Knowledge Bank

The combination of a thermionic ion source and a supersonic nozzle molecular beam has been used to produce solvated ion clusters. The core ion m can be solvated by a number of different solvents both polar and non-polar. For example, the solvated ion has the form $M(S)n$ where $M=Cs+$ and $S=C6H6$ (benzene). The clusters are focused with an electrostatic pens system and resolved with a quadrupole mass filter. The experimental technique is an extension of vibrational predlssoolation molecular beam spectroscopy. as previously carried out in our laboratory on neutral clusters, to the problem of solvated ions. The goal of this research is to obtain knowledge of the solvation processes at the microscopic level as well as detailed Information concerning the structure of these solvated ions. The dynamics of the dissociation process will also be discussed.