Ionization dynamics of water dimer on ice surface

Abstract

The solid surface provides an effective two-dimensional reaction field because the surface increases the encounter probability of bi-molecular collision reactions. Also, the solid surface stabilizes a reaction intermediate because the excess energy generated by the reaction dissipates into the bath modes of surface. The ice surface in the universe is one of the two dimensional reaction fields. However, it is still unknown how the ice surface affects to the reaction mechanism. In the present study, to elucidate the specific property of the ice surface reaction, ionization dynamics of water dimer adsorbed on the ice surface was theoretically investigated by means of direct ab-initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) method combined with ONIOM (our own n-layered integrated molecular orbital and molecular mechanics) technique, and the result was compared with that of gas phase reaction. It was found that a proton is transferred from H2O+ to H2O within the dimer and the intermediate complex H3O+(OH) is formed in both cases. However, the dynamic features were different from each other. The reaction rate of the proton transfer on the ice surface was three times faster than that in the gas phase. The intermediate complex H3O+(OH) was easily dissociated to H3O+ and OH radical on the ice surface, and the lifetime of the complex was significantly shorter than that of gas phase (100fs vs. infinite). The reason why the ice surface accelerates the reaction was discussed in the present study.