Reactions between neutrals clustered on ions

Probing gas phase catalysis by atomic metal cations with flow tube mass spectrometry

The evolution and applications of flow tube mass spectrometry in the study of catalysis promoted by atomic metal ions are tracked from the pioneering days in Boulder, Colorado, to the construction and application of the ICP/SIFT/QqQ and ESI/qQ/SIFT/QqQ instruments at York University and the VISTA-SIFT instrument at the Air Force Research Laboratory. The physical separation of various sources of atomic metal ions from the flow tube in the latter instruments facilitates the spatial resolution of redox reactions and allows the separate measurement of the kinetics of both legs of a two-step catalytic cycle, while also allowing a view of the catalytic cycle in progress downstream in the reaction region of the flow tube. We focus on measurements on O-atom transfer and bond activation catalysis as first identified in Boulder and emphasize fundamental aspects such as the thermodynamic window of opportunity for catalysis, catalytic efficiency, and computed energy landscapes for atomic metal cation catalysis. Gas-phase applications include: the catalytic oxidation of CO to CO2, of H2 to H2O, and of C2H4 to CH3CHO all with N2O as the source of oxygen; the catalytic oxidation of CH4 to CH3OH with O3; the catalytic oxidation of C6H6 with O2. We also address the environmentally important catalytic reduction of NO2 and NO to N2 with CO and H2 by catalytic coupling of two-step catalytic cycles in a multistep cycle. Overall, the power of atomic metal cations in catalysis, and the use of flow tube mass spectrometry in revealing this power, is clearly demonstrated.

Ion-molecule studies of energetic oxygen allotropes in flow tubes: O 2 ( v ) , O 2 ( a Δ g 1 ) , O 3 , and O

Starting in the 1960s, flow tube apparatuses have played a central role in the study of ion-molecule kinetics, allowing for immense chemical diversity of cationic, anionic, and neutral reactants. Here, we review studies of oxygen allotropes, excluding ground state O2 (X 3 ∑ g - ), and focusing instead on reactions of cations, anions, and metal chemi-ionization reactions with ground state atomic oxygen (O 3P), vibrationally excited molecular oxygen (O2(v)), electronically excited molecular oxygen (O2 (a 1 Δ g )), and ozone (O3). Historical outlines of work over several decades are given along with a focus on more recent work by our group at the Air Force Research Laboratory.

Ions in space

We review the detection history, observation, distribution, and reactivity of molecular ions in extraterrestrial space, with particular (though not exclusive) reference to interstellar monocations. The diversity of interstellar ion chemistry is highlighted with reaction examples, drawn from the authors' own laboratories and elsewhere, and attempt to provide an overview of this broad and increasingly divergent field. Emphasis is given to the role of ions in the synthesis of molecules, including their ability to catalyze the transformation of neutral molecules.

Gas-Phase Catalysis by Atomic and Cluster Metal Ions: The Ultimate Single-Site Catalysts

Gas-phase experiments with state-of-the-art techniques of mass spectrometry provide detailed insights into numerous elementary processes. The focus of this Review is on elementary reactions of ions that achieve complete catalytic cycles under thermal conditions. The examples chosen cover aspects of catalysis pertinent to areas as diverse as atmospheric chemistry and surface chemistry. We describe how transfer of oxygen atoms, bond activation, and coupling of fragments can be mediated by atomic or cluster metal ions. In some cases truly unexpected analogies of the idealized gas-phase ion catalysis can be drawn with related chemical transformations in solution or the solid state, and so improve our understanding of the intrinsic operation of a practical catalyst at a strictly molecular level.

O-Atom Transport Catalysis by Atomic Cations in the Gas Phase: Reduction of N2O by CO

Atomic cations (26), M+, have been shown to lie within a thermodynamic window for O-atom transport catalysis of the reduction of N2O by CO and have been checked for catalytic activity at room temperature with kinetic measurements using an inductively-coupled plasma/selected-ion flow tube (ICP/SIFT) tandem mass spectrometer. Only 10 of these 26 atomic cations were seen to be catalytic: Ca+, Fe+, Ge+, Sr+, Ba+, Os+, Ir+, Pt+, Eu+, and Yb+. The remaining 16 cations that lie in the thermodynamic window (Cr+, Mn+, Co+, Ni+, Cu+, Se+, Mo+, Ru+, Rh+, Sn+, Te+, Re+, Pb+, Bi+, Tm+, and Lu+) react too slowly at room temperature either in the formation of MO+ or in its reduction by CO. Many of these reactions are known to be spin forbidden and a few actually may lie outside the thermodynamic window. A new measure of efficiency is introduced for catalytic cycles that allows the discrimination between catalytic cations on the basis of the efficiencies of the two legs of the catalytic cycle. Also, a potential-energy landscape is computed for the reduction of N2O by CO catalyzed by Fe+(6D) that vividly illustrates the operation of an ionic catalyst.

Alkali-metal ion/molecule association reactions and their applications to mass spectrometry

This review will be concerned primarily with thermal alkali-metal ion association reactions of the general type: A+ + M + N reversible (A + M)+ + N. Where A denotes a positively charged alkali metal ion, M is neutral species and N works as a third body. As indicated, most association reactions are reversible, and the A-M bond derives primarily from electrostatic forces whose energy (affinity) is typically 50 kcal/mol or less, often much less. The review includes reaction mechanism, instrumentation, and application to mass spectrometry, together with reaction rates and alkali ion affinities of the classified compounds.