluster cations N(2)O is dissociated and one oxygen atom is suggested to directly react with CO, whereas a second kind of oxygen strongly bound to silver is acting as a substrate for the reaction.     

Cooperative effects in the activation of molecular oxygen by anionic silver clusters

A novel size dependence in the adsorption reaction of multiple O2 molecules onto anionic silver clusters Agn- (n = 1-5) is revealed by gas-phase reaction studies in an rf-ion trap. Ab initio theoretical modeling based on DFT method provides insight into the reaction mechanism and finds cooperative electronic and structural effects to be responsible for the size selective reactivity of Agn- clusters toward one or more O2. In particular, Agn- clusters with odd n have paired electrons and therefore bind one O2 only weakly, but they are simultaneously activated to adsorb a strongly bound second oxygen molecule. For the clusters Ag3O4- and Ag5O4-, this cooperative effect results in a superoxo-like, doubly bound O2 subunit with potentially high activity in catalytic silver cluster oxidation processes.     

Reactions of mixed silver-gold cluster cations AgmAun + (m+n=4,5,6) with CO: radiative association kinetics and density functional theory computations

Near thermal energy reactive collisions of small mixed metal cluster cations Ag(m)Au(n) (+) (m+n=4, 5, and 6) with carbon monoxide have been studied in the room temperature Penning trap of a Fourier transform ion-cyclotron-resonance mass spectrometer as a function of cluster size and composition. The tetrameric species AgAu(3) (+) and Ag(2)Au(2) (+) are found to react dissociatively by way of Au or Ag atom loss, respectively, to form the cluster carbonyl AgAu(2)CO(+). In contrast, measurements on a selection of pentamers and hexamers show that CO is added with absolute rate constants that decrease with increasing silver content. Experimentally determined absolute rate constants for CO adsorption were analyzed using the radiative association kinetics model to obtain cluster cation-CO binding energies ranging from 0.77 to 1.09 eV. High-level ab initio density functional theory (DFT) computations identifying the lowest-energy cluster isomers and the respective CO adsorption energies are in good agreement with the experimental findings clearly showing that CO binds in a "head-on" fashion to a gold atom in the mixed clusters. DFT exploration of reaction pathways in the case of Ag(2)Au(2) (+) suggests that exoergicities are high enough to access the minimum energy products for all reactive clusters probed.     

Infrared spectra of the (AgCO)2 and AgnCO (n=2-4) molecules in rare-gas matrices

Reactions of laser-ablated silver atoms with carbon monoxide molecules in solid argon and neon have been investigated using matrix-isolation IR spectroscopy. Small silver cluster carbonyls, (AgCO)2 and AgnCO (n=2-4), as well as mononuclear silver carbonyls, Ag(CO)2 and Ag(CO)3, are generated upon sample annealing in the argon experiments and are characterized on the basis of the isotopic substitution, the CO concentration change, and the comparison with theoretical predictions. However, these polynuclear carbonyls are absent from the neon experiments. Density functional theory calculations have been performed on these silver carbonyls and the corresponding ligand-free silver clusters, which support the identification of these silver carbonyls from the matrix IRspectrum. A terminal CO has been found in the most stable structures of (AgCO)2, Ag2CO, Ag3CO, and Ag4CO. Furthermore, a plausible reaction mechanism has been proposed to account for the formation of the (AgCO)2 and AgnCO (n=2-4) molecules.     

Oxidation of CO by aluminum oxide cluster ions in the gas phase

Small aluminum oxide cluster cations and anions, produced by laser vaporization, were investigated regarding their reactivity toward CO and N2O employing guided-ion-beam mass spectrometry. Clusters with the same stoichiometry as bulk alumina, Al2O3, exhibited atomic oxygen transfer products when reacted with CO, suggesting the formation of CO2. Anionic clusters were less reactive than cations but showed higher selectivity towards the transfer of only a single oxygen atom. Cationic clusters, in contrast, exhibited additional products corresponding to the sequential transfer of two oxygen atoms and the loss of an aluminum atom. To determine if these stoichiometric clusters could be generated from oxygen-deficient species, clusters having a stoichiometry with one less oxygen atom than bulk alumina, Al2O2, were reacted with N2O. Cationic clusters were found to be selectively oxidized to Al2O3(+), while anionic clusters added both one and two oxygen atoms forming Al2O3(-) and Al2O4(-). The oxygen-rich Al2O4(-) cluster exhibited comparable reactivity to Al2O3(-) when reacted with CO.     

Reactions between CO and small molybdenum suboxide cluster anions

Reaction products resulting from small molybdenum suboxide cluster anions and carbon monoxide were studied with both mass spectrometry and anion photoelectron (PE) spectroscopy. In addition to the C6O6- product proposed previously, a number of unsaturated carbonyls were identified as terminal products in these reactions. A new PE spectrum of what may be C6O6-, in which the contribution from the Fe(CO)4- contaminant is subtracted, is reported. Additionally, the PE spectra of Mo(CO)5-, MoO(CO)3-, and MoO2(CO)n- (n=1 and 2) are presented, along with a new PE spectrum of an additional contaminant, Ni(CO)3-. Evidence of photodissociation of MoO(CO)3- to MoO-+3 CO is observed in the PE spectrum of MoO(CO)3-.     

Photoelectron imaging of hydrated carbon dioxide cluster anions

The effects of homogeneous and heterogeneous solvation on the electronic structure and photodetachment dynamics of hydrated carbon dioxide cluster anions are investigated using negative-ion photoelectron imaging spectroscopy. The experiments are conducted on mass-selected [(CO(2))(n)()(H(2)O)(m)()](-) cluster anions with n and m ranging up to 12 and 6, respectively, for selected clusters. Homogeneous solvation in (CO(2))(n)()(-) has minimal effect on the photoelectron angular distributions, despite dimer-to-monomer anion core switching. Heterogeneous hydration, on the other hand, is found to have the marked effect of decreasing the photodetachment anisotropy. For example, in the [CO(2)(H(2)O)(m)()](-) cluster anion series, the photoelectron anisotropy parameter falls to essentially zero with as few as 5-6 water molecules. The analysis of the data, supported by theoretical modeling, reveals that in the ground electronic state of the hydrated clusters the excess electron is localized on CO(2), corresponding to a (CO(2))(n)()(-).(H(2)O)(m)() configuration for all cluster anions studied. The diminishing anisotropy in the photoelectron images of hydrated cluster anions is proposed to be attributable to photoinduced charge transfer to solvent, creating transient (CO(2))(n)().(H(2)O)(m)()(-) states that subsequently decay via autodetachment.     

Influence of stoichiometry and charge state on the structure and reactivity of cobalt oxide clusters with CO

Cationic and anionic cobalt oxide clusters, generated by laser vaporization, were studied using guided-ion-beam mass spectrometry to obtain insight into their structure and reactivity with carbon monoxide. Anionic clusters having the stoichiometries Co2O3(-), Co2O5(-), Co3O5(-) and Co3O6(-) were found to exhibit dominant products corresponding to the transfer of a single oxygen atom to CO, indicating the formation of CO 2. Cationic clusters, in contrast, displayed products resulting from the adsorption of CO onto the cluster accompanied by the loss of either molecular O 2 or cobalt oxide units. In addition, collision induced dissociation experiments were conducted with N 2 and inert xenon gas for the anionic clusters, and xenon gas for the cationic clusters. It was found that cationic clusters fragment preferentially through the loss of molecular O 2 whereas anionic clusters tend to lose both atomic oxygen and cobalt oxide units. To further analyze how stoichiometry and ionic charge state influence the structure of cobalt oxide clusters and their reactivity with CO, first principles theoretical electronic structure studies within the density functional theory framework were performed. The calculations show that the enhanced reactivity of specific anionic cobalt oxides with CO is due to their relatively low atomic oxygen dissociation energy which makes the oxidation of CO energetically favorable. For cationic cobalt oxide clusters, in contrast, the oxygen dissociation energies are calculated to be even lower than for the anionic species. However, in the cationic clusters, oxygen is calculated to bind preferentially in a less activated molecular O 2 form. Furthermore, the CO adsorption energy is calculated to be larger for cationic clusters than for anionic species. Therefore, the experimentally observed displacement of weakly bound O 2 units through the exothermic adsorption of CO onto positively charged cobalt oxides is energetically favorable. Our joint experimental and theoretical findings indicate that positively charged sites in bulk-phase cobalt oxides may serve to bind CO to the catalyst surface and specific negatively charged sites provide the activated oxygen which leads to the formation of CO 2. These results provide molecular level insight into how size, stoichiometry, and ionic charge state influence the oxidation of CO in the presence of cobalt oxides, an important reaction for environmental pollution abatement.     

Carbon monoxide adsorption on silver doped gold clusters

Well controlled gas phase experiments of the size and dopant dependent reactivity of gold clusters can shed light on the surprising discovery that nanometer sized gold particles are catalytically active. Most studies that investigate the reactivity of gold clusters in the gas phase focused on charged, small sized clusters. Here, reactivity measurements in a low-pressure reaction cell were performed to investigate carbon monoxide adsorption on neutral bare and silver doped gold clusters (Au(n)Ag(m); n = 10-45; m = 0, 1, 2) at 140 K. The size dependence of the reaction probabilities reflects the role of the electronic shells for the carbon monoxide adsorption, with closed electronic shell systems being the most reactive. In addition, the cluster's reaction probability is reduced upon substitution of gold atoms for silver. Inclusion of a single silver atom causes significant changes in the reactivity only for a few cluster sizes, whereas there is a more general reduction in the reactivity with two silver atoms in the cluster. The experimental observations are qualitatively explained on the basis of a Blyholder model, which includes dopant induced features such as electron transfer from silver to gold, reduced s-d hybrization, and changes in the cluster geometry.     

Photoelectron spectroscopy of silicon doped gold and silver cluster anions

Photoelectron spectra of low temperature silicon doped gold cluster anions Au(n)Si(-) with n = 2-56 and silver cluster anions Ag(n)Si(-) with n = 5-82 have been measured. Comparing the spectra as well as the general size dependence of the electron detachment energies to the results on undoped clusters shows that the silicon atom changes the apparent free electron count in the clusters. In the case of larger gold clusters (with more than about 30 gold atoms) the silicon atom seems to consistently delocalize all of its four valence electrons, while in the case of the silver clusters a less uniform behavior is observed. Here the silicon atoms act partly as electron donors, partly as electron acceptors, without following an obvious simple principle. Additionally some structural information can be obtained from the measured spectra: while Ag(54)Si(-) seems to adopt an icosahedral structural motif, Au(54)Si(-) seems to take on a low symmetry structure, much like the corresponding pure 55 atom clusters. This indicates that for such larger clusters the incorporation of a single silicon atom does not change the ground state geometry significantly.     

Saturated adsorption of CO and coadsorption of CO and O2 on AuN- (N=2-7) clusters

A first-principles quantum chemistry method, based on the Kohn-Sham density-functional theory, is used to investigate the adsorption of CO and O2 on small gas-phase gold cluster anions. The saturated adsorption of carbon monoxide on gold cluster anions AuN- (N=2-7) is discussed. The adsorption ability of CO reduces with the increase of the number of CO molecules bound to gold cluster anions, resulting in saturated adsorption at a certain amount of absorbed CO molecules, which is determined by geometric and electronic properties of gold clusters cooperatively. The effect of CO preadsorption on the electronic properties of gold cluster anions depends on the cluster size and the number of adsorbed CO, and the vertical detachment energies of CO-adsorbed gold cluster anions show a few changes with respect to corresponding pure gold cluster anions. The results indicate that the impinging adsorption of CO molecules may lead to geometry structure transformation on Au3- cluster. For the coadsorption of CO and O2 on Au2-, Au3- isomers, Au4-, and Au6-, we describe the cooperative adsorption between CO and O2, and find that the O2 dissociation is difficult on gas-phase gold cluster anions even with the preadsorption of CO.     

Gas phase synthesis, structure and unimolecular reactivity of silver iodide cluster cations, Ag(n)I(m)(+) (n = 2-5, 0 < m < n)

Multistage mass spectrometry (MS(n)) experiments reveal that gas phase silver iodide cluster cations, Ag(n)I(m)(+), are readily built up in a stepwise fashion via ion-molecule reactions between mass selected silver (Ag(3)(+) and Ag(5)(+)) or silver hydride (Ag(2)H(+) and Ag(4)H(+)) cluster cations and allyl iodide, in contrast to their reactions with methyl iodide, which solely result in ligation of the clusters. The stoichiometries of these clusters range from 1 < or = n < or = 5 and 1 < or = m < or = 4, indicating the formation of several new subvalent silver iodide clusters. Collision induced dissociation (CID) experiments were carried out on each of these clusters to shed some light on their possible structures. The products arising from CID of the Ag(n)I(m)(+) clusters are highly dependent on the stoichiometry of the cluster. Thus the odd-electron clusters Ag(4)I(2)(+) and Ag(5)I(+) fragment via loss of a silver atom. In contrast, the even-electron cluster ions all fragment via loss of AgI. In addition, Ag(2)I(2) loss is observed for the Ag(4)I(3)(+) and Ag(5)I(2)(+) clusters, while loss of Ag(3)I(3) occurs for the stoichiometric Ag(5)I(4)(+) cluster. DFT calculations were carried out on these Ag(n)I(m)(+) clusters as well as the neutrals associated with the ion-molecule and CID reactions. A range of different isomeric structures were calculated and their structures are described. A noteworthy aspect is that ligation of these silver clusters by I can have a profound effect on the geometry of the silver cluster. For example, D(3h) Ag(3)(+) becomes C(2v) Ag(3)I(+), which in turn becomes C(2h) Ag(3)I(2)(+). Finally, the DFT predicted thermochemistry supports the different types of reaction channels observed in the ion-molecule reactions and CID experiments.     

Experimental and theoretical study of the structure and reactivity of Fe1-2O< or =6- clusters with CO

Synergistic studies employing experiments in the gas phase and theoretical first principles calculations have been carried out to investigate the structure, stability, and reactivity toward CO of iron oxide cluster anions, Fe(x)O(y)- (x = 1-2, y < or = 6). Collision-induced dissociation studies of iron oxide species, employing xenon collision gas, show that FeO3- and FeO2- are the stable building blocks of the larger iron oxide clusters. Theoretical calculations show that the fragmentation patterns leading to the production of O or FeO(n) fragments are governed both by the energetics of the overall process as well as the number of intermediate states and the changes in spin multiplicity. Mass-selected experiments identified oxygen atom transfer to CO as the dominant reaction pathway for most anionic iron oxide clusters. A theoretical analysis of the molecular level pathways has been carried out to highlight the role of energetics as well as the spin states of the intermediates on the oxidation reaction.     

Collision-induced dissociation and density functional theory studies of CO adsorption over zirconium oxide cluster ions: oxidative and nonoxidative adsorption

Zirconium oxide cluster cations and anions are produced by laser ablation and reacted with CO in a fast flow reactor. The CO adsorption products Zr(x)O(y)CO(+) are observed for most of the generated cationic clusters (Zr(x)O(y)(+) = Zr(2)O(5,6)(+), Zr(3)O(7,8)(+), Zr(4)O(9,10)(+)...) while only specific anionic systems (Zr(x)O(y)(-) = Zr(3)O(7)(-), Zr(4)O(9)(-)...) absorb CO to produce Zr(x)O(y)CO(-). To study how the CO molecule is adsorbed on the clusters, the Zr(x)O(y)CO(±) products are mass-selected by a time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOF-MS) and collided with a crossed helium beam. The fragment ions from collision-induced dissociation (CID) are detected by a secondary TOF-MS. Loss of CO and CO(2) is observed upon the collision of the helium beam with Zr(x)O(y)CO(+) and Zr(x)O(2x+1)CO(-), respectively. Density functional theory calculations indicate that oxidative and nonoxidative adsorption of CO takes place over Zr(3)O(7)(-) and Zr(3)O(7)(+), respectively. This is consistent with the CID experiments.     

Photodissociation of vanadium, niobium, and tantalum oxide cluster cations

Transition-metal oxide clusters of the form M(n)O(m) (+)(M=V,Nb,Ta) are produced by laser vaporization in a pulsed nozzle cluster source and detected with time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Consistent with earlier work, cluster oxides for each value of n produce only a limited number of stoichiometries, where m>n. The cluster cations are mass selected and photodissociated using the second (532 nm) or third (355 nm) harmonic of a Nd:YAG (yttrium aluminum garnet) laser. All of these clusters require multiphoton conditions for dissociation, consistent with their expected strong bonding. Dissociation occurs by either elimination of oxygen or by fission, repeatedly producing clusters having the same specific stoichiometries. In oxygen elimination, vanadium species tend to lose units of O(2), whereas niobium and tantalum lose O atoms. For each metal increment n, oxygen elimination proceeds until a terminal stoichiometry is reached. Clusters having this stoichiometry do not eliminate more oxygen, but rather undergo fission, producing smaller M(n)O(m) (+) species. The smaller clusters produced as fission products represent the corresponding terminal stoichiometries for those smaller n values. The terminal stoichiometries identified are the same for V, Nb, and Ta oxide cluster cations. This behavior suggests that these clusters have stable bonding networks at their core, but additional excess oxygen at their periphery. These combined results determine that M(2)O(4) (+), M(3)O(7) (+), M(4)O(9) (+), M(5)O(12) (+), M(6)O(14) (+), and M(7)O(17) (+) have the greatest stability for V, Nb, and Ta oxide clusters.     

One-dimensional coordination polymers incorporating silver(I) perfluorocarboxylate cuboctahedral clusters and the bis(methylthio)methane ligand

Two topologically comparable complexes, [Ag6(CF3CO2)3(L1-Me)3(SCH3)3]infinity (1) and [Ag6(CF3CF2CO2)3(L1-Me)2(SCH3)3(H2O)]infinity (2), were prepared and characterized by single-crystal diffractometry. The structures consist of Ag12S6 clusters linked by bis(methylthio)methane ligands, L1-Me, thus forming 1D coordination polymers. The 12 Ag atoms of the cluster are situated at the corners of a distorted cuboctahedron. The sulfur atoms of the six mu4-SCH3 entities occupy a position approximately 0.8 A above the center of each of the square faces of the polyhedron. The cleavage of the C-S bond of some of the ligands occurs during the syntheses, producing the -SCH3 anions. The coordination of the silver atoms varies from 5 to 7. The Ag...Ag contacts range from 2.9250(5) to 3.3615(6) A and from 2.961(1) to 3.380(1) A for 1 and 2, respectively. A polymeric ribbon is obtained when four ligands link a given cluster to two others. The chains of 1, held only by van der Waals forces, pack in a hexagonal manner. The two water molecules in 2 (Ag-OH2 = 2.385(7) A) are coordinated to silver atoms of the cluster. They are also strongly hydrogen bonded to the oxygen atoms of two pentafluoropropionate groups, one within the cluster (O...O = 2.741(1) A), the other in an adjacent chain (O...O = 2.818(1) A). The chains, thus H bonded to one another, generate a 2D coordination network.     

Tuning cluster reactivity by charge state and composition: experimental and theoretical investigation of CO binding energies to Ag(n)Au(m)(+/-) (n + m = 3)

Temperature-dependent gas-phase reaction kinetics measurements and equilibrium thermodynamics under multicollision conditions in conjunction with ab initio DFT calculations were employed to determine the binding energies of carbon monoxide to triatomic silver-gold binary cluster cations and anions. The binding energies of the first CO molecule to the trimer clusters increase with increasing gold content and with changing charge from negative to positive. Thus, the reactivity of the binary clusters can be sensitively tuned by varying charge state and composition. Also, multiple CO adsorption on the clusters was investigated. The maximum number of adsorbed CO molecules was found to strongly depend on cluster charge and composition as well. Most interestingly, the cationic carbonyl complex Au(3)(CO)(4)(+) is formed at cryogenic temperature, whereas for the anion, only two CO molecules are adsorbed, leading to Au(3)(CO)(2)(-). All other trimer clusters adsorb three CO molecules in the case of the cations and are completely inert to CO in our experiment in the case of the anions.     

A first-principles investigation of the effect of Pt cluster size on CO and NO oxidation intermediates and energetics

As catalysis research strives toward designing structurally and functionally well-defined catalytic centers containing as few active metal atoms as possible, the importance of understanding the reactivity of small metal clusters, and in particular of systematic comparisons of reaction types and cluster sizes, has grown concomitantly. Here we report density functional theory calculations (GGA-PW91) that probe the relationship between particle size, intermediate structures, and energetics of CO and NO oxidation by molecular and atomic oxygen on Pt(x) clusters (x = 1-5 and 10). The preferred structures, charge distributions, vibrational spectra, and energetics are systematically examined for oxygen (O(2), 2O, and O), CO, CO(2), NO, and NO(2), for CO/NO co-adsorbed with O(2), 2O, and O, and for CO(2)/NO(2) co-adsorbed with O. The binding energies of oxygen, CO, NO, and of the oxidation products CO(2) and NO(2) are all markedly enhanced on Pt(x) compared to Pt(111), and they trend toward the Pt(111) levels as cluster size increases. Because of the strong interaction of both the reactants and products with the Pt(x) clusters, deep energy sinks develop on the potential energy surfaces of the respective oxidation processes, indicating worse reaction energetics than on Pt(111). Thus the smallest Pt clusters are less effective for catalyzing CO and NO oxidation in their original state than bulk Pt. Our results further suggests that oxidation by molecular O(2) is thermodynamically more favourable than by atomic O on Pt(x). Conditions and applications in which the Pt(x) clusters may be effective catalysts are discussed.     

Comparison of Adsorption Probabilities of O(2) and CO on Copper Cluster Cations and Anions

Reactions of size-selected copper cluster cations and anions, Cu(n)(±), with O(2) and CO have been systematically investigated under single collision conditions by using a tandem-mass spectrometer. In the reactions of Cu(n)(±) (n = 3-25) with O(2), oxidation of the cluster is prominently observed with and without releasing Cu atoms at the collision energy of 0.2 eV. The reactivity of Cu(n)(+) is governed to some extent by the electronic shell structure; the relatively small reaction cross sections observed at n = 9 and 21 correspond to the electronic shell closings, and those at odd sizes in n ≤ 16 match with the clusters having no unpaired electron. On the other hand, the reactivity of Cu(n)(-) exhibits no remarkable decrease by the electronic shell closings and the even-numbered electrons. These behaviors may be due to an influence of the electron detachment of the reaction intermediate, Cu(n)O(2)(-). Both the cations and anions show the dominant formation of Cu(n-1)O(2)(±) in n ≤ 16 and Cu(n)O(2)(±) in n ≥ 17 in the experimental time window. By contrast, Cu(n)(-) (n = 3-11) do not react with CO at the collision energy of 0.2 eV, while Cu(n)(+) (n = 3-19) adsorb CO though the cross sections are relatively small. The difference in the reactivity between the charge states can be understood in terms of the frontier orbitals of the Cu cluster and O(2) or CO.     

Reactions of carbon monoxide with free palladium oxide clusters: strongly size dependent competition between adsorption and combustion

The gas phase reactions of carbon monoxide with small mass-selected clusters of palladium, Pd(x)(+) (x = 2-7), and their oxides, Pd(x)O(+) (x = 2-7) and Pd(x)O(2)(+) (x = 4-6), have been investigated in a radio frequency ion trap operated under multi-collision conditions. The bare palladium clusters were found to readily adsorb CO yielding a highly size dependent product pattern. Most interestingly, the reactions of the pre-oxidized palladium clusters with CO lead to very similar product distributions of Pd(x)(CO)(z)(+) complexes as in the case of the corresponding pure Pd(x)(+) clusters. Consequently, it has been concluded that the investigated palladium oxide clusters efficiently oxidize CO under formation of the bare clusters, which further adsorb CO molecules yielding the previously observed Pd(x)(CO)(z)(+) product complex distributions. This CO combustion reaction has been observed even at temperatures as low as 100 K. However, for Pd(2)O(+), Pd(6)O(+), Pd(6)O(2)(+), and Pd(7)O(+) a competing reaction channel yielding palladium oxide carbonyls Pd(x)O(CO)(z)(+) could be detected. The latter adsorption reaction may even hamper the CO combustion under certain reaction conditions and indicates enhanced activation barriers involved in the CO oxidation and/or the CO(2) elimination process on these clusters.