Ionization induced relaxation in solvation structure: a comparison between Na(H2O)n and Na(NH3)n

The constant ionization potential for hydrated sodium clusters Na(H2O)n just beyond n=4, as observed in photoionization experiments, has long been a puzzle in violation of the well-known (n+1)(-1/3) rule that governs the gradual transition in properties from clusters to the bulk. Based on first principles calculations, a link is identified between this puzzle and an important process in solution: the reorganization of the solvation structure after the removal of a charged particle. Na(H2O)n is a prototypical system with a solvated electron coexisting with a solvated sodium ion, and the cluster structure is determined by a balance among three factors: solute-solvent (Na+-H2O), solvent-solvent (H2O-H2O), and electron-solvent (OH{e}HO) interactions. Upon the removal of an electron by photoionization, extensive structural reorganization is induced to reorient OH{e}HO features in the neutral Na(H2O)n for better Na+-H2O and H2O-H2O interactions in the cationic Na+(H2O)n. The large amount of energy released, often reaching 1 eV or more, indicates that experimentally measured ion signals actually come from autoionization via vertical excitation to high Rydberg states below the vertical ionization potential, which induces extensive structural reorganization and the loss of a few solvent molecules. It provides a coherent explanation for all the peculiar features in the ionization experiments, not only for Na(H2O)n but also for Li(H2O)n and Cs(H2O)n. In addition, the contrast between Na(H2O)n and Na(NH3)n experiments is accounted for by the much smaller relaxation energy for Na(NH3)n, for which the structures and energetics are also elucidated.