Fission mechanisms of doubly charged organic molecular clusters

Abstract

Fission of doubly charged clusters and subsequent stabilization of the singly charged fragments is reported. Specifically, homogeneous clusters containing organic molecules, such as o-deuteromethanol (CH3OD) and benzene (C6H6), are investigated. Doubly charged clusters are prepared by core level excitation near the carbon K-edge. The singly charged products are observed by photoelectron-photoion-coincidence (PEPICO) spectroscopy. Correlated pairs of singly charged cations are detected by photoelectron-photoion-photoion-coincidence (PEPIPICO) spectroscopy. This approach allows us to derive fission mechanisms, including kinetic energy releases, and charge separation distances. Specifically, doubly charged CH3OD clusters decay after fission into deuterated products via an intracluster deuteron transfer. Doubly charged benzene clusters are primarily stabilized via fission and subsequent evaporation of neutrals, similar to rare gas clusters. The results are compared to previous work on the corresponding isolated gas phase species and charge separation in atomic Van der Waals clusters. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.