Non-scrambling of hydrogen in NH4+(H2O)3 clusters

• Published in: RSC advances Vol. 9; no. 12; pp. 662 - 6626
• Main Authors: Hansen, K, Sundén, A. E. K, Støchkel, K, Nielsen, S. Brøndsted, Dynefors, B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Royal Society of Chemistry 2019; The Royal Society of Chemistry
• Subjects: Ammonia; Atom and Molecular Physics and Optics; Atom- och molekylfysik och optik; Chemistry; Clusters; Deuteration; Deuterium; Evaporation rate; Fysikalisk kemi; Heavy water; hydrogen scrambling; Light water; Mass spectra; Physical Chemistry; Water ammonia clusters; Water chemistry
• ISSN: 2046-2069; 2046-2069
• DOI: 10.1039/c8ra10515d

We have measured the metastable decay of protonated, ammonia-doped, deuterated water clusters produced in an electrospray source, d
n
-NH
4
+
(H
2
O)
3
,
n
= 0-6. The mass spectra show a very strong odd-even effect, consistent with a low degree of scrambling of the hydrogen bound to water and to the ammonia. The relative evaporation rate constant for light water was almost twice the one for heavy water, with the rate for mixed protium-deuterium water molecule intermediate between these two values.
We have measured the metastable decay of protonated, ammonia-doped, deuterated water clusters produced in an electrospray source, d
n
-NH
4
+
(H
2
O)
3
,
n
= 0-6.