Unexpected role of water on the fragmentation of hydrated biomolecule clusters

Abstract

SynopsisWe study the ionization and fragmentation of tetrahydrofuran (THF) and hydrated THF clusters induced by low-energy (65 eV) electron-collision using an (e, 2e + ion) triple coincidence method. The momentum vectors and the kinetic energies for all three final-state charged particles are determined. The ionic fragments are identified from the measured ion time-of-flight spectra. The influence of the water environment on the biomolecule is investigated with the ion fragment correlated binding energy spectra and triple-differential cross sections as well as ab-initio dynamical calculations.