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Updated: Jul 27, 2026

Photoelectron Imaging of Anions Illustrated by 310 Nm Detachment of F−
Published on: July 27, 2018
Infrared spectra of gas-phase V(+)-(benzene) and V(+)-(benzene)(2) complexes
D van Heijnsbergen1, G von Helden, G Meijer
1FOM-Institute for Plasmaphysics Rijnhuizen, Edisonbaan 14, NL-3439 MN Nieuwegein, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
The organometallic ions V+-(benzene) and V+-(benzene)2 are produced by laser vaporization in a pulsed nozzle source. They are trapped and mass selected in an ion-trap/time-of-flight mass spectrometer, and their infrared spectra are measured with resonance-enhanced multiphoton photodissociation (IR-REMPD) spectroscopy with a tunable free-electron laser. Vibrational bands in the 600-1800 cm-1 region are characteristic of the benzene molecular moiety perturbed by the metal cation bonding. Experimental data are compared to the IR spectra derived from density functional calculations. Vibrational patterns in V+-(C6H6) indicate that the metal is bound in an eta6 pi-bonding configuration, while V+-(C6H6)2 is a sandwich. Trapped-ion IR-REMPD is a general method to access the vibrational spectroscopy of organometallic ions and their clusters.
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