Photodissociation Dynamics of 4-Aminobenzonitrile+(Water)nClusters

Abstract

The photodissociation dynamics of 4-aminobenzonitrile+(water)n (4ABN +Wn) (n = 1-18) clusters was investigated using a home-built linear-tandem time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer consisting of two stages. Massselected cluster cations (n = 8-18) were irradiated by photons with energies ranging from 2.15 to 2.95 eV in the field-free region at the second stage. The average numbers of ejected water molecules were obtained at various photon energies from the photofragmentation mass spectra, from which the average binding energies of water molecules were estimated. Also, the optimum structures of the clusters and binding energies of the water molecules were suggested via theoretical calculations. The local excitation (LE) band observed in the photodissociation spectra of the 4ABN+Wn (n = 1-3) clusters and 4ABN2 + shifted to blue with increase in the number of solvated water molecules.