Ion−Molecule Reactions of Gas-Phase Chromium Oxyanions: CrxOyHz- + H2O

Reactions of metal cluster anions with inorganic and organic molecules in the gas phase

Progress on the activation and transformation of important inorganic and organic molecules by negatively charged bare metal clusters as well as ligated systems with oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen, among others.

Study of cluster anions generated by laser ablation of titanium oxides: a high resolution approach based on Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

Laser ablation of titanium oxides at 355 nm and ion-molecule reactions between [(TiO(2))(x)](-•) cluster anions and H(2)O or O(2) were investigated by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR MS) with an external ion source. The detected anions correspond to [(TiO(2))(x)(H(2)O)(y)OH](-) and [(TiO(2))(x)(H(2)O)(y)O(2)](-•) oxy-hydroxide species with x=1 to 25 and y=1, 2, or 3 and were formed by a two step process: (1) laser ablation, which leads to the formation of [(TiO(2))(x)](-•) cluster anions as was previously reported, and (2) ion-molecule reactions during ion storage. Reactions of some [(TiO(2))(x)](-•) cluster anions with water and dioxygen conducted in the FTICR cell confirm this assessment. Tandem mass spectrometry experiments were also performed in sustained off-resonance irradiation collision-induced dissociation (SORI-CID) mode. Three fragmentation pathways were observed: (1) elimination of water molecules, (2) O(2) loss for radical anions, and (3) fission of the cluster. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to explain the experimental data.

Potential of laser ablation and laser desorption mass spectrometry to characterize organic and inorganic environmental pollutants on dust particles

Stainless steel factories are known to release particles into the atmosphere. Such particulate matter contains significant amounts of heavy metals or toxic inorganic compounds and organic pollutants such as, for example, Cr(VI) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The investigation of Cr(VI) and PAHs is often complicated by the associated matrix. Organic and inorganic pollutants present in stainless steel dust particles have been investigated with the same laser microprobe mass spectrometer according to two original methodologies. These analytical methods do not require time-consuming pretreatment (extraction, solubilization) or preconcentration steps. More specifically, experiments are conducted with a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer coupled to an ArF (193 nm) or a tripled frequency Nd-YAG (355 nm) laser. Experiments at 355 nm allow the nature of the most frequently occurring Cr(III)/Cr(VI) compounds in dust particles to be identified. Examination of PAHs at 193 nm is assisted by the formation of pi-complexes with 7,7',8,8'-tetracyanoquinodimethane to prevent their evaporation in the mass spectrometer during analysis and to ensure an increase in sensitivity.

Hydration of Alumina Cluster Anions in the Gas Phase

Hydration reactions of anionic aluminum oxide clusters were measured using a quadrupole ion trap secondary ion mass spectrometer, wherein the number of Lewis acid sites were determined. The extent of hydration varied irregularly as cluster size increased and indicated that the clusters possessed condensed structures where the majority of the Al atoms were fully coordinated, with a limited number of undercoordinated sites susceptible to hydrolysis. For maximally hydrated ions, the number of OH groups per Al decreased in an exponential fashion from 4.0 in Al(1) cluster to 1.4 in the Al(9) cluster, which was greater than that expected for a highly hydroxylated surface but less than that for solution phase alumina clusters.

Intrinsic hydration of monopositive uranyl hydroxide, nitrate, and acetate cations

The intrinsic hydration of three monopositive uranyl-anion complexes (UO(2)A)(+) (where A = acetate, nitrate, or hydroxide) was investigated using ion-trap mass spectrometry (IT-MS). The relative rates for the formation of the monohydrates [(UO(2)A)(H(2)O)](+), with respect to the anion, followed the trend: Acetate > or = nitrate >> hydroxide. This finding was rationalized in terms of the donation of electron density by the strongly basic OH(-) to the uranyl metal center, thereby reducing the Lewis acidity of U and its propensity to react with incoming nucleophiles, viz., H(2)O. An alternative explanation is that the more complex acetate and nitrate anions provide increased degrees of freedom that could accommodate excess energy from the hydration reaction. The monohydrates also reacted with water, forming dihydrates and then trihydrates. The rates for formation of the nitrate and acetate dihydrates [(UO(2)A)(H(2)O)(2)](+) were very similar to the rates for formation of the monohydrates; the presence of the first H(2)O ligand had no influence on the addition of the second. In contrast, formation of the [(UO(2)OH)(H(2)O)(2)](+) was nearly three times faster than the formation of the monohydrate.