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Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Spatial Separation of Molecular Conformers and Clusters
Published on: January 9, 2014
Communication: Delayed asymmetric Coulomb fission of molecular clusters: application of a dielectric liquid-drop
Guohua Wu1, Xiaojing Chen, Anthony J Stace
1Department of Physical Chemistry, School of Chemistry, The University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Delayed asymmetric Coulomb fission in size-selected molecular dication clusters has been recorded for the first time. Observations on (NH(3))(n)(2+) clusters show that fragmentation accompanied by charge separation can occur on a microsecond time scale, exhibits considerable asymmetry, and involves a kinetic energy release of ∼0.9 eV. The fission process has been modeled by representing the fragments as charged dielectric spheres and the calculated maximum in the electrostatic interaction energy between the fragments gives a good account of the measured kinetic energy release. A simple kinetic model shows that instrumental factors may contribute to the observation of asymmetric fragmentation.
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