Measurements of kinetic energy release and binding energy following the unimolecular fragmentation of molecular cluster ions

Abstract

High resolution mass spectrometry has been used to record the fragmentation patterns of size-selected carbon dioxide, carbon disulphide and protonated acetonitrile cluster ions that have been produced by electron impact ionization of a beam of neutral clusters. From the shapes of fragment ion peaks it has been possible to extract information about the kinetic energy that is released in the decay reaction. Average kinetic energies have been recorded and using finite heat bath theory these data have been used to calculate the binding energies of single molecules to the decaying cluster ions.